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Dr. Seuss’s Cat in the Hat tells the misadventures involving a cat, a rainy day, two bored children, and a mother at work. Oh, and a talking fish. Sounds like a recipe for mayhem to me!

Sally (Jessica Shearer) and her brother (Tyler Herman) are on most occasions well-mannered and upstanding citizens. They seem to play together and interact as two children should. However on this day they are bored. Enter the Cat played by Rick Hammerly. The Cat makes a comically grand appearance, much to the delight of the young audience. With no thoughts toward malice, the crafty kitty stirs things up to the delight of the children. Well, at first anyway. The reality checker of the group is the Fish, played wonderfully by Alex Vernon. You quickly forget about the man behind the fishbowl and soon are locked into the fish’s antics as the Cat sends him on a scary journey around the house. The acrobatics were great as Thing 1 and Thing 2 (Lulu Knowles and Leah A Snow respectively) appeared on the stage. They really got things rolling (literally!). The gymnastics were thrilling. At times though it was almost too busy as they whirled and twirled around the room, knocking over things (and sometimes Things as well) and causing all kinds of mischief. Sally and her brother were desperately trying to keep their house together and the “Things” under control.

Once again it was Alex Vernon who brings everything into perspective when he announces that Mother is on her way home! Panic ensues as the children try to corral Thing 1 and Thing 2 and get the house in some sort of order, get rid of the Cat, calm the fish, and sit down to once again look bored. Quite a day it was!

Set Designer Luciana Stecconi created a believable stage that was bright and cheery, yet functional as well. The cats, as well as the “Things” were able to climb safely onto the bookshelves and other objects on the set. The colors were bright and the pictures were happy despite the dreary day. The final scene showed a mysterious grinning figure in the background who had you smiling.

The Cat in the Hat was a fun-filled afternoon that took your mind away from the cares of life for a bit.

Photo Gallery

Rick Hammerly as The Cat, Tyler Herman as the Boy, Jessica Shearer as Sally	Alex Vernon as The Fish, Rick Hammerly as The Cat
Julia (Lulu) Knowles as Thing 1 and Leah Show as Thing 2, Rick Hammerly as The Cat, Tyler Herman as the Boy, Alex Vernon as The Fish	Julia (Lulu) Knowles as Thing 1 and Leah Show as Thing 2, Tyler Herman as The Boy, Jessica Shearer as Sally
Rick Hammerly as The Cat, Julia (Lulu) Knowles as Thing 1 and Leah Show as Thing 2, Tyler Herman as The Boy and Jessica Shearer as Sally	Alex Vernon as The Fish
Rick Hammerly as The Cat, Alex Vernon as The Fish

Photos by Bruce Douglas

Cast

• Cat: Rick Hammerly
• Sally: Jessica Shearer
• Boy: Tyler Herman
• Fish: Alex Vernon
• Thing 1/Cat 1-Red Cast: Julia (Lulu) Knowles
• Thing 2/ Cat 2-Red Cast: Leah A Show
• Thing 1/Cat 1-Blue Cast: Alison Cenname
• Thing 2/ Cat 2-Blue Cast: Cassie Cope
• Thing 1/Cast 1-U/S: Cassie Cope
• Thing 2/Cat 2/U/S: Madison Reefe
• U/S Cat: Danny Pushkin
• U/S Sally: Karen O’Connell
• U/S Boy/ Fish: Philip da Costa

Production Team

• Director: Karin Abromatis
• Assistant Director: Adi Stein
• Composer: William Yanesh
• Set Designer: Luciana Stecconi
• Costume Designer: Kendra Rai
• Properties Designer: Andrea Dre Moore
• Puppet Designer: Eric Brooks
• Lighting Designer: Jason Aufdem-Brinke
• Sound Designer: Neil McFadden
• Stage Manager: Madeline Evans
• Scenic Charge: Pallas Bane
• Master Electrician: Sarah Mackowski
• Asst. Stage Manager/Production Associate: Julie Roederscheimer
• Asst. Stage Manager/SM Intern: Jen Grunfeld

Disclaimer: Adventure Theatre MTC provided two complimentary media tickets to ShowBizRadio for this review.