SEUSSICAL, Hit Musical Exploring the World of Dr. Seuss, Has Music Circus Premiere on 7/12

The 66th Music Circus season continues with the delightful and enduring musical Seussical. Explore the witty, wild and whimsical world of Dr. Seuss as you've never seen it before. Travel back to your childhood to the land of the Whos and the Jungle of Nool, and rediscover the delightfully zany characters imagined by one of the most beloved storytellers of all time. Created by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty (Ragtime, Once On This Island), this is one visit to the doctor that neither kids nor parents will mind, an enchanting musical where anything's possible.

In addition to a strong cast of Broadway veterans and Music Circus favorites, Scenic and Puppet Designer for this production of Seussical is Richard Bay, a master puppeteer and former theatre professor from Sacramento State University who is internationally known for his imaginative productions that effectively incorporate puppets and live actors.

Performances of Seussical are Tuesday, July 12 through Sunday, July 17 at the Wells Fargo Pavilion. Tickets start at $45 and are available by phone at (916) 557-1999, online at Tickets.com, or in person at the Wells Fargo Pavilion Box Office, 1419 H Street in Sacramento. Evening performances are Tuesday through Saturday, July 12 - 16, at 7:30 p.m. Matinee performances are Thursday, July 14 and Saturday, July 16 at 2:00 p.m., and Sunday, July 17 at 3:00 p.m. For more information, visit SacramentoMusicCircus.com.

Ushering us into the world of Dr. Seuss as the Cat in the Hat is Jason Graae, who has appeared in numerous Broadway shows including Falsettos, Snoopy!, and the original cast of A Grand Night for Singing, as well as the Music Circus productions of Brigadoon, Sugar, and The Music Man. Appearing in the role of Sour Kangaroo, which she originated in the Broadway production of Seussical, is Sharon Wilkins, whose other shows include The Life and All Shook Up on Broadway, and over one hundred film, television, commercial, and voice over credits. Seen on Broadway in Nice Work If You Can Get It, Sister Act, Bye Bye Birdie, The Little Mermaid, and The Producers, John Treacy Egan takes on the lovable Horton the Elephant. Ginifer King, joining the cast as Mayzie LaBird, made her Broadway debut in Gypsy with Bernadette Peters and is well-known to Nickelodeon viewers as Michelle Hathaway on "Haunted Hathaways;" she has since performed on Broadway in Steel Magnolias and the revival of Cyrano de Bergerac. Bets Malone returns to Music Circus as Gertrude McFuzz, having previously performed in 1776 and The Marvelous Wondrettes; her numerous theatre credits include recent regional productions of The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Big Fish.

The Mayor of Whoville will be portrayed by Jamie Torcellini, who delighted audiences at Music Circus as the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz and whose Broadway credits include Cats, Me and My Girl and the original company of Billy Elliot the Musical. Playing Mrs. Mayor is Eydie Alyson, who starred as Audrey in the original Off-Broadway and First National Tour of Little Shop of Horrors, and will be recognizable to Sacramento audiences for her roles in Suds and Bingo! at the Cosmopolitan Cabaret. After playing the role of Horace Vandergelder in the Music Circus production of Hello, Dolly!, Stuart Marland joins this cast as well in the role of Genghis Kahn Schmitz; he was also seen in last summer's Bye Bye Birdie as Mr. MacAfee, as well as in Broadway productions of Newsies, Xanadu, Jekyll & Hyde, and Beauty and the Beast. Josh Davis, a veteran at El Dorado Musical Theatre, who appeared last summer as Michael Darling in Peter Pan, returns to Music Circus as Jojo.

The cast will also include the following actors: Kim Arnett returns for her ninth season at Music Circus after being last seen in the Broadway Sacramento presentation of Disney's The Little Mermaid. Ward Billeisen, at Music Circus in the 2015 production of Hair, has performed on Broadway in Anything Goes, Curtains, and Fiddler on the Roof. Making her Music Circus debut this season, Lindsey Bracco has appeared in numerous productions with Pittsburg CLO, including The Wedding Singer, Man of La Mancha, and Gypsy. Seth Danner, returning to Music Circus this season after last summer's production of Hair, has toured nationally with the Japanese Tours of Chicago and A Chorus Line. Zak Edwards appeared in the First National Tour of Young Frankenstein and the Off-Broadway production of Yank!; he may be familiar to Sacramento audiences as Frederic from Sacramento Theatre Company's The Pirates of Penzance. Jordan Grubb is no stranger to Music Circus, having performed in Mary Poppins, A Chorus Line, and 42nd Street, in addition to touring with Mary Poppins. Brittany Rose Hammond, who appeared in Hair last season, has performed in The Will Rogers Follies and Singin' in the Rain, in addition to touring with the national revival of Hair. Karen Hyland has appeared at Music Circus in numerous productions, including Mary Poppins, South Pacific and Brigadoon, as well as on Broadway in Scandalous and Ghost.

Sarah Marie Jenkins returns to Music Circus this season after appearing last summer in West Side Story, Peter Pan, and Bye Bye Birdie; she has also performed in the national tours of Legally Blonde, Guys and Dolls, Swing!, and Honeymoon in Vegas at Paper Mill Playhouse. Eric Anthony Johnson has toured with Evita, Elf the Musical, Miss Saigon, and West Side Story, and served as the Dance Captain of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella for its two-year Broadway run. Matthew J. Kilgore has performed on Broadway in Irving Berlin's White Christmas, toured with numerous shows including Chicago, Fiddler on the Roof, and Evita, and appeared in multiple Music Circus productions. Shanon Mari Mills, who toured with the First National Tour of Wicked as the Glinda understudy and with Cathy Rigby is Peter Pan, returns to Music Circus after appearing in Legally Blonde and Hello, Dolly! earlier this season. After his performance as Hud in Hair last season, Omari Tau returns to the Music Circus stage; he has toured nationally with Disney's The Lion King and regionally with Once On This Island, Evita, The Wizard of Oz, and Street Scene. After performing with the National Tour of Monty Python's Spamalot in numerous regional theatre productions, Jessica Wockenfuss appears at Music Circus for the first time this season.

Seussical will be directed by Glenn Casale, Artistic Director for California Musical Theatre since 2008, who has directed more than 50 productions for Music Circus and Broadway Sacramento over the past 20 years. Choreographer Bob Richard has not only choreographed the 50th anniversary tour of Hello, Dolly!, but has also choreographed "Lazytown," "The Tonight Show," "The Today Show," and "Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade." Musical Director Dennis Castellano has been with Music Circus since 1981 and has conducted for South Coast Repertory, Laguna Playhouse, Music Theatre of Wichita, and many others.

Music Circus is produced under the leadership of Artistic Director Glenn Casale and Executive Producer Scott Klier. California Musical Theatre President and CEO is Richard Lewis.

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