Seussical – Auditions Pieces

Gertrude Playing Age: 20 – 35

Socially and physically awkward, she is quirky and off-beat but delightfully so.
Gertrude is a sweet lovable character the audience root for. Gertrude doesn’t quite fit in
with the other jungle animals. She is unsure of herself and her ability to be loved and is
very self-conscious about her small tail, which she blames for this. During the show she
comes to understand that it is her big heart and diligence, not her looks that will catch
Horton’s eye. This part requires a strong character actress with comedic timing.

tbc Music
Notice Me Horton (p111) No. 16 1-71
All For You 27B

Mayzie Playing Age: 20 - 35

Good time girl. Gorgeous, talented and sought after by every male in sight. Real star
power and loves the limelight. Flirtatious, manipulative and self- absorbed. When her
sexual exploits lands her with an egg, she persuades Horton to take the egg so her
exciting lifestyle will not be interrupted. She is redeemed in the show, to a limited
extent, when she later realises Horton will be a better caregiver than her and gives up
the egg.

Dialogue Music
P58-60 “It’s hopeless…neither did I (cut No. 12 Amazing Mayzie
song, but speak ”Hey Horton would you No. 21B Amazing Horton Part 2 bars 10-60
maybe like to sit on my egg)…toodle-
oooo!!”
Sour Kangaroo Playing Age: 25 – 50 (although must be a funky 50)
The diva queen of the jungle. As it says in the score, “Aretha with more attitude”. She is
funky and she has attitude but is also hard-hearted and sour. She has no time for
dreamers and foolishness and holds on to power by insisting those in the jungle
conform to her sense of normalcy. But deep down she is not all bad and when she
realises she is wrong she is quick to acknowledge it and accept her mistakes. Requires a
strong gospel / soul style of singing and the ability to front company numbers.

Dialogue Music
P19 “Humph.. humpfed a voice…into the No. 4A Biggest Blame Fool
song” No. 14A Chasing the Whos (Part 1) bar 8 -
23
Birdgirls Playing Age: 16 – 35
The glamorous ‘Three Degrees’ of the jungle. Mayzie wanna-bes. The Birdgirls act as
storytellers and move the story on. They live in the moment, are sensuous and should
have fun, bold, individual characters. They enjoy being appreciated and flirt with the
Wickersham brothers.
Must have excellent musical timing and the ability to hold a harmony. Must move well
and in tight synchronicity with each other.
Mrs Mayor Playing Age: 30 – 55
Innocent, quirky and values conformity. Should make a good team with Mr Mayor and
be almost a caricature. Like Americans of the 1950s although like the other ‘Whos’ her
straight and proper demeanour is interspersed with whimsical and quirky movements.
Mrs Mayor is at her wits end trying to keep Jojo’s world neat tidy and free from
spontaneous outbursts and ‘thinks’. She defers to her husband. She agrees the way to
‘cure’ Jojo is to send him/her away to military school. But, like all parents, she makes
mistakes in her choices and realises this by the end of the show.
Dialogue Music
P31-32 “Meet a tiny who..Normal Thinks No.8 (whole song), How to Raise a Child
instead” (sing both characters line bars 4 – 16 and
then Mrs Mayor).

Horton Playing Age – 20 - 50

Horton is physically and socially different from the other animals in the jungle and does
not conform to The Sour Kangaroo’s expectations of how he should behave. All of this
plus his desire to protect the ‘Who’s’ and later Mayzie’s egg singles him out for derision
from most of the other characters. He is a slow moving, gentle giant, determined, loyal,
honest, kind and faithful 100%. His experience as an outcast enables him to empathise
with those in trouble and he goes to extremes to help them, although he isn’t always
sure of his ability to do this. He is so involved in helping others that he is oblivious to
Gertrude’s romantic interest in him. In the end he finds that is ready to become a
parent and a romantic partner.
Dialogue Music
P56 “That bird…are you there?” No. 10 Alone in the Universe, Part
P59-60 “Why Mayzie…save Who!” 1(whole) and Part 2 to bar 45
No. 28B The People Versus Horton The
Elephant bars 25-50
Cat in the Hat Playing Age 18-50 (Male or Female)
The Cat is the emcee and drives the plot along, providing opportunities and motivation
for other characters to advance the storyline. He is a trickster, playful and fun. The cat
stirs things up, creates trouble, but always puts it right again (as in the book). He
doubles up as a number of characters in the show (although always plainly as the Cat).
The person playing the cat should be a fluid mover (it is not necessary to be a ‘dancer’)
with vaudeville skills and comedic timing. There are numerous one-liners, entrances
and exits and props to manage. He works closely with Thing 1 and Thing 2 and Jojo. He
also needs to improvise with the audience and speak directly to them.

Dialogue Music
P10 “I can see…Thinker! Like you!” No.1 & 1A bars 1-16
P47 “Tut...Pill-berry bush!” No. 15 How Lucky You Are (whole)
P80 – 81 “How sad…Son, wait!” No.26 Havin’ A Hunch bars 9-38

Mayor Playing Age: 30 – 55+

Bumptious, jovial man with heart of gold but who often lets his Office prevent him from
seeing what’s truly important. Should make a good team with Mrs Mayor and be
almost a caricature. Like Americans of the 1950s although like the other ‘Whos’ his
straight and proper demeanour is interspersed with whimsical and quirky movements.
Expects Jojo to have ‘upright’ behaviour and fit in with his image of what the Mayor’s
son should be like. He thinks the way to ‘cure’ Jojo is to send him/her away to military
school. But, like all parents, he makes mistakes in his choices and realises this by the end
of the show.
P31-32 “Meet a tiny who..Normal Thinks No. 8 p66 (whole song), How to Raise a
instead” Child (sing both characters line bars 4 – 16
and then Mr Mayor).
General Playing Age: 25 – 55+
The General is a soldier who has authoritative bearing and commands with a loud voice
and intimidating presence. He believes in conformity and following orders without
question, he has no time for dreamers. He is prepared to go to war in the firm belief the
Butter Side Downers are wrong without considering whether it might be trivial. His
mission is to curtail thinking and behaviour that is different from the norm. However, he
does have a change of heart in the end, questions his mission and sees the power of
imagination.

NB He is not a villain or a bully, but a comic character because he is so misguided

Dialogue Music
P38 “Ten hut!...h-a-a-rch1” (ignore song No. 9A The Military(Genghis’ Verse)
and bits in between) “Look at these (whole) (then lib)
boys…Opinion!” No.9C The Military (Part 2) (whole)

Wickersham Playing Age: 18 – 35 (Male or Male & Female)

The Wickersham are the impulsive, swaggering, bad boys and girls who like to ‘monkey around’
and create havoc just for fun. They are not truly bad, they simply like to tease, play pranks and
get a kick out of making mischief, even at each other’s expense. They are sharp dressers and like
to pose and their macho posturing increases around the ladies (although a female Wickersham
would tick off her male counterparts in this situation).They are henchmen for the Sour Kangaroo.
They like to taunt Horton as they are uncomfortable with his insecurity and tenderness. The
Wickershams need to be good dancers, they swagger, leap, roll, and possibly swing on bars.
Movement audition – to be set
Dialogue Music
P50 “So you’re…Why, I don’t hear a Wickersham 1 Monkey Around 12-46
sound!” (all three lines as though or
delivered by one person) Wickersham 2 & 3 Biggest Blame Fool 37-
57
Thing 1 & Thing 2 Playing Age: 16 – 35
These are additional characters from the book, ‘The Cat in the Hat’. They are sidekicks
for the Cat and appear almost every time he does. They are very mischievous and are
fully involved with the antics the cat gets up to. These will be really fun roles, they get to
squirt water at people, play with fun props and generally muck around on stage. They
also will have many entrances and exits and props to deal with, including moving some
larger props as part of the action. They will be involved in a large number of scenes in
the show, including many of the chorus numbers to varying degrees. They must be
lively, agile movers with expressive faces.
Movement audition – not dance but antics

Jojo Playing Age: 10-16 (Male or Female)

Jojo is a "Thinker", a smart child with a wild imagination whos Thinks get him into
constant trouble. By the end of the show, he learns what it means to be a responsible
member of his world, using the power and possibilities of his own Thinks.

Music
10A Alone in the Universe
7 It's Possible
NB The only characters in the show which must be good dancers are the Wickershams. Most characters
need to move well, although only those indicated below with movement auditions are required to do a
dance audition, and for those characters, other than the Wickershams, it is only a minor aspect compared
to singing and acting 1