Stage Talk with Rick Koster
Where every show has something to say.
Hi Mom and Dad and Mr. and/or Mrs. Grandparent:
We know what you’re thinking about the upcoming stage performance of Dr. Seuss’s The Cat in the Hat at 11 a.m. March 7 in the Garde Arts Center.
“Yes, the young ’uns would love it,” you think. “But … that requires us to sit through it, too.”
Well, yes.
Can we remind you that The Cat in the Hat is one of the finest kids’ books ever written? And that millennials and Gen Z hipsters at those Lollapalooza and Coachella music gatherings wear the titular feline’s iconic striped top hat with only a dash of irony?
Can we also inform you that this production of Dr. Seuss’s The Cat in the Hat runs a briskly-paced 50 minutes and is a fun-for-all-ages construct with plenty of laughter, action and positive messaging?
Hmm. Still not working, eh?
We still know what you’re thinking. You liked the book when I was a kid, but you’re mature and refined and prefer something literary if you’re going to invest your valuable time. Plus, what if someone you know sees you at The Cat in the Hat?
That’s what this is about, right?! Entertaining and nurturing children isn’t enough?
How about this, then: As our final attempt to persuade you, here is a recently unearthed photograph of favorite books on the bedside shelf of none other than Charles freakin’ Dickens.
So, we’ll pencil you in — and the young ’uns — for March 7! And wear a striped top hat!