Dr. Seuss’ characters will be unleashed during “Seussical” at the Henderson Pavilion

Don't get confused when Horton, the Grinch and the Cat in the Hat appear in one place.

An upcoming production of "Seussical" taps into the imagination of Dr. Seuss to bring reader favorites to life in this musical presented by RagTag Entertainment and Music Theatre International.

The show is scheduled for 8 p.m. Friday through Sunday and Sept. 28-30 at the Henderson Pavilion, 200 S. Green Valley Parkway. Tickets are $10.

Originally featured on Broadway, "Seussical" unleashes the world and characters of Dr. Seuss' books, including "Horton Hears a Who!," "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," "The Lorax," "Oh, the Places You'll Go!," "Green Eggs and Ham" and "One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish."

"It is a high-energy show combining Dr. Seuss stories into one," said Andrew Wright, founder of RagTag Entertainment. "It is a big and fun show."

The production also has a mix of musical styles ranging from rhythm and blues to swing and Latin.

Wright said the city of Henderson wanted a fun production for its fall lineup. "Seussical," a production Wright had worked on in the past, immediately came to mind.

Tracy Blackwell, a cast member, said the show is perfect for all ages.

"If you're older, you have happy memories of Dr. Seuss books," Blackwell said. "If you are younger and just starting to read Dr. Seuss, you'll love the stories. You'll see some of your favorite stories coming to life."

Blackwell plays Sour Kangaroo, a character from "Horton Hears a Who!"

"She is the naysayer," Blackwell said. "She makes fun of Horton for seeing people on a speck of dust."

Demonstrating her disbelief of Horton's claims, Sour Kangaroo tries to turn other characters against Horton in a plea for sanity.

"She is very different from me," Blackwell said. "I don't like to get in disagreements."

On top of playing a more confrontational character, Blackwell has never played an animal before.

"Usually when you get into character, you do a back story on them," Blackwell said. "Who they are? Where were they before they got to this point?"

For the kangaroo, Blackwell took a different approach.

"I've been watching videos of kangaroos and doing research on them," Blackwell said.

To her surprise, kangaroos are more aggressive than she realized.

"They can be fun and bouncy," Blackwell said. "But if you (upset them), they can be more aggressive and territorial and nasty."

Now when rehearsing, Blackwell makes Sour Kangaroo a little harsher.

"Before I just gave her attitude," Blackwell said. "I'm making her a little jerkier in movement now and taking a harsher approach."

Blackwell is returning to the stage for her second performance after a hiatus.

"I did 'Sweeney Todd' in Los Angeles before I moved (to Las Vegas) in May, so this is my second performance," Blackwell said. "I started performing professionally until I lost my voice and had to have vocal surgery. I worked on the production side (of shows) for a while."

After auditioning, she landed the role of Sour Kangaroo.

"It was one of those happy accidents," Blackwell said.

"Seussical" is being directed by Ben Loewy in what Wright said is one of RagTag's biggest productions .

"I am really excited," Wright said. "It's a gorgeous venue."

For more information, visit hendersonlive.com.

Contact Henderson/Anthem View reporter Michael Lyle at mlyle@viewnews.com or 387-5201.