Needham Stages Seuss Pages

July 27, 2026
• With one of its youngest casts, Needham Student Theatre aims to bring fresh faces to classic children’s tales.

The books of Dr. Seuss span generations, with young readers opening their pages for colorful illustrations and otherworldly stories for more than 75 years. The characters and places Dr. Seuss conjured inspired the mishmash musical “Seussical,” following the plot lines and elements of his bibliography.

The production seems befitting for younger audiences, but the cast and crew of Needham Student Theatre’s rendition beg to differ. Co-director Miles Yountz said he finds “spooky parallels” between the fantastical animal-hybrids and our reality.

“There’s a whole plot point where one of the characters gets sent off to a war for literally no reason, arguing over absolutely nothing, but a lot of people die. And at the same time, we have one character who goes into the Dr. Seuss equivalent of a lot of plastic surgery, and then discovers that it’s really what’s inside that matters more,” said Yountz, a rising senior at Needham High School. “At least in my life, I’ve found that a lot of the songs and a lot of the characters are more than just these wacky Dr. Seuss characters.”

The musical draws from “The Cat in the Hat,” “Horton Hears a Who!,” “The Lorax,” “Gertrude McFuzz,” “Oh, the Thinks You Can Think!” — also the name of one of the songs — and more Dr. Seuss books.

The 16-person cast, many of whom are new to NST, find that revisiting these stories of their youth resonates more than they may have thought it might.

Rising NHS sophomore PJ Murray plays Jojo, who brings the world of “Seussical” to life with his own creative thoughts. The show’s initial premise and rhyming lines lend themselves to younger audiences, he said, but it also explores themes of freedom of expression and thought, as well as loneliness and our place in the world.

NST, which is entirely student-led and produced, seems an appropriate vehicle for the production, Murray said. This is his first show with the group.

“Seeing that it’s just kids creating a show together, I think that’s really cool to see,” Murray said, “because other productions have a lot of adult producers, and it’s just great to have this environment that’s all student-run and student-created.”

For Yountz, who is also the music director of the show, this will also be his first formal NST production. He previously starred in their 24-hour “A Christmas Carol” in December 2024.

The same writers behind “Seussical” also wrote “Ragtime,” and Yountz said he sees similarities in the soundtracks’ melodies and how they change to convey a range of moods. The writers also ensured “everyone, no matter who you are, feels represented by the characters,” he added.

“For a show about animals — it’s basically a fantasy show, you wouldn’t expect that,” Yountz said.

During rehearsal Friday night, actors waved fuzzy fans in front of a line of Truffula trees (think “The Lorax”) while running through Act 1. Stage hands painted a big pink nest for Horton, and one actor dragged around a long blue boa as a tail.

“Seussical” is “larger than life,” Co-director Katie Memory said, but it strikes a surprising tone. A recurring line in the show is “a person’s a person, no matter how small.” But still, Memory said people sometimes write the show off.

“We think it’s such an under-appreciated show in that way because people see it on its own,” said Memory, a rising senior at NHS. “It can feel sometimes juvenile, but if you go and see it, you’ll hit home, I think, in ways that you aren’t expecting it to hit home.”

This will also be Memory’s first stint directing a show. She previously starred in NST’s 2024 production of “Heathers.”

NST, a nonprofit that partners with Needham Community Education, is composed of students all under 21 years old. This particular cast is one of the youngest in recent years, according to NST Producer Amiya Tess, and some of the current cast are children of St. Joseph Summer Theatre alumni, the previous iteration of NST.

“To me, talking to these adults well into their careers and lives has shown me that I’m not the only one who’s experienced this as a life-changing force. As the last remaining SJST-er in the NST, I’m hopeful for its future and what the next generation will bring on,” Tess wrote in an email.

When he first saw “The Lion King” staged at Pollard Middle School, an elementary-aged Murray was drawn to perform, he said. The future for NST looks bright, he said, and their upcoming production may inspire other younger kids to take their talents to the stage.

“It’s fun to do because it’s open to more audiences and younger children get to see it,” he said. “And they get to become the next generation of theater, and these shows can help inspire them too.”

The show runs Friday, July 31 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Aug. 1 at 2 p.m. at the NHS auditorium.