There's no question that Broadway musical partners Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens ("Ragtime," "Once on the Island") had a corker of an idea when they teamed up with Monty Python's Eric Idle to transform the beloved canon of Dr. Seuss literature into a stage musical.

The only question was, how much of a hit would the show be?

"Seussical, the Musical" has been immensely popular, owing to the way it morphs the good doctor's singular rhyming style (thanks to Ahrens' lyrics) with his familiar characters and plot lines and a score (by Flaherty) that mimics numerous pop genres.

Only the Grinch could dislike the show, written in 2000, which gets a fine, family-friendly workout at the Costa Mesa Civic Playhouse.

Not all of the vocalists in director John Blaylock's cast of 22 are as strong as one might hope. Stephen Hulsey's musical direction puts a high gloss on the score, although the recorded track frequently drowns out all but the cast's loudest singers [that's been fixed - cmcp ed.]. Still, Blaylock gets a pleasingly even balance - vocally and otherwise - from his winning, personable cast.

The story's focus is lovable elephant Horton (Marc Montminy) and his mission to rescue the population of the world of Who-ville, the "Tiniest Planet in the Sky" in a speck of dust.

Horton gets sidetracked by the exotic, colorful Mayzie LaBird (Montica Reeves), who tricks him into warming (and eventually hatching) her egg while she jets off to fun in the Palm Springs sun.

Our guide to the land of Seuss is, of course, the Cat in the Hat, played by Brian Wessels as equal parts manic, mischievous feline and annoying smart-aleck. The sung-through show (little spoken dialogue, nearly all songs) works in characters from much of Seuss lore, none getting more stage time than the hapless Gertrude McFuzz (Jennifer Fyffe), a bird who not only lacks a beautiful plume of a tail but also harbors an unrequited love for Horton.

The Horton-Gertrude story thread is among the playhouse staging's more compelling. Clad in a gray sweat-top and gray camouflage cap and pants, Montminy sings in a gentle tenor to match the pachyderm's trusting demeanor. With her pigtails, pale blue attire and small, nasally voice, Fyffe puts forth a winsome musical comedy style suggestive of the plucky young heroine. Like Montminy, she's eminently sympathetic and lovable.

Most of these characters are, which is what makes "Seussical" so right for even the tiniest Who in your clan. The more outsized figures include Reeves' showy (love that bouffant 'do), all-pink Mayzie; her backup-singer Bird Girls (Nikki Martensen, Emily Price and Jessica Woodard); Cathy Petz's New Yorkese Mrs. Mayor; and Amie Shapiro's saucy, Aretha Franklin-like Sour Kangaroo. Playing Little Kangaroo, Noelle Carney is not only aptly sassy; she blows the lid off the playhouse with her striking vocal style.

Sadly, the same can't be said for Chandler Stager. The young actor's big, soulful eyes and vulnerable persona are right for Jojo Who, who forms a special bond with Horton, but even in his solo numbers, Stager hasn't developed the lung power to warrant his being cast in so focal a role.

Vividly costumed by Tom Phillips and Larry Watts, this cast creates an eye-pleasing ensemble, smoothly executing Edward Bangasser's simple, streamlined choreography, and John, Jim and Vicky Blaylock's scenic design mimics the fanciful pastel colors and artistic style of the beloved Seuss trove. Flaherty's music provides plenty to engage the audience's older members, while the show's amiable, goofy, good-hearted tone should suit the family's youngsters just fine.

Freelance writer Eric Marchese has covered entertainment for the Register since 1984.

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