The musical debuted in 2000, with book and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty (who also created "Ragtime" and "Once on This Island"), with input from Eric Idle of Monty Python fame. Musical styles include pop, gospel, blues and R&B.

The main story line comes from "Horton Hears A Who," written in 1954, and "Horton Hatches the Egg", which dates back to 1940. A pair of pseudo narrators are drawn from "The Cat in the Hat" and "Oh, the Thinks You Can Think!" — but all these disparate elements don't begin to gel until nearly an hour into Act 1.

What finally pulls the mix together is a low-key and unrequited romantic relationship between Horton and Gertrude McFuzz.

Gertrude, a plain bird who pops pills to develop magnificent tail feathers that prevent her from flying, centers the entire show with her plaintive "Notice Me, Horton." To keep the plot from ending there, Horton the Elephant is too preoccupied with warming the abandoned egg to pay any attention to Gertrude.

While Horton and Gertrude provide the core of the show, Jojo and the Cat in the Hat link the scenes and offer a subplot.

Colin Miyamoto is a smooth and smarmy buttinsky as the Cat, oozing around the plot like a "Cabaret" emcee. The role of Jojo is double cast with TX Tario and Ka'iana Kau, with 9-year-old Tario in the opening-night slot.

Tario turns in a sharp, earnest and winning performance in a composite role. Encouraged by the Cat to use his thinking power, he imagines his way into Horton's Jungle of Nool, but he also becomes the little boy on the Planet of Who whose big voice makes himself heard.

Jojo also is drafted by the intimidating General Genghis Kan Schmitz — grounded by Viet Vo in resonating bass tones — and drilled in "Green Eggs and Ham" cadence until he opts to go home.

Grace Bell Humerickhouse does a strong supporting turn as Mayzie LaBird, who persuades Horton to sit on her egg while she goes on vacation. Other Seuss characters pop into the action like Internet ads. Alison Maldonado is Sour Kangaroo, DeAngleo Justice is the Grinch, and Arthur Johansen, Kyle Malis and Chris Villasenor are the Wickersham Brothers, a trio of dancing and tumbling meddlesome monkeys.

Greg Zane directs, with choreography by Timothy Albrecht, musical direction by Emmett Yoshioka, cut-out sets by Dawn Oshima and fantastical costumes by Karen Wolfe.