Long before he started learning lines of a play, actor Cameron Blankenship had probably committed these lines to memory: “I do not like them, Sam-I-am. I do not like green eggs and ham.”
His favorite Dr. Seuss story growing up was “Green Eggs and Ham,” he recalled. “I would read that over and over again.”
A little later on, around 16 years old, Blankenship saw the Dr. Seuss-inspired musical “Seussical” for the first time in a community theater production. “I saw the Cat in the Hat,” he said, “and thought ‘I want to do that.’”
Wish fulfilled. Blankenship is starring as Dr. Seuss’ arguably most popular character in San Diego Musical Theatre’s production of “Seussical the Musical,” co-directed by music director Van Angelo and choreographer Xavier J. Bush. The 2000 show by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty is a musical adventure that features not only the Cat in the Hat but beloved Dr. Seuss characters including Horton the Elephant (Jordan Brownlee at SDMT), Gertrude McFuzz (Jasmine January) and Mayzie La Bird (Dacara Seward).
Jordan Brownlee plays Horton in San Diego Musical Theatre’s “Seussical the Musical.” (Karli Cadel)
“It has such a lovely message from the jump,” Blankenship said of the “Seussical” story. “Everyone can remember being a kid and playing outside with your imagination. That imaginary world was way better than what we could see on TV. The things that actually come to life are sparked by our imagination. That’s what fuels everyone’s fire.”
Christopher Smyres is portraying JoJo, the Who child in the show who discovers the power of using his creativity and who is also subject to the Cat in the Hat’s mischievous spirit.
“The Cat and the Hat and JoJo spend most of their time together,” said Blankenship. “Watching him imagine these things I’m just following him around. We’re just playing up there onstage. The Cat is a kind of spirit guide for JoJo.”
Blankenship recognizes that playing the iconic Cat in the Hat character is something of a responsibility but he’s also eager to put his own spin on the character. (Mike Myers portrayed the Cat in the Hat in a 2003 live-action film.)
“I want to portray the Cat in the Hat that everyone knows and loves – he’s a bit of a chaos agent. I also want to make sure that I bring something new to it or a way that people didn’t really see from the Cat in the Hat. Like a sense of vulnerability.
“I want to bring the humanity to the Cat in the Hat while also preserving that crazy/wacky that everyone wants to see.”
Jordan Brownlee, top left, plays Horton, Cameron Blankenship, top right, plays The Cat in the Hat, and Christopher Smyres, bottom center, plays Jojo in San Diego Musical Theatre’s “Seussical the Musical.” (Karli Cadel)
“Seussical the Musical” is a reunion for Blankenship at SDMT with co-directors Angelo and Bush, with whom he worked on the theater’s production of “The Prom” last year. He’s also reuniting with Jasmine January, who like Blankenship was part of the cast of SDMT’s “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” earlier this year.
The man behind the Cat in the Hat is admiring of the woman behind Gertrude McFuzz. “She’s fantastic to work with,” Blankenship said of January. “I haven’t seen a comedic actor with her chops in a long time.”
‘Seussical the Musical’
When: Opens May 15 and runs through June 7. 7 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays; 8 p.m. Fridays; 2 and 7 p.m. Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays
Where: San Diego Musical Theatre, 4650 Mercury St., Kearny Mesa
Tickets: $30-$69
Phone: 858-560-5740
Online: sdmt.org