The mysterious Cat in the Hat
Mystique shrouds messages behind rhyming text of classic Dr. Seuss tale
As with many classics of children’s literature, there’s more to The Cat in the Hat than what meets the eye. Just ask Mike Stack, who plays the title character in Carousel Theatre for Young People’s upcoming production of Dr. Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat.
Even revisiting the role, he’s finding new things in what is presumably a very simple text.
“Sometimes, assumptions that I would make about the way the words are supposed to go aren’t in the book,” the actor said. “You’re thinking things are one way, but actually it’s like, ‘Look what he said here.’ For instance, I’d never noticed how much the cat says ‘Have no fear’ to the children.”
The CTYP production is based on the play originally produced by the National Theatre of Great Britain, which director Katie Mitchell faithfully adapted from Seuss’ book. Carole Higgins directs the CTYP production, which features the return of cast members from the company’s critically acclaimed 2013 version, including Stack, Mack Gordon, Nicol Spinola and Amanda Testini. New cast members include Lauren Jackson as Sally and Kayvon Khoshkam as the puppeteer behind Fish.
“The nice thing about revisiting it is we’re not just trying to do exactly what we did last time,” Stack said. “But we can take what we learned and improve upon it.”
Stack is enjoying a second go at the language of the book, written by Dr. Seuss, a.k.a. Theodor Seuss Geisel, and originally published in 1957.
“I spend a lot of time with Shakespeare, and I like Shakespeare for the same reason — the language and rhyme,” said Stack. A director as well as an actor, Stack holds Shakespeare workshops in Vancouver.
“Of course Dr. Seuss uses so few words, especially in The Cat in the Hat. But his rhymes are just delightful. And playing somebody like the cat — to come in and be this mischievous, playful, tornado for the duration — and spending the time with these two kids is a delight.”
The set design is as faithfully to the book as the script, and the stage production preserves the minimalism of Seuss’ illustrations.
“In the book, you turn one page and there’s a little house. You turn another, and it’s two kids on a chair in a window. In another page, maybe a ball has come in. Many of the pictures we build are just like turning the page in the book. There’s nothing extra. Even down to the blue backgrounds and a table that changes colour.”
Such touches are vital for the show’s intended audience. After all, children love to read the same book over and over again, pouring over details. Stack cites a ball that keeps reappearing in Seuss’ original.
“It’s the ball the cat balances on,” he said.
“And that ball is in so many of the pages. And it’s always in a different place. I remember that as a child myself, not only enjoying the words in these kinds of picture books, but trying to pick out all the little details and go, ‘Where’s that thing now? Oh, there it is. Hey look, there’s something new.’”
The text retains some mystique. Even after playing the role umpteen times, Stack isn’t sure what Seuss is saying in The Cat in the Hat.
“You could think, well, the cat comes back and cleans up. Is that what it’s about? Is it about having no fear? Is it about the cat and this playful, imaginative force?
“And then you’ve got the fish who keeps saying ‘No no no, we mustn’t do this, this cannot happen.’ So it’s almost like these two opposing forces that exist. And the cat literally balances on a ball, holding all kinds of things. So is it all about finding balance?
“I don’t know,” he said. “This is one of the great things about revisiting it. More questions come up. As artists, as actors, we’re never looking for answers, we’re looking to ask more questions.”