REHEARSALS are running at full steam for Ilkley Amateur Operatic Society who present Seussical at the King's Hall, Ilkley from March 7 to 10.

The production is directed by the same winning team of Les Miss: Mark Allan (Director) and Mike Gilroy (Musical Director). Additionally, Damien Pool (Choreographer) has joined them to provide all his West End pearls of wisdom on his field of expertise. Damien graduated from Arts Educational School of Musical Theatre in London with his degree in Dance and Musical Theatre and has enjoyed a ten-year career working in London’s West End.

A musical perfect for the whole family, Seussical takes us into the world of Dr Seuss, where we revisit beloved characters including The Cat in the Hat, Horton the Elephant, Gertrude McFuzz, Lazy Mayzie, and JoJo.

The Cat in the Hat guides us into The Jungle of Nool where we see Horton, the kind hearted elephant who discovers a speck of dust containing Whoville. He meets JoJo, a Who child sent to military school for thinking too many “thinks.”

Horton decides he must protect the speck of dust on a nearby clover, while at the same time protecting an abandoned egg left to his care by the lazy Mayzie la Bird.

Horton tries to convince the other animals in The Jungle of the existence of the Whos, but he is ridiculed and put on trial for insanity.

Only his loyal neighbour, Gertrude McFuzz, never loses faith in him. Eventually, the two fall in love.

Now one of the most widely produced musicals in the country, Seussical weaves a story of friendship, loyalty and love. Despite all odds, Horton and Gertrude band together to save the Whos, free Horton, and restore peace and unity to the Jungle of Nool. Charming Seussical teaches us the power of being unique, and the importance of fighting for your beliefs.

A spokesman for IAOS said: "This is a very different show. The music scoring is particularly demanding and requires a varied cast, which in this case is composed of a troupe of 40 talented performers ranging in age from seven to 70. The members of the cast are drawn from the local community and include, in some cases, whole families, which adds to the richness and authenticity of the performance. Now that we are just a month away from the ‘first night’ (March 7), the show is transformed from song rehearsals to a flowing story. There are some stand-out performances from young members that will make the audience laugh, empathise with Horton's great heart and remind us all of the benefits of encouraging children to have a creative and inquisitive mind. We have been rehearsing three days a week since January and we all feel very proud of what we have achieved so far."

Seussical is being performed by the Ilkley Amateur Operatic Society at the King's Hall from March 7th to 9th at 7.15pm and March 10th at 1.30pm and 6.30pm.

You can buy the tickets online at http://iaos.amateurboxoffice.co.uk/ or call 07763 816611 (between 4pm and 6pm).