"Seussical, The Musical" - Overture

[Goomba]

Posted: 10/27/07 at 10:23am

I am music directing a production of "Seussical" and have noticed that the current orchestration available from MTI doesn't contain the Overture on the soundtrack. It's really catchy and think it's a great way to start off the show. Does anyone know where I could find the orchestra parts and sheet music for it?

[IMissNYC]

Posted: 10/27/07 at 10:28am

I believe the Overture in the MTI version is the Entracte.

[Goomba]

Posted: 10/27/07 at 10:35am

No, that's not quite it. It's close, but different.

[sondhead]

Posted: 10/27/07 at 10:57am

They just adapted the Overture into the licensed entr'acte. On the CD you don't hear the whole Overture as was written for the show. When you compare the scores, the only differences between the two pieces is that they took out the guitar buildup into the "Oh the Thinks You Can Think" section (after the faux tuning) and they also re-wrote the ending. For the licensed version, they ended with the dance from "A Day for the Cat in the Hat" (which interestingly was deleted from the show itself) while the Overture version had a separate theme that went into the opening chords of "Oh the Thinks You Can Think," heard on the CD right after the "wipeout" style drums towards the end.

Other than these two things, they are note for note identical.

[tourboi]

Posted: 10/27/07 at 6:02pm

Right, and wrong.

The overture on the CD is not the complete Overture as heard on Broadway. The Broadway Overture began with the tuneup/Oh The Thinks as heard on the CD, then segued into "It's Possible" and "Alone in the Universe" before the Cat was revealed.

This was turned into the Entr'acte for the first national tour (and they also added the music for the cut "Day For the Cat in the Hat" after the "Universe" bit), and this now serves as the Entr'acte in the liscenced version as well.

[sondhead]

Posted: 10/27/07 at 7:09pm

it's spelled "licensed"...

and your answer said exactly what mine did

[Josh Freilich]

Posted: 10/28/07 at 5:39pm

I talked to Doug, the orchestrator about it, and that's the answer he gave.