Micah Howlett (left) as Horton the Elephant and Danielle Ferrer (right) as Gertrude McFuzz. Photo by Adi Ell-Ad

Drawing from the books of Dr. Seuss, the magical musical “Seussical” uniquely weaves together some of his most famous stories and characters. Presented by Maui OnStage beginning on July 12 at the Historic Iao Theater, the show is directed by Tina Kailiponi, with musical direction by Michael Willett and choreography by Jessica Nelson.

With most of the plot based on the Dr. Seuss books “Horton Hears a Who!,” “Gertrude McFuzz,” and “Horton Hatches the Egg,” the show promises to be fun, uplifting and educational, and perfect for the whole family.

Set in the fantasy world of the Jungle of Nool, when chaos erupts, it takes The Cat in the Hat, Horton the Elephant, Gertrude McFuzz, JoJo, and a gaggle of characters to bring harmony back to their world.

“I wanted to find a show that could showcase both kids and adults working together on stage,” Tina Kailiponi explained. “This one seemed like kind of the perfect fit because the young ones look up to the olders, and the seasoned performers are really great role models for the kids, and because I’m a big fan of Dr. Seuss.”

A former political cartoonist, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Theodor Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss) championed progressive ideals and injected life lessons into his stories. His most popular work, “The Cat in the Hat,” was written partly in response to a magazine article claiming illiteracy was caused by children being bored with books.

Researching Geisel’s work, Kailiponi was intrigued to discover how he was teaching far more than reading.

“Once I started really getting into this musical, I learned a lot about the kind of social commentary behind all of his stories. This musical has a lot of great messages brought to you in a really fun and whimsical way. Great messages about being kind and being creative, using your imagination, and taking care of each other. There are so many underlying messages to a lot of his books, and a lot of social commentary for adults that I didn’t realize until I dove into ‘Seussical’ and researched him. So when you watch ‘Seussical,’ you’ll see all the different messages to both adults and kids. It’s kind of remarkable.”

Debuting on Broadway in 2000, the Tony Award-winning team of Larry Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty created the score that features memorable songs like “Alone In the Universe,” “All for You,” and the sing-along favorite, “Oh, the Thinks You Can Think.” “The music is very lively and uplifting,” she said. “There are songs where the lyrics are right out of books like ‘Green Eggs and Ham,’ and kids will probably be singing along.”

With a cast of 33 performers, Micah Howlett plays Horton the Elephant, Dale Button is General Genghis Khan Schmitz, and Aaron Pardini has the role of The Cat in the Hat. “He’s a remarkable dancer, and a phenomenal singer and performer,” said Kailiponi. “One more person I want to mention is Eliana Pascua. She’s 12 years old, and our lead child playing JoJo. This is her first big production, and I feel audiences are going to be blown away by her as well.”

A show for all ages, through the generous support of the Wave of Harmony Foundation, all children age 12 and under are admitted free.

Bringing a variety of Dr. Seuss’ characters to life, “Seussical” touches on themes of honesty, loyalty and friendship, along with issues of self-image and peer pressure, which we can all relate to.

“Children will love the music and the stories that they’re familiar with,” Kailiponi concludes. “Adults will enjoy watching adults portray a lot of these characters. It’s a fun family show and hopefully they take away from it all the different things that we’re trying to portray in the sense of finding your voice, standing out from the crowd,

and not being afraid to stand by what you believe in. It’s a really deep musical.”

“Seussical” opens on July 12 at the Historic Iao Theater, and continues July 13, 14, 19, 20, 21, 26, 27, 28, Aug. 2, 3, and 4. Show times are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. with doors opening at 7, and Sundays at 3 p.m. with doors opening at 2:30. Tickets range from $25 to $45, from www.mauionstage.com/seussical. For more information, call (808) 242-6969.