The colorful world of Dr. Seuss will leap from the page to the stage when Encore! Home School Productions presents "Seussical," a musical adventure that weaves together some of the author's most beloved stories and characters.

The show will be performed at The Junction Center, 1875 Junction Road, Manheim, at 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, March 27 and 28, and at 2 p.m. on Sunday, March 29.

Narrated by the Cat in the Hat, the musical follows Horton the Elephant, who discovers a tiny speck of dust that holds an entire world known as Whoville. Among the Whos is Jojo, a child sent to military school because of his overactive imagination. Horton soon finds himself facing two big responsibilities: protecting the Whos from those who refuse to believe they exist and caring for an egg that the carefree Mayzie La Bird leaves in his charge. Along the way, Horton endures ridicule, danger, kidnapping and even a trial, while the loyal Gertrude McFuzz continues to believe in him. In the end, the story celebrates the strength of friendship, loyalty, family and community.

" 'Seussical' is a combination of about 40 different Dr. Seuss books," explained Elijah Smith, who plays Horton in the show. "The main storyline follows Horton when he hears a Who and also the sequel to the book where he sits on the egg. It also follows the lives of the Whos down on the dust speck and their troubles and trials."

Describing the show as "fun and kooky," Elijah noted that it's also full of impactful characters.

"Horton is big-hearted, responsible and he tries to help everyone," he said. "He does what he can for other people."

Although he's portraying an elephant and other students are playing animals, their costumes will reflect more humanistic qualities.

"We want the characters to be seen as actual people, rather than as animals," he said, adding that the costumes will hint at the animal being portrayed.

Preparing to present "Seussical" has been a lot of fun, Elijah said, especially learning to speak like Dr. Seuss.

"The entire show is in rhyme," he said. "It's actually easier to memorize lines when they rhyme, so that's been great."

Noah Arnold, who plays the Cat in the Hat, said while it's been easy to learn his role, the rhyming is also challenging at times.

"The show is all music, so you have to say your lines over music and with a certain rhythm," he shared. "It's been fun, but it's also been a learning experience. Most of the show is sung, but there are spoken lines in between songs but they're still spoken over music, so you have to say it to the rhythm of the music."

He described his character as "fun and mischievous," noting that as the narrator, his character pops in here and there throughout the musical.

"This character has been hard to portray, because he's so well-known," Noah said. "I've studied the character in books, movies and other productions. It's been fun to play, but it's also a challenge to live up to."

Encore's production of "Seussical" will feature homeschooled students from 16 school districts, including the Hempfield, Elizabethtown and Donegal school districts.

Noah said that while Seussical may seem silly on the surface, with quirky characters such as Yertle the Turtle and the Grinch, it's actually full of important messages and themes.

"One of the themes is, 'A person's a person, no matter how small,'" he said. "We all matter. The show is also about living your life and being yourself and having fun."

Elijah emphasized that audiences will enjoy seeing actors who fully embrace their characters onstage, and he's excited to present some really big musical numbers.

"It's a hilarious show, very entertaining," he said. "It's also got very touching stories with great morals."

Added Noah, " 'Seussical' is very family-friendly. It's big. It's colorful. It's bright. All of the songs are amazing, and the dancing is great. And there's a lot of great messages behind the stories."

To purchase tickets, visit http://www.itickets.com/events/485358.