the inspiration...

I've seen Seussical the Musical twice and it's fantastic...so imaginative (typical Seuss) but also dealing with real issues that kids and adults face every day. So if you haven't seen it and you have the chance to, you should. The songs are fabulous as well and will ultimately be the way Gertrude's story is told. She would probably be considered a minor character but she's certainly not a static one. I believe her story can be told with five songs. They are:

• The One Feather Tail of Miss Gertrude McFuzz
• Amayzing Mayzie
• Amayzing Gertrude
• Notice Me, Horton
• All For You

Basically, Gertrude is a bird who loves Horton the Elephant and she thinks the reason he doesn't notice her is because of her one feather tail...so Mayzie, a high maintenance bird comes along and tells her about a doctor who can give her pills to make her tail grow...and Gertrude sees the doctor and he tells her that her tail is just right for her kind of bird (my favorite line in the whole musical)...but she throws a fit, the doctor gives in, and her tail grows so much that she can't even fly...at this point Horton needs help but Gertrude can't fly to help him...eventually she realizes she's made a mistake and gets her tail plucked out...then she is able to help Horton, he finally notices her, and it's happily ever after...

So, Gertrude's story deals with body image issues, peer pressure, body modification, and ultimately just being yourself...all within a very cute context.