“Seussical” is coming to Lake Michigan College Jan. 22. Photo submitted

It’s not often that a touring production upstages its Broadway counterpart, but that’s exactly what has happened with Theatreworks USA’s wildly popular and critically acclaimed “Seussical.”

The production is 80 minutes of hilarity, whimsy and high spirits. It streamlines and re-imagines the original for an audience of kids and kids at heart. In the musical, the stories of kid lit genius Theodore Geisel, aka Dr. Seuss, are brought to life and set on a playground supervised by that famed mischief-maker the Cat in the Hat.

The family-friendly production comes to the Lake Michigan College Mendel Center Mainstage at 3 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 22. A special “Whoville” pre-show party, with arts and crafts and Whoville snacks, begins at 1 p.m. Admission for the “Whoville” pre-show party is $10 for adults and $5 for children ages 12 and under.

A major aim of this “Seussical” is encouraging children to use their imagination. Sure, the show has a lot of color and neat stage effects, but many of the props and costumes are fashioned ingeniously from everyday found objects. The staging of “Seussical,” a critic for the New York Times observed, “puts a telling emphasis on the powerful muscle of the mind: If a kid can learn how to tap the elusive magic in everyday objects, a dead battery or a PlayStation on the fritz is not going to signal catastrophe.”

Theatreworks USA is one of the country’s best and largest not-for-profit theater groups for family audiences. Its version of “Seussical” was nominated in the Best Revival category of both the Lucille Lortel Awards and the Drama League Awards.

Tickets for “Seussical” and the “Whoville Party” are available by calling (269) 927-1221 or visiting lmcmainstage.org. Students (kindergarten through college) and seniors (60 and older) receive 10 percent off single-ticket prices. Groups of 20 or more can receive a 15 percent savings on ticket prices. For further information about group rates and special arrangements, call the group coordinator at (269) 927-8109 or e-mail questions to groups@lakemichigancollege.edu.

The Consortium for Community Development is sponsoring the “Seussical” performance.