‘A Seussian Party’ : Balboa Park Fete Honors Dr. Seuss and His Timeless Books

Even after death, Theodor Geisel continued to lift the spirits of both the young and the young at heart.

About a dozen young girls and 66-year-old emcee Neil Morgan pranced around the stage of the Organ Pavilion in Balboa Park to open Sunday’s tribute to the late Dr. Seuss, while more than 3,500 people packed the amphitheater.

The 45-minute program included musical, theatrical and dance performances to Seuss themes; the park’s museums featured special exhibits and activities--including a 15-foot mural containing scenes from “The Lorax”--and concessionaires served up green eggs and ham.

Audrey Geisel said her late husband “would’ve said, ‘It’s a hell of a Seussian party.’ ”

While some in the audience lamented that the tribute had not been held before Geisel passed away, Audrey Geisel demurred.

“The man was so downright plain, flat-out shy, that this would have been overwhelming. But I, too, would have liked to have him share that,” she said.

The program illustrated the universal love for the longtime La Jolla resident’s works.

Booming videotape renditions of Seuss classics given by the likes of the Rev. Jesse Jackson and Louis Rukeyser, host of the PBS program “Wall Street Week,” were offset by a small-voiced reading of the first part of “The Cat in the Hat” by 5-year-old Raven Symone, the newest addition to the cast of “The Cosby Show.”

Five-year-old Natalie Dinneny clutched her brand-new copy of “The Cat in the Hat” and read along with Symone.

“They’re just funny,” she said.

Six-year-old Craig Kessler of La Costa agreed: “It’s really fun stuff to read.”

While Natalie and Craig and other children had difficulty expressing exactly why they were funny, the adults seemed to have it all down.

“The rhymes, the pictures and the illogic of them. It’s such nonsense, it’s great,” said Natalie’s mother, Marie Dutton of San Diego.

Larry Kessler has been reading Dr. Seuss to his son, Craig, since he was 2.

“The simplicity of it is great. Kids catch on to the rhythms and rhyme schemes and it’s great,” Kessler said.

Even adults without children showed up to honor the man and his timeless books.

“I’m re-examining my life at midpoint and I thought I could get some direction from this book,” Dennis Howerton, a 42-year-old Hillcrest resident, said by way of explaining why earlier this year he bought Geisel’s last book, “Oh, the Places You’ll Go.”

“He’s not pretentious. . . . We’re too intellectualized, and Dr. Seuss speaks to the child in each of us, and we need to get in touch with that child,” Howerton said.

“And just plain lighten up,” Howerton’s ex-wife, Ava Bueno, chimed in.

As for the green eggs and ham, it was uncertain whether people would eat them here or there, or if they would eat them anywhere.

“I’ve read about green eggs and ham and I had never tasted them before,” said Audrey Chen, a graduate student at UC San Diego. “Now I have, and I guess I’ve survived.”