Show Synopsis:
The Cat in the Hat tells the story of Horton, a big-eared elephant who heard a small voice coming from a clover. His neighbors all thought he was crazy, safe for the bird Gertrude, who has a crush on Horton. Horton begins to talk to Jojo, the son of the mayor in Whoville, the small town on the clover that is as small as a speck of dust. Jojo gets in trouble for thinking impossible "thinks" and gets sent to military school, so he and Horton are both ostracized for their impossible ideas. Gertrude asks Mayzie LaBird for help in getting Horton to notice her and Mayzie points her to a doctor who gives her pills to make her tail grow. The Wickersham brothers steal Horton's clover and throw it into a patch of clovers, so he is unable to find it, and then Mayzie tricks Horton into sitting on her egg and keeping it warm. Horton and the egg are captured by hunters and Gertrude has grown her tail too long to fly, so she is unable to help him. Horton is put in the circus, and Gertrude - now without an enormous tail - finds him and frees him. Meanwhile, Jojo stands up to his General in the Butter Battle and quits the army, and after wandering dark and scared, his hunches lead him home to his worried parents. Horton and Gertrude stand trail for Horton's crimes of "talking to a speck of dust and loitering on an egg," and when Horton asks the Whos to prove their existence, Jojo screams his new word "YOPP!" for all to hear. The jungle animals tells Horton that they'll help him protect the Whos, and when the egg hatches, they see that it is an elephant bird. Horton and Gertrude agree to raise it together so that he can learn about both earth and sky.

Character:
Gertrude McFuzz, an insecure young female bird; objective, loving, and stubborn.

Song Context:
Horton is looking for his lost clover in a huge patch of clovers, and Gertrude is trying to subtlety show him the new tail she has, courtesy of some pills from Mayzie's doctor, but he is completely oblivious.	

Fun Facts:
1. This musical was based on a number of books by Dr. Seuss, most notably Horton Hears a Who. 
2. Janine LaManna originated the role of Gertrude on Broadway, and it was the first time she originated a character role on Broadway. She was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for her performance. 
3. Although Gertrude plays a rather large role in the scope of the musical, she is actually quite a minor character in the Dr. Seuss canon, appearing only once in the short story "Miss Gertrude McFuzz" in Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories.