Stephen Flaherty
How Lucky You Are
[CAT IN THE HAT] (singing)
WHEN THE NEWS IS ALL BAD,
WHEN YOU'RE SOUR AND BLUE,
WHEN YOU START TO GET MAD,
YOU SHOULD DO WHAT I DO:
(The CAT mischievously lets the WHOS fall a few more feet.)
[WHOVILLE CITIZENS] (spoken)
Aaaah!!
[CAT] (singing)
TELL YOURSELF
HOW LUCKY YOU ARE.
WHEN YOUR LIFE'S GOING WRONG,
WHEN THE FATES ARE UNKIND,
WHEN YOU'RE LIMPING ALONG
AND GET KICKED FROM BEHIND,
TELL YOURSELF
HOW LUCKY YOU ARE...
(The CAT lets the WHOS fall a little more.)
[WHOS] (spoken)
AAAAH!!!!!
[CAT] (singing)
WHY DECRY A CLOUDY SKY,
AN EMPTY PURSE,
A CRAZY UNIVERSE?
MY PHILOSOPHY IS SIMPLY:
[CAT] (spoken)
Things could be worse!
(The CAT sniffs the clover, sneezes allergically—all over the WHOS.)
[CAT]
Ah...ah.. ah-choo!
(The WHOS react in disgust at being sneezed on.)
[WHOS]
Euwww!
[CAT] (singing)
SO BE HAPPY YOU'RE HERE.
THINK OF LIFE AS A THRILL!
AND IF WORSE COMES TO WORSE
(AS WE ALL KNOW IT WILL),
THANK YOUR LUCKY STAR
YOU'VE GOTTEN THIS FAR...
[CAT] (spoken)
We're here in this beautiful theatre—
(To a child in the audience—obviously a rich kid!)
[CAT]
And you're in the first row!
(To audience)
How lucky to bе in the theatre!
Morе lucky than you know!
You could have the luck of our hero
Whose luck has been running low
FOR CERTAIN!
Curtain!
(We see the huge pink clover field into which the WHOS have dropped.)
[HORTON]
Oh, no!
[CAT] (singing)
HOW LUCKY YOU ARE
HOW LUCKY, HOW LUCKY
[CAT] (spoken)
You are!
(The CAT, WHOS and JOJO are gone, and HORTON stands alone.)
[HORTON]
That bird let that clover drop somewhere inside
Of a great patch of clovers, a hundred miles wide!
I'll find it. I'll find it! I'll find it or bust!
I shall find my friends on their small speck of dust.
Yes, clover by clover by clover with care
I'll listen and I'll call, are you there? Are you there?
Are you there? Are you there?
(HORTON begins his search for the WHOS clover by clover. He picks one up, carefully puts it to his ear, listens for a beat, then tosses it over his shoulder. He repeats this, carefully listening and then tossing. GERTRUDE McFUZZ enters. Her tail is now magnificent. She sings to HORTON, but he takes no notice because he is searching for the speck of dust.)