 This September, the stage at
Houston's High School for the Performing and Visual Arts came to colorful life
with their excellent production of "Seussical". The show is a complicated amalgamation of
Seuss stories, with a variety of unexpected characters popping into the
action. The narration is carried by the
Cat of "Cat in the Hat" fame, but the storyline basically follows
"Horton Hears a Who". The
biggest delight in the show is the music- and thankfully so- as
"Seussical" is almost entirely sung.
The range of musical styles is staggering & would be daunting to the
most experienced of musical theatre professionals, yet HSPVA's production was
very, very well done.
The musical was billed as the
school's "all-school musical", bringing together the various
departments of dance, music, voice, theatre and technical theatre for this one
project. There were so many people
involved in the show we couldn't possibly name them all. The crowded and noisy lobby during the
pre-show was packed with excited ticket holders waiting to get seats. The sets,
by James Black were eye-boggling Seuss backdrops that lent a great deal of fun
to the show. Orchestra conductor
Stephen Crawford led a wonderful orchestra for the production that only very
occasionally seemed to outdo the singers in volume. The lighting & props were ably handled. Choreographers LuAnne Carter & Janie
Carothers did a great job with this fun material and clearly even the actors
who don't enjoy dancing as much had a world of fun with this show. The choreography looked wonderful, with
every one from the largest elephant to the most delicate bird girl moving with
grace and ease. A special nod must go
to costume designers Laurie Hussman and Hannah Eskellson, who infused this show
with so many wonderful interpretations of the Seuss characters. Gertrude's tail was a hysterical hoot, the
Wickersham Brothers costumes were quite creative, the cadets costumes were
terrific and Horton was just darling, along with their great eye for color and
style throughout the ensemble.
The role of the Cat, one of
recent musical theatre's most fun roles, was nicely done by Brooke Singer,
clearly having a great deal of fun interacting with the audience and camping at
every turn. Talented Jonquel Holiday
played Horton the Elephant- he can come to Denver and sing gospel at our local
church anytime- his voice is so sweet it seems to glide on velvet. Sandy Rather was a definite standout as
Jojo, Horton's Who friend. Sandy is a
gifted actor with excellent vocal control at a young age and a real knack for
creating a character. Liz Kaufman as
Gertrude McFuzz was this reviewer's favorite performance in the show. She carried Gertrude's character
beautifully, never breaking character, with a great feel for the music and the
attitude of this little bird with the one feathered tail and such affection for
her favorite elephant. Caity Pitts
handled the "oh-so-into-herself" Mayzie with great gusto. Fun "surprise" performances (with
characters who sometimes are swept under the rug in "Seussical"
productions) were by the wonderful Ryan Cole and Rose Grant as the Mayor and
Mrs. Mayor. The audience actually
sympathized with their parental plights and these characters, who developed
quite strongly, were a wonderful addition to the cast. The Wickersham Brothers
were played by P. Kenard Miles, Jordan Bonner and Phillip Young with Amanda
Bullwinkel, Jenna Marh and Taylor Bass as the Bird Girls. Sour Kangaroo was played in Aretha Franklin
style by Mahoganee Medlock, Thomas Goedecke played General Schmitz and Kendra Hollingsworth was  downright scary
as the Grinch and a Circus performer.
Director Cynthia Ogden's production was most
successful, though, in its heart. "Seussical" is a show with a very
special message and it was quite clear on every level that all who were
involved with this project believed in the story they had to tell. One could certainly tell that this was a BIG
experience for the entire school and they certainly have something to be very,
very proud of. It is a shame
"Seussical" was not a big Broadway success, but thankfully there are
many groups breathing life into it in community and high school theatre groups
throughout the United States.
Congratulations to the entire cast & crew of "Seussical"
on an excellent show, and for sharing the wonderful stories and characters of
Dr. Seuss.
Performed September 26 - 29, 2007.
Tammy Franklin
National Youth Theatre
~ Cast ~
Cat in the Hat: Brooke Singer
Jojo: Sandy Rather
Horton: Jonquel Holiday
Sour Kangaroo: Mahoganee Medlock
Schmitz: Thomas Goedecke
Mayzie: Caity Pitts, Taylor Bass
Gertrude: Jenna Mark, Liz Kaufman
Mayor: Ryan Cole
Mrs. Mayor: Rosie Grant
Bird Girls:
Amanda Bullwinkel
Jenna Mark/Liz Kaufman
Caity Pitts/Taylor Bass
Wickersham Brothers:
P. Kenard Miles
Jordan Bonner
Phillip Young
Yertle the Turtle: John Pyburn
Vlad Vladikoff: Devin Glick
Grinch: Kendra Hollingsworth
WHOS/CADETS/HUNTERS
WHOS/CIRCUS MEMBERS/HUNCHES
Devin Glick
Alyssa Davidson
Molly Griffin
Leslie Dockery
Megan Stanke
Eric Tunchez
Amanda Tankersley Kendra Hollingsworth
John Pyburn
Hannah Stanchi
Jhardon Milton
John Carter
BIRD GILRS/FISH/HUNCHES
MONKEYS/FISH/HUNCHES
Leah Cernosek
Jordan Clark
Janie Enloe
Natalie Eramo
Margot Gelber
Lindsey Georglas
Liz Holtz
Courtney Myers
Brett Young
Taylor Jackson (Fish/Hunch only)
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