Everybody remembers reading Dr. Seuss. The iconic and memorable characters bring back our memories of naptime. Now, there is a musical full of those nostalgic Doctor Seuss characters and the colorful adventures they embark on. This is Seussical.
Seussical is Trinity Prep’s Middle School Musical which opens on November 7 and runs through November 9.
Seussical primarily follows the character Horton the Elephant (eighth grader Ty Lowrey). Horton is a kind hearted Elephant who hears voices from a speck of dust, only to find out from the Mayor (eighth grader Karthik Stead) that the voices Horton heard were actually the Whos. He also explains that the Whos living on the speck of dust live in a town they call Whoville, and that the Whos are constantly in danger since they float around in the wind. When the other animals begin to see Horton talking to the speck without hearing the voices, Horton’s journey to protect the Whos begins.
Inside the speck, Jojo (eighth grader Cecilia Miller) is a character who is encouraged by the Cat in the Hat (eighth grader Brady Thomas) to expand her mind and think many odd and bizarre thoughts. Although this was much to the dismay of her parents, the Mayor and the Mayor’s wife, Jojo goes on to show the audience that you shouldn’t let other people define what you think or do.
Another important character is Gertrude McFuzz. Gertrude McFuzz is a bird who likes Horton but is embarrassed by her one feathered tail. So, by the advice of Mayzie The Bird, she goes to a doctor and asks for pills to make her tail larger. The doctor advises against it, but she takes the pills anyway. Later in the show, she realizes that beauty isn’t everything and goes to pluck the extra feathers.
Seussical is directed by Fine Arts and Psychology teacher Donna Walker. As an ensemble show, there are many lead roles and a large ensemble cast. Most characters are on stage for almost the entire time.
“I would say there’s nine, what you might consider ‘lead roles’, but the interesting thing is, there’s six roles that you might consider the next tier down,” Walker said. “Three of those roles are…on stage more than anybody, even though they’re not considered lead roles.”
The actors for this show have been doing rehearsals three times a week from 3:18-5:30 pm since August 22, and they have not disappointed. Although rehearsals are long, many actors really enjoy them.
“It makes me happy being there because for one, we all have the same mission, we all want to do well for the show,” eighth grader Ty Lowrey said.
Seussical is a fun and enjoyable show to watch. Suessical also manages to balance the silly side of Seuss by including valuable life lessons much like the Seuss Books. The show includes amazing musical numbers produced under the Musical Direction of Kathryn Slage, with songs like “Oh, The Thinks You Can Think” and “Alone in the Universe,” a heartfelt song With Jojo and Horton. The plot may be simple but it is alluring to watch the characters grow. Although the play isn’t written by Dr. Seuss, it still carries the magic of every Dr. Seuss book.
