THEATER: Seussical

For the first time that anyone could remember, Boal Barn had a sellout crowd on an opening night. There was not even standing room for the opening performance of SEUSSICAL. This is, of course, a warning that if you are planning to see it, get tickets as soon as possible. This large audience may be partly caused by the amount of people it took to produce the show, thirty-four cast members, eighteen musicians in the orchestra, and numerous technicians working on costumes, lighting, set design, choreography, props, etc. (Director Kim Silverman and her assistants deserve credit for keeping everything organized). If each person involved with the show had an average of two family members buy a ticket…..well, you do the math.

Considering the amount of people on stage and the fact that some of them were quite young, choreographer Rebecca Kelley and vocal director DJ Matsko are to be congratulated. The dances were lively and stayed in character. The Birds and the Wickersham Brothers were a delight. One of the good/bad things about a small arena theatre is that the singers are very close to the audience. This was a treat Tuesday night; the voices were good, plus they “sang out”.

The individual talents were all impressive; the trouble is not having enough space to mention all of them. This production is an example of a director knowing how to cast a show.

Jared Paxson has the energy, voice, movements, and, most importantly, the ability to work an audience making him a terrific Cat in the Hat. He was literally in charge of the stage and the show.

Rob Arnold was perfectly cast as Horton, the Elephant. His quiet compassion was either the result of excellent acting or Rob is a very nice fellow to know.

Justin Shondeck’s actual age surprised me. His strong voice and stage presence made me think that an older actor was playing the young Who, JoJo. We should be seeing a lot of this young man.

The two birds, Gertrude McFuzz and Mayzie LaBird, were played with beautiful contrast by Gail McCormick and Amanda Leggett. Gail was charming as the insecure Gertrude who is not too sure what to do with her beautiful new tail and Amanda had the right amount of brass as the bird who would rather party than hatch an egg. Both actresses have remarkable voices.

The show is full of talent. It would be hard to find fault with any of the cast or crew. My problem is that the show itself is not one of my favorites. It always seems too complicated to be a tribute to Dr. Seuss. His stories were special because he could tell them in such a simple manner. Trying to weave a string of these stories into one musical makes for a musical that is a little heavy.

I can see why it has become such a popular show for young people to do. Nothing can take away from the delightful characters that Seuss created. The Cat in the Hat, Horton, the Grinch and their friends have become beloved members of our culture. Thus, they are a delight to play.

SEUSSICAL will be in the Barn until August the 18th. The Man Who Came to Dinner will open September the 4th and run for two weeks. Call 814-234 SCCT (7228) for more information.