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Seussical the Musical by J*Company  Horton is hearing voices, but are they real voices or does
he just think he hears them? The lives of all the Whos down in Whoville
depend on him believing in them and protecting them, as their precarious
existence on a tiny speck of dust grows more precarious by the moment when the
other animals of the Jungle of Nool decide Horton is nuts and that his precious
speck has got to go. Will Horton risk everything to save these tiny people only
he can hear and nobody can see?
There’s no doubt about that! Loyalty and self-sacrifice are what Dr. Seuss’s Horton the Elephant is all about, making him the perfect character on which to base Seussical the Musical. This fun and heartwarming show has recently been made available to local theatres, and our local theatres are pouncing on it. With a great story, memorable characters culled from a variety of Dr. Seuss books, and a fantastic musical score by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty (Ragtime, Once on This Island), it’s a guaranteed crowd pleaser. Under the direction of Becky Cherlin Baird, the youth at La Jolla’s J*Company are putting on an entertaining, creative, and impressive production of this tribute to San Diego’s own Dr. Seuss (a.k.a. Theodore Geisel whose widow Audrey Geisel still lives in La Jolla). Vibrant and stylish costumes by Shulamit Nelson help bring to life the enchanted world of singing jungle animals and tiny Whos, while an exceptional cast gives the characters a lot of character. In the case of Jesse Bradley, he actually becomes several characters as the one-and-only Cat in the Hat, narrating our journey through Seuss-land and popping up here and there as several other quirky little characters, doing it all with great charisma and flair (and some impressive juggling). It is the Cat who gets little JoJo, a highly imaginative little boy, to start thinking all the thinks he can think, giving birth to the wonderful worlds presented onstage. The young but already seasoned Joe Metcalf has the adorable look of a young dreamer and a great voice to go with it, all of which we really get to enjoy as he takes a bubble bath in a tub that becomes McElligot’s Pool. The storybook characters include, of course, Horton himself, here played by Tim Roberts whose grounded performance simply exudes genuine loyalty and unwavering concern for those who aren’t able to help themselves including the poor Whos and a certain bird’s egg that he gets tricked into sitting atop. His duet with JoJo Alone in the Universe and the lullaby Solla Sollew that he leads the cast in are some of the most mesmerizing moments of the show. Up-and-coming star Kari Campbell stars as Horton’s neighbor and admirer, the sweet bird-next-door named Gertrude McFuzz with a plain one-feathered tail that simply wasn’t meant to catch the eye of an elephant. With a lovably dorky and expressive voice perfect for the character (virtually identical to the Broadway cast album), a great sense of humor, and cute facial expressions, Kari is a hit throughout including her unusual love songs The One-Feather Tail of Miss Gertrude McFuzz, Notice Me Horton, and All For You. Other standouts include Eboni Muse as the Sour Kangaroo who can belt out her disparagement of Horton like nobody’s business (seconded by Stephanie Neifeld as her Young Kangaroo with a lot of attitude and a great voice to boot). Bethany Slomka shines as the selfish and vain Mayzie LaBird as she dupes Horton into sitting on her nest. Tiffany Jane is a riot as JoJo’s totally soccer mom-ish mom who with her mayor husband (Sam Creely) can’t quite understand their daydreaming son, eventually sending him off to military school. There poor JoJo is faced with General Samantha Greenstone who has eyes that you can’t take your eyes off of as they say a million things to her recruits – mostly some form of deep disapproval. The great ensemble includes six Bird Girls who help the Cat narrate the story, the six bully Wickersham Brother monkeys who monkey around with Horton and the Whos, and the most adorable and enthusiastic little Whos you can imagine. Due to lack of tech time in the theatre there were a few lighting and timing problems on opening night, though no doubt solved by now, and the cast easily worked through and overcame such glitches to put on a tremendous show with great costumes, sets, a magnificent ensemble, and some creative little additions like having a real Young Kangaroo and a real little girl in the part of the “Elephant Bird” played by the adorable Halle Hoffman. How lucky we are to have had Dr. Seuss to inspire it all!Performs through November 7, 2004.
~ Cast ~
 Cat in the Hat: Jesse BradleyHorton: Tim Roberts JoJo: Joe Metcalf Gertrude: Kari Campbell Mayzie: Bethany Slomka Sour Kangaroo: Eboni Muse Young Kangaroo: Stephanie Neifeld Mr. Mayor: Sam Creely Mrs. Mayor: Tiffany Jane General Genghis Kahn Shmitz: Samantha Greenstone Yertle the Turtle: Samantha Greenstone Elephant Bird: Halle Hoffman Bird Girls: Jennifer Bendelstein Laura Cain Elizabeth Kreutz Anne Metcalf Dawn Powell Meagan Rossin Wickershams: Mary Bozigian Christine Hillman Perry Lee Emily Mann Addie McKinley Victoria Tecca Citizens of the Jungle: Ashley Abed Alejandra Jimenez Zoe Katz Allison Steitz Stefan Wendel Cadets: Megan Evans Adam Faison Justin Gleiberman Beth Jacobs Danielle Levin Mady Maio Charlotte Ostrow Lindsey Schwartz Lindesy Steinert Adina Wollner WHO’S: Nicole Athill Alice Cash Joanne Edelstein Zoe Eprile Danielle Gardner Heather Gillies Jacqueline Gillies Elisa Greenberg Michelle Guefen Nicole Heillbrun Halle Hoffman Margaret Izotov Jess Jacobs Lindsey Jacobs Mara Jacobs Sam Jacobs Tali Maio Austyn Myers Megan Phillips Matthew Schaerer Joshua Shtein Celia Tedde Gabi Turner Nathan Wetter Alec Willerman Circus Performers: Joanne Edlestein Zoe Eprile Nicole Heilbrunn Halle Hoffman Jess Jacobs Austyn Myers Matthew Schaerer Lindsey Steinert Allison Steitz Director/Choreographer/Music Director: Becky
Cherlin Baird |