Seussical – The start of a journey
If you have ever read a Dr. Seuss book or watched a movie made from one of the books, you should already be familiar with the format. For those that are unaware, Dr. Seuss was known for his books that focused on social topics, poetry, and expanding the imagination. This past Friday Vanna and I went to see Seussical presented by Take A Bow Showcase and Rising Stars Production. It was held in the Belleville East Performance Art Center. Vanna warned me it was a two hour event. I made sure to be good and ready with a couple of hits from “Black Beauty.”
On stage there was a big box with stars on it. This box was there before the show even started. The lights dim and out comes the Cat in the Hat out of the box, the crowd rejoices as Brenden McCauley who plays the Cat dances around the stage. Here is where things get a little messy as the sound gets messy as more and more cast members fill up the stage for the opening musical number. The wireless microphones did not do the actors justice as some of them could really sing. The opening act “Oh, the Thinks You Can Think” displayed all of the cast members and was a fun introduction into the musical.
As the first act ended we are introduced to Horton one of the main players in this musical along with the minor players. During the play we would bounce back between Horton, The Boy, The Cat, and other major characters in the musical. If you did not pay attention you could become lost for a minute trying to figure out which world you are in at the time as you follow The Cat in the Hat. The Cat has a special power to move between worlds and be in many different places at once. It is never referenced, but you kind of figure it out as the story goes along as he is present with Horton and The Boy in different points in Seussical. Seussical was broken up into two acts: 19 musical numbers in Act 1 and 19 in Act 2. Yes that is 38 musical numbers in a 2 hour performance.
If you are not ready for the length of musicals it can feel like a drag. This performance of Seussical did have a few slow moments as to be expected. Some musical numbers felt shoehorned into the musical and others were amazing to watch. This is no fault to the performers but more so the structure of the musical. Could it be better, sure. That would require more financial input to improve the set pieces.
Where Seussical shines is the cast. Yes many of them are new to performing and some have more experience, but that did not stop anyone from putting on their best. This stage had young performers doing acrobatic stunts and tumbling to actors and actresses belting out some powerful notes. Avita Hall who played Gertrude put on a stellar performance and played a charismatic bird that so badly wanted the attention of Horton. Eugene Williams (Mayor of Whoville) and Ling Pace (Mrs. Who) did a great job playing the parents to JoJo played by Leah Connelly. The crowd had a great time playing along when The Cat would make his way down to the front of the audience and break the 4th wall. There was a moment in Seussical where he was auctioning off something and the crowd started yelling bids to The Cat who played along perfectly. During the first act The Cat held up a fake microphone to people in the first 2 sections asking questions like a news reporter in the field. Other times during Seussical the actors would come from the crowd to do their part.
Would I recommend watching a TABS performance again…………………………yep!
Who is Seussical for? Family and young Children
Would I do anything different? yep…….reload at intermission.
Musicals and plays are fun to watch but sitting for 2 hours can take a toll on the body and mind. I would recommend a pre-flight to make sure you enjoy the first act and then reload during intermission for the best experience. Yes you can enjoy the performance without any herbal enhancements, but it makes it easier to sit in a seat for 2 hours much easier.
