The Cat in the Hat, Horton the Elephant, Jojo the Who, Mayzie the Bird, and many favorite Dr. Seuss characters came alive at the Middle School musical, Seussical, Jr., a music extravaganzas full of quirky characters and lifelong lessons. The play was created by Tony winners Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, but given a Whitefield twist by Kayla Marsh, drama instructor and her cast and crew of over 50 people.
The Cat and the Hat, played by Luke McLemore, served as narrator, transporting the audience from Whoville to the Jungle of Nool to Circus McGurkus with a smile and a rhyme. The Cat in the Hat told the story of Horton (Alex Eaton) , an elephant who discovers a speck of dust containing the tiny city of Whoville and its people. Horton struggles to make people understand that “a person’s a person no matter how small,” and serves double duty as Whoville’s savior and protector of an abandoned egg in a nearby tree. Mayzie the Bird (Cha Cha Hamilton), carelessly left the egg and absent-mindedly moves about in a kind of mental fog. Kind Horton faces ridicule, danger, kidnapping, and a trial, as he desperately tries to speak up for the lost and marginalized.
Faithful Gertrude (played by Anna Bracher) never loses faith in Horton and through the powers of friendship, loyalty, family, and community, Horton’s pleas are finally heard.
Other main characters included JoJo the Who, played by Joe Martin Tvaroch, Dr. Dake played by Emma Dew, and Thing 1 and Thing 2, who are always stirring up trouble of one sort or another, played by SV Ryan and Caroline Brown, respectively. The Wickersham Brothers were played by Russell Bell, Kaleb Brooks, and Crawford Folk; Mr. Mayor was played by Jamal Ellis; Mrs. Mayor was played by Carson Llewellyn; Yertle was played by Caleb Corliss; Sour Kangaroo was played by Grayson Nour; and Vlad Vladikoff was played by Ellie Richburg. Supporting cast members danced, cartwheeled, and sang to make the entire production move quickly from one scene to the next, alive with energy!
Stage manager Kristen Fikse, winner of the Canada Award for her contributions to Whitefield theater, began training a litany of new Middle School students in props, make-up, lighting, and more, as many of them served on the backstage crew.
Check out the Whitefield Facebook for more pictures of the show!