By Mallory Sherwood, Managing Editor
Audience members can return to childhood and arrive in the magical and imaginative world of Dr. Seuss and his beloved characters with the opening of the Homecoming Musical, Seussical.
Seussical, created by Tony Award winners, Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, weaves together famous characters and stories from Dr. Seuss’ children’s books, creating a hit on Broadway and an exciting show for the Abilene community.
Dr. Adam Hester, chair of the Theatre Department and director of Seussical, said in an e-mail that the musical delivers a fun and heart-felt message through an exciting story. He said it is kid-friendly, yet it appeals to adults and has great music and clever story-telling.
Ben Jeffrey, senior theatre major from Kansas City, Mo., who plays a lead as Horton the elephant, agrees.
A 10-time performer at the university in his theatrical career, Jeffrey said he compares Seussical to the motion picture Shrek because of the childlike elements and profound themes intended for every age.
Jeffrey said the audience can look forward to a great show with good dancing, music, a fun script and dynamite performances by the cast.
Hester said the play offers diversity and many surprises, leaving the audience wondering what will happen next. He said the Cat in the Hat character will fly over the audience and a ramp will extend over the pit orchestra.
“We’ve pulled the stops,” Hester said. “This is the musical to see. We’re doing terrific special effects, we’ve got a dynamite cast, and we’re giving it our all.
He said although he may be exaggerating the fact that people will talk about Seussical for the next 100 years, it will still be a fantastic show to see.
Jeffrey said Seussical is musically different than other musicals because it incorporates a plethora of different music styles such as pop, pop rock, gospel, R&B and ragtime. Seussical allows the audience use its imagination and is upbeat.
Seussical is a celebration of Dr. Seuss’ imagination and creations and is comprised a of 35-student cast of theatre majors, including the Cat in the Hat, performed by Jason Kennedy, junior from Abilene; elephants, monkeys, a kangaroo, several birds including: Gertrude McFuzz, performed by Lara Seibert, senior from Grapevine, and Mayzie LaBird, performed by Annika Johansson, senior from Amarillo. Other memorable Dr. Seuss characters include the mayor and residents of Whoville, the Grinch, Judge Yertle the Turtle and Vlad Vladikoff.
Hester said the variety of cast members makes the musical exciting.
“It’s been exciting to create that seamless quality of moving from one moment into the next, as we deliver a single story that is actually an amalgamation of many stories,” he said.
He said rehearsals have gone exceptionally well and spirits and anticipation are high for opening night. He said the cast is talented and has made rehearsals fun and exciting, despite set backs it has endured.
Hester said the cast has suffered several injuries, such as sprained ankles, as well as illnesses associated with colds and allergies that go with West Texas weather changes.
Jeffrey and Hester said they hope ticket sales increase as the opening night approaches. After an unusual turn of events that occurred in August when the original musical was cancelled after a casting controversy, ticket sales are beginning to gather momentum.
Hester said Seussical is close to approaching regular ticket sales, but that tickets are still available.
Jeffrey said cast members had a difficult time adjusting to Seussical after preparing research on their characters from the originally planned musical, Aida.
“Obviously we lost three months of character work with the change,” Jeffrey said. “Adam Hester is one of the finest men I know, and after he made this decision, he gave us a challenge to which we said ‘bring it on.'”
Seussical performances will be at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and a matinee performance at 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets at all price ranges can be purchased in the box office in the Williams Performing Arts Center or by calling 674-2787.
