 In some of the most exciting news about human anthropology
made in the last few decades, it has recently been announced that the skeletal
remains of human “hobbits” averaging just over three feet tall have been found
on an isolated Indonesian island with evidence they likely survived until
twelve thousand years ago if not much later. They have scientifically been
dubbed Homo
floresiensisalthough some have debated whether they should be put in the
“Homo” genus at all with its implications that the species was “human,” starkly
posing the philosophical question as to whether people are people no matter how
small.
As it so happens, the answer to this dilemma is to be
found right here in our own Balboa Park where people have been found who are
even smaller than the hobbits! For it is there that San Diego Junior Theatre is
currently putting on a truly astounding performance of Seussical the Musical
– a story based on the books by La Jolla’s beloved, ingenious Dr. Seuss
(Theodor Geisel) centered on Horton the Elephant who one day hears the call for
help from a bunch of tiny, microscopic Whos living on top of a small speck of
dust.
Horton saves them from immediate destruction by catching
them and vowing to protect them, but that turns out to be difficult as the
indignant beasts in the Jungle of Nool call Horton a fool for believing there
are people on the speck, and they try to end all the silliness by putting an
end to the Whos. The Whos, meanwhile, have a host of other very “human”
problems to deal with from environmental disasters to wars based on
questionable motives to people who just simply THINK way too much – people like
the imaginative young daydreamer named JoJo who may just hold the fate of the
Whos in his outlandish Who-thoughts.
This magical musical by the creative team that wrote Ragtime:
The Musical and Once on This Island includes a brilliantly conceived
story using a host of Seuss characters and a musical score that is one magical
and entertaining number after another. And performing those numbers is an
unbelievably talented cast featuring a remarkable array of stunning voices and
a whopping amount of comedic talent.
The comedy is led by the gifted Matthew Bohrer as
the narrator of our show, the Cat in the Hat, whose hysterical and versatile
performance soon had the audience completely in his hands with his confident
and natural sense of humor, and including such cameos as a German plastic
surgeon, a snooty English auctioneer from “Seussaby’s,” a Big Top announcer, a
flaming French assistant to Mayzie, a fiery southern lawyer for the
prosecution, and a piano-playing Jimmy Durante.
 And then there’s the rest of this all-star cast. Brian
Polk is an amusing Horton the Elephant with his nervous and sincere facial
expressions (especially nervous when surrounded by the bully Wickersham
Brothers Robert Dowling, Casey Gardner, and lead singer Brian
Crum). Emily Shackelford’s humor and body language, along with her
beautifully sung quirky love ballads to Horton, are a hit as Horton’s Plain
Jane, one-feathered-tail, bird-next-door Gertrude McFuzz who has a crush on the
loyal Horton. Jonathan Edzant is an adorable JoJo – the troublesome
“thinker” of the Whos who has to think quickly and creatively if they are all
to survive this story. Two absolutely phenomenal voices include the vibrant
vocal work of Sarah Petrella as the amusing and saucy bad bird Mayzie
La Bird and the powerful, soulful resonance of the Sour Kangaroo by the
ever-impressive Cailene Kilcoyne, not to mention some fine work by our
narrating “Bird Girls” Jackee Bianchi, Leigh Schindler, and Ashley
Moore and a quick but striking solo by Hannah Sumner as the
honorable Judge Yertle the Turtle who lays down the law.
Elsewhere, Alex Fleming and Carly Toyer are
the Who-Mayor and wife, parents of JoJo, who shuffle on and off the stage with
a whimsical waddle, Jacob Sampson and Amanda Kleske are used in a
variety of hilarious ways throughout the show as Thing 1 and Thing 2 (including
finger-snapping bookends of Jimmy Durante’s piano, “raining” on hapless Horton
using water rifles, and Keystone Cops trying to steal Horton’s dust speck
away), and Anthony Kaneaster is an intimidating General Gengus Schmitz.
The ensemble of Whos, jungle animals, and military cadets (as well as some
dancing mermaids and frogmen) are an
extraordinarily vibrant and talented lot of singers, actors, and dancers moving
to Michael Anthony and Brian Zimmer’s fine choreography.
Michael Anthony
pulled out all the stops to turn this into a truly professional and
spellbinding production. His flashes of brilliance and eye for comedy are
everywhere. And on top of directing and choreographing, he also conducts the
orchestra which is spot on throughout. Then there are the tremendous talents he
brought in to make this one of the most visually stunning shows you’ll see
anywhere in San Diego this year, with Tony Cucuzzella’s lavish sets
bringing the artistry of Seuss out of the book and onto the stage, all painted
with the magical brush of lighting genius Ginger Harris who creates the
most enchanting pictures on the stage. And then there are the costumes! Clark
Mires again demonstrates his inventiveness and vision with an enormous
variety of imaginative costumes that look great both by themselves and together
– including a bird tail that extends far beyond the length of the stage.
Combined, the cast and crew have thought and brought into existence a
thoroughly entertaining, dazzling, and enchanting evening of theatre that will
encourage the thinkers in all of us – and doing that will truly make anything
possible!
Performs through November 7, 2004.
Rob Hopper
National Youth Theatre
~ Cast ~
Cat in the Hat:
Matthew Bohrer
Boy/JoJo: Jonathan Edzant
Horton the Elephant: Brian Polk
Gertrude McFuzz: Emily Shackelford
Mayzie La Bird: Sarah Petrella
Sour Kangaroo: Cailene Kilcoyne
Mr. Mayor: Alex Fleming
Mrs. Mayor: Carly Toyer
General Gengus Schmitz: Anthony Kaneaster
Bird Girls:
Jackee Bianchi
Leigh Schindler
Ashley Moore
Wickersham Brothers:
Brian Crum
Robert Dowling
Casey Gardner
The Grinch: Curtis Gordon
Yertle the Turtle: Hannah Sumner
Thing 1: Jacob Sampson
Thing 2: Amanda Kleske
Vlad Vladikoff: Kip Eischen
Max the Dog: Cameron Elmore
Citizens of the Jungle:
Daryl Daley
Ariana Dickey
Kip Eischen
Trevor Johnson
Catie Marron
Shannon Partrick
Olivia Puckett
Dominic Robinson
Alyssa Schechter
Whoville Residents:
Lara Ballon
Kevin Barber
Jackee Bianchi
Erin Burke
Jill Butterfield
Megan Cox
Kyle Crews
Brian Crum
Piper Davis
Robert Dowling
Maggie Foster
Casey Gardner
Rebecca Knell
Kimberly Marron
Evan McCree
Alexander Salomon
Alyssa Schechter
Hannah Sumner
Pia Tuchscher
Charlotte Wen
Cadets of the Military Academy:
Jill Butterfield
Megan Cox
Kyle Crews
Catie Marron
Shannon Partrick
Alyssa Schechter
Kiefer Shackelford
Director/Choreographer: Michael Anthony
Co-Choreographer: Brian Zimmer
Set Design: Tony Cucuzzella
Lighting Design: Ginger Harris
Costume Design: Clark Mires
Stage Manager: Katie Palmer
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