Dr. Seuss, or Theodor Geisel, was known as the author of many crazy kooky children’s books, such as The Cat in the Hat, The Lorax, and Horton Hears a Who, but a musical? Although Seussical was not written by Dr. Seuss, it is base on at least 15 of his books and dozens of his characters. Lewiston High School’s drama club, Centre Stage Ensemble, is presenting this children-oriented play on March 23, 24, and 25 at Lewiston Middle School auditorium on Central Avenue. There will be three night performances at 7:30 p.m. and on March 25, a matinee at 2 p.m. Tickets are $8 for Adults, $5 for Students/Senior Citizens, and $20 for a family pack which includes two adult tickets and four student/senior citizen tickets.
Seussical is a whimsical musical. The play begins with a Boy (Elisabeth Messer) thinking, imagining, and creating the world of Seussical and the Cat in the Hat (Jeremy Gervais). The Cat in the Hat then leads the Boy on adventure through his own mind, beginning with the Jungle of Nool where Horton the elephant (Brandon Dubois) hears a Who on a dust speck floating by. After being ridiculed by many of the jungle animals, such as the Sour Kangaroo (Caitlin Rider) and the Wickersham monkeys (Jessica Fortin, Christopher Hodgkin, Crystal Packard, and Kelin Sevit), and after being defended by Gertrude McFuzz (Danielle Taylor), Horton is left to listen to the Whos. Mr. Mayor (Shawn Sabourin), Mrs. Mayor (Rachel Spilecki), the new nice Grinch (Brian McKewon), and the other citizens of Who persuade Horton to save the Planet of Who, the dust speck, from falling into a pool of water and drowning. So Horton put Whoville on a pink clover. Zooming in on Who, the Cat in the Hat pushes the Boy into the scene as JoJo (also Elisabeth Messer), the son of Mr. and Mrs. Mayor, whose “Thinks,” or imagination, gets him suspended from school. His parents see no other choice but to send him to military school with General Gengus Khan Schmitz (Ben Lowe), who is going to war to protect the right of every Who to eat his bread Butter Side Up. Back in the Jungle, Gertrude the bird can’t catch Horton’s attention. Being very self-conscious, she thinks her one-feathered tail is the cause. Amayzing Mayzie (Jenna Barry) and her Bird Girls (Michele Fortier, Hannah Gregory, and Christina Zahn) tell her to go to Dr. Dake by the lake to get a beautiful tail like theirs.
As the play goes on, chaos ensues as Mayzie leaves Horton sitting on her egg while she goes on vacation; Gertrude can’t fly, because her new tail is too heavy; the Whos can’t be found in a vast clover field; JoJo is lost at war; and Horton is shipped off to the circus while sitting on Mayzie’s egg, nest, and tree. The cast is also filled out by many amazing chorus members, including both high school and elementary school. The Ensemble members are Sierra Cromwell, Renee Delcourt, Devon Dickey, Joshua Lajoie, Amanda Martin, and Emily Morin. The Chidren’s Chorus is made up of Noah Brooks, Maisy Cyr, Hailey LeFlem, Katie LeFlem, Ryan Gervais, Makenzie Maselli, Olivia Mayo, Taylor Ouelette, Alex Small, and Paige Weber. The show continues with music galore and an inspiring ending.
After three months of work, the cast is ready to present this fanciful world to the community. The cast is even reading to children at the Lewiston Public Library on Friday March 24 at 10 a.m. at the regular book reading. They were helped by a wonderful production team of Director/Light Designer/Set Designer Richard Martin, Producers Marissa Jalbert and Rachel Spilecki, Vocal Director Rebecca Poppke, Music Director Jim Raymond, Choreographer Lacey Michaud, Costumer Marissa Jalbert, Props master Susan Jalbert, and Sound Designer Jake Chaloux. We hope to see you there!
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