St. Kilian Players Perform 'Seussical'

"Seussical the Musical" is the 24th summer production of the St. Kilian Players theater group.

The show, performed in the , is based on the book by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens. Margaret Barrett produced the play in Farmingdale and Bob O’Neill directed it. Gary Piacentini served as musical director of the ten piece orchestra.

The St. Kilian Players were founded in 1988 by Rev. Chuck Romano. For more than 20 years, their shows have helped raise funds for events such as Irish Night, parish dances, craft fairs, Women’s Guild and Mothers’ Club.

The actors and actresses also participate in parish ministries such as religious education, eucharistic ministry, pastoral council, choir, liturgical committees and school boards.

“We started rehearsing in the middle of May for twice a week, and then the number of rehearsals increased,” said Director O’Neill. “We started in December, where we asked for directors who were interested in presenting a play. They went in front of a committee of five people. This season, it was between 'Seussical' and 'The Wizard of Oz." 

O’Neill said all who auditioned for "Seussical" got a part.

"It’s an inclusive piece and the folks in the ensemble were wonderful enough to give up a lot of their time," he said. "It’s a very family-friendly production and it would attract parents and grandparents to see it. Also, there are a lot of families performing as part of the cast.”

O'Neill added that this play is not a typical musical. "It’s a lighthearted operetta, with no beginning, middle or end," he said.

This summer, the St. Kilian Players performed three of their "Seussical" tunes at the on the Village Green on Main Street in Farmingdale.

“Performing at the Village Pops was a wonderful experience that started about six or seven years ago,” O’Neill said. Brad Dimilo, the orchestra director of the Village Pops concerts, was Barrett’s former band teacher.

The pops concerts were practice for the performances, which ran on the last weekend of July and the first two weekends of August.

“Everybody’s loved it,” said Barrett. “It’s upbeat, colorful, energetic and a toe-tapping musical. The cast is wonderful.”

Steven Cottonaro was the narrator of "Suessical," playing the role of Cat in the Hat.

“I had a lot of freedom in this role,” Cottonaro said. “I’m telling the story and causing trouble, but it’s all for the adventure and it’s a lot of fun.”

Jeanne Marve played Sour Kangaroo.

“This was different than any of my previous roles,” Marve said. “It’s fun diving into a new character that has a change of heart at the end of the show. I had a blast doing 'Seussical.'”

“'Seussical' is a tremendous amount of fun” said Eric Vazquez, who plays Horton the Elephant. “You get to perform and put on a show for the community. We’re a very close-knit family and it was fun to spend summer together.”

Tarra Dayton was the costume coordinator for the show. She said she enjoyed designing how the show was going to look.

“It afforded me the opportunity to be artistic and creative," she said.

Bob Kuppelmeyer played General Gengus Khan Schmitz.

“My two daughters are in this show which makes it extra special. It’s been a great journey over the past two months," he said. “It was an amazing experience."