Spring-Ford drama club makes Seussical "possible"

Here is an experiment to try: walk up to any child and mention the name Dr. Seuss. Then watch how quickly a smile lights up their face.

The works of Dr. Seuss (aka Theodor Seuss Geisel) have entertained children of all ages for more than 60 years.

On Friday night, the Spring-Ford High School drama club will present “Seussical the Musical,” which debuted on Broadway in 2000 and has been one of the most popular shows for theatre groups of all types to produce since its inception.

The complex storyline is an amalgamation of some of Seuss’s most popular books, including "Horton Hears a Who," "The Grinch that stole Christmas," "Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories," "Green Eggs and Ham," "The Cat in the Hat," and more.

The show opens with the entire cast singing “Oh, The Thinks You Can Think." From there the ride picks up speed as the audience gets to see the world through the imagination of JoJo, son of the Mayor of WhoVille, played by sophomore Drew Carr.

“It’s cool playing a character that everybody knows,” said Carr. “Even if they know nothing about the show, they know who JoJo is. This show has been so much fun. I can’t wait to have an audience. It is such a difference when you can feed off of their energy.”                  

The score is whimsical and energetic at many points during the show, but it’s the duet of Horton (junior Nick Edwards) and JoJo (Carr) singing “Alone in the Universe” that will grip the heartstrings of the theatregoers.

The jungle of Nool is the setting for a majority of the play, as Horton takes on responsibility of protecting the Whos' world, which is precariously perched on a clover, much to the chagrin of the Sour Kangaroo (Jordan Popky), the Wickersham brothers (Ian Matsko, Clay Hofmackel and Mike Fitzpatrick) and the rest of the animal kingdom.

“I have loved acting all my life,” said Edwards, who played the beast in last year’s production of “Beauty and the Beast." “I had my first role, that of a king, when I was in sixth grade. I definitely want to pursue a career in acting or filmmaking. We have all worked so hard. The cast, the crew, the lighting, everyone involved has put in such an effort, which is why it should be amazing.”

Junior Masynn Gensler, whose passion is opera, is entrancing as she performs the quirky tune, “The One Feather Tail of Miss Gertrude McFuzz” and will blow the audience away with her rendition of the ballad “Notice Me, Horton,” after which she professes her love for the prideful and patient pachyderm.

“I love music,” said Gensler, who works at the Community Music School in Trappe. “It is so amazing to share my love of music with the audience. To see the expression on the faces of especially the kids is just so awesome.”

Gensler, who started studying and singing at age eight, hopes to pursue her love of music in a career in opera. She attributes her success to Jennifer Abbott Little, under whom she has trained for years.

The audience will be captivated by Kelsey Gliva, who has been acting since she was very young and played Wendy two years ago in "Peter Pan," and her antics as the not so humble Mayzie LaBird, who tricks Horton into watching her egg for “one afternoon”, but winds up taking it on the lamb, eventually saddling Horton with the responsibility for good. Not only does Gliva deliver vocally, she also performs Mayzie’s calypso style dancing with grace and ease.

“It’s great to play a character that is so self-absorbed,” said Gliva. “Mayzie is such a contrast from what I am like personally that it makes it fun. This show has been a lot of work, but it has been well worth it and we all have enjoyed putting it together. It will be so great to see the reaction of the kids this weekend.”

Finally, there are no words to describe just how well senior Zack Arch has captured the essence of perhaps the most famous Seuss figure of all time: “The Cat in the Hat."

Arch delivers a sensational performance as the cantankerous feline, who keeps encouraging JoJo to think, which compounds JoJo’s dilemma, even down to the tiniest mannerisms that are the Cat in the Hat.

“I love acting more so than the singing,” said Arch. “The Cat in the Hat is a fun part to play, but I never remember having so much stuff to keep track of. It has been a pleasure to put on these shows the last few years. We are so lucky to have the support of our directors (Aimee Oblak and Joe Perry).”

Music director Joseph Perry has assembled a 35-piece orchestra to provide a live soundtrack to compliment Oblak’s cast and crew of more than 50 students.

“This is great group of kids,” said Oblak. “Whenever I think of how much work has gone into a show and how tired I am, I think of these kids and how much fun they are to work with. I am going to miss my seniors next year. They have been something very special.”

The showtimes for Seussical the Musical are Friday March 25^th at 7:30 pm and Saturday March 26^th at noon and 7:30 pm.