If you love Dr. Seuss you’re in for a treat, because the Santa Maria Civic Theatre has a show that’s quite neat. It’s full of laughter and music and fun, in a poetic production that welcomes everyone.
I wish I could write the rest of the review for the Santa Maria Civic Theatre’s (SMCT) production of Seussical, but unfortunately I may not be as talented as the great Dr. Seuss, or everyone involved in making this production happen.
Seussical opens the Civic Theatre’s 58th season with a smash. It’s a large cast, larger than I’ve ever seen on the SMCT stage, with many playing multiple parts and singing their hearts out. The cast includes actors of all ages—from grandparents to grandkids—who help make the show a magical experience for visitors.
The story opens up with a young boy, Jojo (Camryn Elliott), who just can’t tame his unbridled imagination. None other than the (in)famous Cat in the Hat (Josh Cornell) joins Jojo to sing the praises of his imagination, in “Oh, the Thinks You Can Think.” This number is big, bright, and a lot of fun, as it introduces most of the characters, from the jungle animals to the tiniest characters, the Whos of Whoville. The song ends with the entire ensemble on stage singing the theme that will return again and again at pivotal moments in the story.
For those unfamiliar with Seussical, it’s an upbeat and exciting musical that combines several stories from the Seuss canon, like the books Horton Hears a Who, Horton Hatches the Egg, The Cat in the Hat, and others. Beloved characters take the stage, like the mischievous Thing 1 and Thing 2 (Brody Cornell and Will Fogh), for a family-friendly story of acceptance, friendship, and perseverance.
As you might have guessed, once the story starts rolling along, we meet Horton (Kyle Hawkins), an unassuming elephant who finds himself flummoxed when he hears tiny voices calling to him from the tiniest of tiniest things, a single speck of dust floating by his ear. He vows to protect the tiny town, because “a person’s a person, no matter how small.”
It turns out that Jojo is actually a Who, the son of the Mayor (Jamie Espinoza) and Mayor’s Wife (Emily Zaas) of Whoville. Jojo is chastised by his parents for his overactive imagination, but finds an unlikely friend in Horton, who has a whole mess of problems himself.
The other jungle animals, including the Wickersham Brothers (Jamie Espinoza, Mackenzie Coker, and Nicholas Houchin) or the fiery bird Mayzie (Christina Landeros), all seem to think that Horton is crazy for carrying around a clover that houses the Whos’ dust speck of a planet. The only jungle animal that seems to be on Horton’s side is Gertrude McFuzz (Chloe Wasil), who just wants to get noticed by her neighbor Horton.
The production is an incredible feat for the SMCT, which absolutely fills its stage with a colorful set and scenery. Truffula trees and the whimsical skyscape of Whoville bring Dr. Seuss’ world to life in vivid color. The characters that inhabit the stage are the flesh and blood of the show, from Cornell’s incredible Cat in the Hat to Hawkins’ and Wasil’s portrayal of the relatable and struggling Horton and Gertrude.
In the front of the program, the production’s director Lynda Mondragon mentioned how her plan to stage Seussical at the SMCT has been more than a year in the making. One of her last productions, The Foreigner, displayed her understanding of what was possible at Santa Maria’s humble Civic Theatre, but she certainly pushed the envelope with this show to great result. The production is fantastic fun for the adults, kids, and families on the stage and sitting in the audience.
Arts Editor Joe Payne has a hankering for green eggs and ham. Contact him at jpayne@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Sep 29 – Oct 6, 2016.