The beloved characters of Dr. Seuss come to life in “Seussical The Musical,” which opens Wednesday in the Lopez Early College High School Theatre in a production that celebrates the whimsical ideas of the famed author and illustrator.
The show also celebrates the considerable talent of students, faculty and staff at Lopez, as well as the joy of returning to live theatre after the pandemic, the show’s two directors Holly Putegnat and Michele Wolding said.
As the curtain goes up on Seussical, a strange but familiar giant red-and-white striped hat sits alone on stage. As JoJo from “Horton Hears a Who” approaches, she says, “Now that’s a very unusual hat. I wonder what could be under a hat such as that?”
None other than The Cat in the Hat, played by Pablo “PJ” Berrones, who along with JoJo (Adalia Sorola) takes the audience on a journey through JoJo’s imagination, replete with a cavalcade of Dr. Seuss characters.
The cast bursts into a lively performance of “Oh the Things You Can Think,” dancing as they go.
“It’s a love story, it’s funny, it’s colorful, it’s quirky,” Putegnat said. “And appropriate for all ages,” Wolding added. “It’s definitely going to be a fun one for families. And that’s something we really wanted to focus on this year is having something that’s happy and bring a little joy back into everybody’s lives since we’ve had so much sad and depressing COVID craziness.”
The show features a live student orchestra with trumpet solos by head band director Ramon Vasquez, set design by Putegnat, and set and prop construction and painting by visual arts and technical theatre students and Christian Putegnat.
Roxanna Cantu, the Fine Arts chair, was the artistic director. Set murals were painted by her art students and look straight out of Dr. Seuss.
As in previous years, Cantu’s visual arts students competed for the Seusical poster and playbill design, with Robert Garcia, a clarinetist in the orchestra, having the winning design.
In all, 60 students have a hand in the show and 30 are in the cast, including Frank Quintero as Horton the Elephant, Janice Maldonado as Gertrude McFuzz, Jesus Castillo as Yertle the Turtle, Thing 1, and Who, Mark Salinas as Thing 2 and Who, and Edgar Duque as the Grinch.
Meagan L. Contreras is the musical director and Wolding is the vocal coach. Sandra Zuchora choreographed the production, while Ivan A. Hernandez conducts the orchestra.
From the moment one walks into the lobby they’re transported into the Dr. Seuss world, with poster designs decorating the hallway leading into the theatre, and Seuss-inspired horns and trumpets hanging from the ceiling. There’s a large chalkboard impeccably depicting the Dr. Seuss universe.
Stageagent.com describes Seussical as “a musical perfect for the whole family. Seussical takes us into the world of Dr. Seuss, where we revisit beloved characters including The Cat in the Hat, Horton the Elephant, Gertrude McFuzz, Lazy Mayzie, and JoJo.
“The Cat in the Hat guides us into The Jungle of Nool where we see Horton, the kind hearted elephant who discovers a speck of dust containing Whoville. He meets JoJo, a Who child sent to military school for thinking too many “thinks.” Horton decides he must protect the speck of dust on a nearby clover, while at the same time protecting an abandoned egg left to his care by the lazy Mayzie la Bird.
“Horton tries to convince the other animals in The Jungle of the existence of the Whos, but he is ridiculed and put on trial for insanity. Only his loyal neighbor, Gertrude McFuzz, never loses faith in him. Eventually, the two fall in love.
Seussical has become “one of the most widely produced musicals in the country,” Stageagent.com says. “Seussical weaves a story of friendship, loyalty, and love. Despite all odds, Horton and Gertrude band together to save the Whos, free Horton, and restore peace and unity to the Jungle of Nool. Charming Seussical teaches us the power of being unique, and the importance of fighting for your beliefs.”
Performances are Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, with curtain at 7 p.m. Admission is $10.
To see more, view Brownsville Herald photojournalist Denise Cathey’s full photo gallery here:
