Seussical Review
Skyler Powers
Every year, Homer High School puts on one main musical production. This year’s musical was Seussical, centered around many of the famous characters created by the beloved children’s book author, Dr. Seuss. Some of the most notable characters that make an appearance are the Cat in the Hat, Horton the Elephant, Gertrude McFuzz, Thing 1 and Thing 2, and Yertle the Turtle. These characters, and many more, are combined into one great story about uniqueness and respect.
This performance blew me away. The sheer talent behind the production was amazing. All of the actors and actresses were great. There was not a single bad performance. Some of the standout performances were Julia Gustafson as the Cat in the Hat, Bella Sprague as Jojo, Chris DeLage as Horton the Elephant, Maddie Kote at Gertrude McFuzz, Jenniellen Withers as Mayzie La Bird, and Kate Halstead as the Sour Kangaroo.
The songs were outstanding as well. I was not familiar with the musical beforehand, and I did not know what to expect for songs. It turns out that this musical is filled to the brim with tons of catchy songs; they were all performed marvelously by the actors and actresses. Some of my favorites were “Oh the Thinks You Can Think,” “Biggest Blame Fool,” “Amayzing Mayzie,” “How Lucky You Are,” “Green Eggs and Ham II” and “Havin’ A Hunch.” These songs were accompanied by great choreography, as well as light and sound effects which were enhanced by the newly remodeled auditorium.
This was probably the most visually appealing Homer musical that I have seen; it might be my favorite because of the Dr. Seuss uniqueness. I also loved how the Cat in the Hat “broke the fourth wall” throughout the play. In other words, this character knew that it was in a musical; it interacted with the audience regularly and even briefly conducted the pit orchestra. It was very unique and entertaining.
The pit orchestra played the music for all of the songs; without them, there would be no music, and they performed amazingly. The tech crew was responsible for all of the microphones and lights; without them, the musical would have been unable to function. These two groups of students made everything possible, and they enhanced the production into the amazing show it was.
This was a wonderful production that exceeded my expectations. The choreography, music, and visuals were all spectacular! The Homer High School students performed exceptionally well.
