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‘Seussical the Musical’ |
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Curtain Call Musical Theatre Society, University of Aberystwyth |
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Morlan Centre, Aberystwyth |
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May 26, 2009 |
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| idea of going to watch a musical that is still very young doesn’t always appeal to me. When it comes to musical theatre, I am somewhat of a grandfather who prefers the classics of Rogers and Hammerstein and Cole Porter to the more modern offerings of Alan Menken and Laurence O'Keefe. In ‘Seussical’ however I have now been tempted to listen to more modern offerings, as it is two hours of fun, poignancy and good old fashioned charm. Based on the infamous stories of the late Dr Seuss, ‘Seussical the Musical’ takes us on a journey into the writer’s childlike world of surrealism, where all the characters take us on a trip through their own unique lives and experiences. From Horton the elephant, who is desperate to save the world of the ‘who’s’ from certain destruction to Gertrude McFuzz who just wants the elephant to notice her, all of the characters, through the truly toe-tapping score of Stephen Flaherty, entice and invite us to follow them through the story. As in any production, certain characters stand out above the rest. Ryan Woodroff played the Cat in the Hat to perfection. He was extraordinarily entertaining, hilariously funny and his ability to involve the audience was second to none. Did it verge on camp? Not in the slightest. He may not have had the strongest singing voice in the show but the presentation of the character showed the ability of an actor beyond his years. Catherine Roxborough as Gertrude was a brilliant example in comic timing. With her outstanding stage presence and fantastic singing voice, she really invoked my sympathy, particularly in Act 2 with her rendition of ‘All for you’ when I couldn’t stop thinking why is Horton not jumping off the nest right now? Katie Harris as the young JoJo added a real sense of youth to the production, and through her powerful voice and encompassed physicality she was able to express to us the innocence that JoJo possesses at the start through to the maturity she gains by the end. And then we have Sean Derbyshire as Horton the Elephant. What an acting range this guy has. From the opening moment when he finds the planet of ‘who’ on a speck of pollen, to the end moments when he desperately tries to prove that he isn’t going insane, his poignancy and effortless performance made me want to jump in and give him a huge hug. Particular credit to his reprise of ‘How lucky you are’ in Act 2, which reduced the lady sat next to me to tears. A musical would never be successful without the chorus. The chorus here was outstanding, always smiling and always looking as if they were enjoying the show from the start to the end. Now in every musical there are other things to consider than the acting and singing. The choreography for one. Katie Bottoms has done a fantastic job choreographing a variety of different numbers, from the energetic opening of ‘On the Things You Can Think,’ the very touching balletic movement in ‘It’s Possible’ and of course the finale. However, many of the performers were often out of sync with each other which occasionally led to the routines looking messy in places. That said, a very well done to Miss Bottoms. The lighting was very apt throughout. Tracey Hodson-Walker created a world through the lighting desk that complemented the performance that was taking place. One slight criticism is that there were occasionally shadows on actors faces, particularly when lit from above so something to take into consideration in future. Sound (Magic Dave Taylor) was again good but this reviewer wonders the need for radio microphones in this particular show? The band were not overly loud, and this led to a noticeable difference between the characters that had a mic and the characters that didn’t. Costumes were exquisite and I take my hat off to Noni Williams for making each character look unique and individual. The colours and textures of each costume were excellent and really added to the vibrancy and warmth of the show Staging was interesting. Having directed in the space I know the constraints of the morlan so what I say now I know can’t be helped. Having the audience on traverse is really inhibiting and makes them miss a lot. I never got too see Horton sat on his nest as he was too far off the stage for me to bend and look. Also, having the screens up was a good idea to cover the cast but it become irritating to see stage hands and casts crossing over sides in the corner of my eye. Josie Webster and Adam Crowther, both first time directors, should be proud of the show that they have conceived. All the elements have fused together marvelously to create 2 hours of enjoyment and fun and I wish them both well in their future careers. |
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| Jamie Harris | |
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