Whimsical.
That’s one of the first words that came to mind as I watched the final dress rehearsal of the OBU musical, “Seussical,” Wednesday night. The play is just short of two hours of rollicking good music and fun, and includes plenty of opportunities to laugh.
The musical is based on the works of Dr. Seuss and any true Dr. Seuss fan will recognize a number of the characters by sight, including Horton the Elephant (who hears an who and sits on an egg for an entire year - “because an elephant’s faithful 100 percent”).
Horton quickly becomes the center of attention, appearing in almost every scene. Played by Jacob Watson from Wynne, I was captured by his facial expressions which are the center of his performance, though he also sings.
Another favorite and familiar character is Gertrude - poor Gertrude who has a single feather for a tail but seeks to be more flamboyant. Played by Rachel Street of Mahomet, Ill., she’s a hoot (or a tweet) and is able to inflect just the right amount of twang into her voice to capture and hold the attention. (Editor’s note: Ms. Street was misidentified in the print version of this review. I apologize for the error.)
Amazing Mayzie, played by Haley Broadaway, has an amazing voice as does the “Sour Kangaroo,” double cast for Cortnie DeVore (who was on stage for the performance Wednesday) and Sam Parrish. These ladies perform several numbers that are just short of outright bluesy. I found myself humming one of the songs as I left the auditorium.
The characters of Whoville (from Horton Hears a Who) were just outstanding. The mayor’s (played by Daniel Collier of North Little Rock) hairdo was a fabulous touch and the pose his wife (played by Heather Baker of Cleburne, Texas) constantly took – something like a tiny tot who’s been taught how to stand during a beauty pageant – was a great example of the typical overacting that makes this play so much fun.
General Schmitz (played by Jody Lee of Arlington, Texas) was the “serious” character of this event. He’s a war-crazy general teaching kids to fight for what’s right (butter side up, not butter side down).
There were many other fabulous characters in this production, way too many to list here, and the costumes and set were incredibly perfect. The use of lighting and the backgrounds – stars at one point and a pink sky at the end – were touches that are sure to bring a “wow” from the audience. More incredible “wows” will come as Jojo (son of the mayor and double cast as Krysteena Koiner of Little Rock and Lauren Casteel of Garland, Texas) is killed in a land mine explosion (but not really) and the hunters fire confetti streamers on the audience.
