'Seussical' captures audience's hearts
Sarah Wojcik Editor in Chief
Issue date: 4/9/08 Section: Features
Many of us, at one time or another, have entered the wacky world of Dr. Seuss.
If you have not, however, had the incredible pleasure of experiencing such bizarre surroundings, then a trip to Sloan's main stage production of "Seussical" ought to do the trick.
The show, which kicked off this weekend and will be playing again April 10 until April 12, brings the colorful, charming and utterly absurd style of Seuss to life.
The plot, simple but cute, is not the true allure of the "Seussical."
A little boy named Jo-Jo (played by Nikki Wasserman) is scolded for his outlandish "thinks" which with the help of the Cat in the Hat (played by Dennis Berfield), tend to wreck havoc on his surroundings.
Jo-Jo, who lives on a tiny speck of dust, grows close with the gentle elephant named Horton (played by Glen Vandermark) who believes his duty is to keep the dust speck safe since after all "a person's a person, no matter how small."
The other characters in the Jungle of Nool, led by the Sour Kangaroo (played by Kaytlyn Hunt), think Horton has lost it and it doesn't take long before Horton's kindness lands him in all kinds of trouble.
The "Seussical's" playful, childlike scenery, songs and silliness trump the loosely based storyline. Watching Gertrude McFuzz (played by Cerlicia Lomax) with her one-feathered tail attempt to gain the attention of her pacaderm crush was adorable in its simplicity.
The Cat in the Hat's mischievous antics, tossing slices of bread across the audience, were worth smiling at, if only for their innocent ageless silliness.
With a comedy such as this, the performers in the "Seussical" must act as larger than life as the characters they portray.
Otherwise instead of entertainment, the crowd will be cringing with embarrassment.
Most every University Player on the stage Saturday evening, however, did manage to accomplish just that.
Horton, who was not dressed as an elephant, was nonetheless easy to spot among the crowded stage with his glowing, jolly face.
If you have not, however, had the incredible pleasure of experiencing such bizarre surroundings, then a trip to Sloan's main stage production of "Seussical" ought to do the trick.
The show, which kicked off this weekend and will be playing again April 10 until April 12, brings the colorful, charming and utterly absurd style of Seuss to life.
The plot, simple but cute, is not the true allure of the "Seussical."
A little boy named Jo-Jo (played by Nikki Wasserman) is scolded for his outlandish "thinks" which with the help of the Cat in the Hat (played by Dennis Berfield), tend to wreck havoc on his surroundings.
Jo-Jo, who lives on a tiny speck of dust, grows close with the gentle elephant named Horton (played by Glen Vandermark) who believes his duty is to keep the dust speck safe since after all "a person's a person, no matter how small."
The other characters in the Jungle of Nool, led by the Sour Kangaroo (played by Kaytlyn Hunt), think Horton has lost it and it doesn't take long before Horton's kindness lands him in all kinds of trouble.
The "Seussical's" playful, childlike scenery, songs and silliness trump the loosely based storyline. Watching Gertrude McFuzz (played by Cerlicia Lomax) with her one-feathered tail attempt to gain the attention of her pacaderm crush was adorable in its simplicity.
The Cat in the Hat's mischievous antics, tossing slices of bread across the audience, were worth smiling at, if only for their innocent ageless silliness.
With a comedy such as this, the performers in the "Seussical" must act as larger than life as the characters they portray.
Otherwise instead of entertainment, the crowd will be cringing with embarrassment.
Most every University Player on the stage Saturday evening, however, did manage to accomplish just that.
Horton, who was not dressed as an elephant, was nonetheless easy to spot among the crowded stage with his glowing, jolly face.
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