A Small Production With A Big Imagination: A Review of Seussical

The sun had gone down
And the stage had been set.
A play was put on
That I won’t soon forget.
A tale of some Whos
Who were thought to be small.
And a who out to prove
He was not small, at all.

The auditorium at Scarsdale High School was close to capacity last Friday night, as the SHS Drama Club presented an inspiring rendition of “Seussical.” Under the direction of Adrienne Meyer with choreography from Caren Valente, the students put on a show that would’ve made the good doctor proud. Although Theodor Geisel did not write the musical, the play’s story has been derived from a variety of Seuss’ most famous books. The plot is driven by, “Horton Hears a Who!” but it features material from: “Did I ever tell you how lucky you are,” “McElligot’s Pool,” “Green Eggs and Ham,” “Horton Hatches the Egg,” and many more.

Justine Gelfman delivered an outstanding performance, as she narrated the musical under the alias of a large cat with a familiar hat. Gelfman’s stage presence was exceptional, and she kept the crowd on edge with witty lines and an infatuating smirk like that of Mike Myers in Brian Glazer’s 2003 film interpretation of “The Cat in the Hat.” While Gelfman provided the audience with countless smiles, her co-stars drew an astonishing amount of sympathy as they brought the hardships of fictional oppression to life.

Tears were in the eyes of countless children when the Mayor’s son, Jo Jo, played by Autumn Hamra, was punished for dreaming, a classic theme in the works of Seuss. Hamra’s soft smile and subtle voice gave Jo Jo a charming persona, and a lovable appeal to anyone in attendance. Hamra and Gelfman had remarkable chemistry, as their dialogue remained fluid from start to finish. Furthermore, their costumes were flawless, and credit should be given to costumers Ron Brown and Cara Green.

Playing the male lead of Horton the Elephant, Will Heffner was truly inspiring. Heffner’s on-stage maturity was well beyond his years, and from a reporter’s perspective, I had a hard time believing that he was still in high school. His voice was soothing, and he used his props to perfection. From searching for a spec to sitting atop an egg, Heffner’s range was flat-out impressive. If you’re reading this, Will, please don’t stop acting.

There were two women in the show who made Horton’s life rather difficult. The first of which was Mayzie, a self-centered yet beautiful bird who forces her problems on Horton. Mayzie, played by Lilly Claar, left Horton to care for her egg while she left for Palm Beach. Claar was both confident and glamorous. She was graceful yet fierce, as she commanded the stage like a young Carol Channing. Her pink gown perfectly captured her attitude, and her character’s ignorance flawlessly allowed Gertrude McFuzz to shine.

Who is Gertrude McFuzz you might ask? Horton was the love interest of the delicately wholesome Gertrude, and it was Gertrude who stole the show. Actually, she almost stole the show on several occasions. Sophie Laruelle, Gertrude, surprised everyone when she belted out one of the most beautiful voices I have ever heard. Her pitch was perfect, and regardless of whether she drew tears from the children in the audience, she drew them from me.

There was no weakness in this performance. The orchestra was fluid, and all facets of the show were in sync with one another. I could not haveasked for a better musical, and I believe the entire audience felt the same way. There is a tremendous amount of talent at SHS, and it was all out on display. For those of you who missed the show, there will be two more opportunities for you to catch the marvels of the drama club. They will be performing “Mirror Mirror” on January 20-21, and Williams Inge’s “Summer Brave” on March 23-24. If these performances are even half as good as “Seussical,” they will be well worth your time.

See a short video from the show here:

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