Seussical the Musical was a Hit

The+cast+of+Seussical+performs+on+stage.+The+Whos%2C+Cat+in+the+Hat%2C+Jojo%2C+the+birds%2C+and+other+various+characters+dance+and+sing+to+one+of+the+songs.+%28Alexis+Drummond%29

The cast of Seussical performs on stage. The Whos, Cat in the Hat, Jojo, the birds, and other various characters dance and sing to one of the songs. (Alexis Drummond)

Lily Eberly, AME Editor

Seussical the Musical was Rangeview’s first all school musical this year. From November 14th to the 16th, performers sang songs, made the audience laugh, and portrayed lovable characters.

Last Friday, tickets were sold out; there are 650 seats in the auditorium. Many cast members posted to their Snapchat stories to thank everyone for coming and taking every single seat.

“For a moment I panicked, when I heard that we were sold out,” junior Emmanuelle Bonsu said. “I was really elated. I was like, finally, full house.”

Seussical is about the many beloved characters of Dr. Seuss. The musical follows the story of Horton Hears a Who, when Horton the Elephant hears a small voice coming from a spec of dust. The characters around him don’t believe him as he goes through the trails of proving his truth.

Junior Mercedes Lopez belts out one of her Sour Kangaroo songs as her pouch and Horton listen. Horton, played by Senior Maxswell Satchell, holds the clover flower which the Whos live on. (Alexis Drummond)

The musical itself was brilliant; from the storyline to set details, everything was perfect and showed Seuss’ creative vision.

The set had all sorts of bright colors and things that would be noticeable of Seuss’ works: truffula trees, clover flowers, books, road signs, etc.. Even the stage, as done with most of Rangeview’s productions, was painted to look like it had wacky flower shapes. 

 

The costumes were adorable as each character had their own unique outfit with different colors. Even the birds that all had the same kind of outfit — they all had long fluffy tails and bright leotards — had separate colors. Some of the best songs came from the birds; the students had beautiful voices.

The Whos had a yellow color-coordination with their outfits, but they all were able to have their own style, whether that meant a yellow shirt and overalls or yellow pants.

The Cat in the Hat, Horton, and Jojo all brought the play to life with their own songs and character development. It was interesting that Cat was a voice in Jojo’s head, giving her advice and being very silly. Horton was everything that one could imagine; he was so kind and gentle to the Whos, just like in the animated movie. 

“I liked the overall story, the characters, and also I liked the kids that were in it,” junior Evan Passmore said. “The characters were colorful and cheerful.”

One of the best ending scenes was the last scene where Mayzie’s egg hatches, revealing Mr. Laguana’s daughter as the little elephant bird. This scene was memorable and cute, but also funny when Mayzie reacted to her. Ella Wonder portrayed a disgusted look with what had come out of the egg which really showed how in character she was.

There wasn’t one song that didn’t bring some kind of emotion, whether it was joy or sympathy. All of the songs were happy and full of passion from each performer. The music had many beats that matched with the action of the characters which was brilliant; Jojo had fled down the stairs after running away from the boot camp, each step she took matched the beat of the music.

Senior Cory Anthony and Junior Rae Wolfe are singing a song. During the scene, the ensemble created “ocean” effects with Dr. Seuss style fish and blue sheets for the water. (Alexis Drummond)

The songs that Horton and Jojo sang with each other were chilling, their voices and harmonies sounded great together.

“Everyone is so amazing and hardworking and I love them because they’re like family to me,” sophomore Elijah Reyes said.

With all of the excitement and sold out seats, many would say that Seussical was one of the best musicals to be performed at Rangeview High School. The school year has much else to produce and show the rest of the school, but Seussical may always stand out among them.