‘Seussical Jr.’ will show again at the Sauk at 7:30 p.m. on March 7 and 8 and 3 p.m. on March 9.
Zack Chen | Collegian
You take your place in Jonesville’s Sauk Theatre, carefully setting your jacket behind you on the seat and jiggling your chair a little — it’s one of those nice ones they have in the theater that reclines just a bit.
The spotlight illuminates a Hat — no Cat attached, apparently — perched on an oversized Dr. Seuss book before the stage lights fade into darkness. An orchestra (recorded) begins to tune. It settles into silence. The Cat springs up into his Hat from behind the oversized book, which is deftly whisked away before you even notice it, and the stage is flooded with dozens of adorable denizens of the Dr. Seuss universe.
It’s at this point that you realize just how little prepared you were for the glory of the Theatre for Youth’s performance of “Seussical Jr.”
The plot follows Horton the Elephant and a mish-mash of Seuss characters from the Grinch to Yertle the Turtle through 130 minutes of rhyming adventure loosely based on “Horton Hatches the Egg” and “Horton Hears a Who.” The script is tidy, humorous, and heartwarming, as musicals go.
What makes the musical positively brilliant is this production’s cast. Throughout the entire performance, every sneaker-clad thespian beams with verve and excitement: these actors are fully committed to their bits.
Jacob Gray plays the Cat in the Hat to riotous feline perfection. At one point, he auctions off Horton, along with his egg, nest, and tree, with a cheery “Sold, to the gentleman with the sideburns and the greasy black mustache!” He brings down the house, however, with a devastating follow-up: “Sorry, ma’am.”
From the sassy yet sweet Young Kangaroo played by Olive Johnson, to Horton, the self-sacrificing, loveable elephant played by Ezra Hutchinson, each member of the 49-child cast plays a critical role in the show’s success.
The test of a dramatic production, after all, is not simply the quality of its leads (and the “Seussical Jr.” leads are frankly outstanding) — it’s the engagement, focus, and care displayed by every one of the smaller roles. And even the smallest roles in “Seussical Jr.” rock.
I’m talking, of course, about the Whos, the tiny, adorable munchkins running around stage and hoping that Horton will somehow keep their dust speck from total destruction. They make up almost a quarter of the cast — mostly 5th graders — and their voices in the company tunes light up the production. The show’s message — that person’s a person, no matter how small — comes to life through the acting of these youngsters.
The costuming is on point: a portly, dignified Yertle the Turtle clad in juridical robes and sporting a mallet contrasts the flamboyant, colorful, and irresponsible Mayzie La Bird. Mr. Mayor of Whoville wears a stunning mustache, while Mrs. Mayor’s towering hairdo adds an imposing, motherly eight inches to her stature. The Whos look like…well, Whos, while the show’s chorus of Bird Girls enjoy elegant avine dresses.
Each and every actor or actress seems to have stepped right off the pages of a Seuss book — which, I suppose, they have. If you think about it, the musical comes to life precisely because the Cat in the Hat jumps out of a life-sized Seuss book, meaning that (insofar as the show itself is the result of a figment of the imagination shared between the Cat and JoJo, or maybe the cast and the audience) the whole production is really one big extravaganza pulled directly from Dr. Seuss.
The music is fantastically suited to children’s voices. In fact, it may be one of the best examples of congruence between actors and acted material I have ever seen. The singers are clear and distinct. The words come through, even as the actors bring their lines to life onstage.
The choreography is stellar, too. This is the show that makes you look back on your childhood and wish you had gotten a chance to do theater. (You know you wanted to, deep down. Sometimes it’s OK to live vicariously).
Keep your eyes open for the Wickersham Brothers, a bunch of mischievous monkeys: while their swaggering, show-stealing chase scene with Horton was one highlight of the musical for me, they also engage in hilarious antics when they recede into the background for a scene. They’re always acting, even when the main action’s elsewhere. Ben Johnson, who leads the little gang, is a positive incarnation of what can really only be referred to as “drip,” though “pizzazz” and “panache” would also be appropriate.
“Seussical Jr.” is almost criminally good — it made my Saturday afternoon much better than a Saturday afternoon has any right to be. The show will be back thrice more at the Sauk: 7:30 p.m. on March 7 and 8, and 3 p.m. on March 9.
So if you’re a pushover for Dr. Seuss, if you’re a fan of well-done costuming, choreography, and chorales, or if you want to see what might just be the best children’s production you will see in your life, go to “Seussical, Jr.” at the Sauk.
