Seussical the Musical

SEUSSICAL THE MUSICAL! Playlovers’ Seussical closed this weekend, Saturday May 6th, and I was in the audience for the fourth and a half time, lapping up the entertainment just as eagerly as I had at my first viewing. I first attended the production on Sunday, April 23rd. I so enjoyed the performance that, despite having tickets booked for early May, I attended the performance a second time the following Friday, before taking up my pre-booked tickets for my third viewing on Thursday May 4th. Friday and Saturday May 5th and 6th saw me assume front-of-house duties on the show…thus explaining my “half” viewing of the show on the 5th. As you can probably tell, I thoroughly enjoyed Kimberley Shaw’s production and am so grateful I was able to see it grow stronger and slicker with each performance. This review is thus based on the four (and a half) shows I witnessed. The show, by composer Stephen Flaherty and lyricist Lynn Ahrens (Ragtime, My Favourite Year, Once on this Island), takes the majority of its plot from the Seuss book Horton Hears a Who, in which Horton the Elephant discovers Whoville, a tiny little planet located on a speck of dust, and endures much ridicule and misfortune in his quest to protect them from harm. Into this story are incorporated many of Seuss' characters, from the popular to the more obscure, such as the Cat in the Hat, Gertrude McFuzz, Mayzie LaBird, the Sour Kangaroo, Yertle the Turtle, General Genghis Khan Schmitz and Vlad Vladikoff. In truth, the musical's text does not withstand close scrutiny, but nor do I believe close scrutiny should be applied to what is simply a fun, lively, colourful show. The audience, both times I attended the show, contained representatives of nearly every age group who all seemed to enjoy the show equally. The technical aspects of the show were certainly much slicker on my second and subsequent viewings of the show. The lighting was not plagued by power problems as it had been on the Sunday, and the cues were much more accurate. The sound, too, became much clearer as the run continued, and some of the dodgier microphones were thankfully exchanged so that the voices of the talented cast rang out with little interference. While Hackett Hall, I found, is certainly not the most desirable venue for this sort of show, this never detracted greatly from my enjoyment of the show. In fact, thanks to the colourful set design by Martin Shaw and the decoration of the foyer and bar area, a bright, fun atmosphere was created that transformed the otherwise drab venue into a celebration of all things Seuss! The magnificent costumes also aided in the creation of this atmosphere. The principal performers were all vibrant and consistently energetic; it would be an impossible task to select a particular highlight. Drew Elliot's Cat in the Hat led proceedings as the show's "host and MC". Throughout the piece, he was required to take on a variety of characters, each of which he embodied flawlessly and with ease. Elliot's performance was witty, dynamic and always engaging. As young JoJo, whose incessant thinking conjures the Cat and the story into existence, Madeleine Shaw delivered an enjoyable performance, infusing the character with an appropriate amount of wonder and imagination and certainly holding her own among the more experienced principal players. It was refreshing to see a child performer with such a strong understanding of characterisation, interaction and overall stage business. Alex McLennan's Horton the Elephant was well-sung, well-acted, and a likeable hero. Throughout the show he was totally committed to protecting the tiny Whos...never have I seen an actor develop such a great onstage relationship with a dust speck on a pink clover! His jolly presence and jovial, good-natured attitude were well-suited to the part, and I cannot praise him enough for his ability to improvise during those moments of slip-up that no show can ever escape…his reaction to a Gertrude costume malfunction on the Thursday night was priceless, and such a brilliant cover that only the few who had seen the show multiple times noticed that something had gone wrong. Bravo. As Horton's neighbour/love interest Gertrude McFuzz, the bird with the "one feather-tail", Vicki Kirkman perfectly captured the shy and awkward mannerisms of the character, as well as demonstrating a superb sense of comic timing. Her quirky soprano voice was ideally suited to the part, and her frenzied, showstopping delivery of "All For You" late in the second act was hilarious and nothing short of brilliant. Her use of an American accent, which the entire cast employed, was completely justified in my opinion as the text, particularly in the case of this character, cannot be delivered any other way. Seussical is an American show written for an American audience, with American rhythms in the dialogue and many rhymes that don’t work outside of an American accent. All the cast sustained their accents for the entirety of the show, which I’ve surprisingly found to be a less-than-frequent occurrence in shows I’ve seen around Perth! Well done. Kira Morsley, as Mayzie La Bird, sported impressive plumage and made a suitably sultry showgirl with an adequate mixture of sex and sass. With her dry delivery she successfully established the character's been-there-seen-it-all attitude, while also incorporating a hint of vulnerability towards the conclusion of her storyline. Her vocal performance, which ranged from the brash, belty "Amayzing Mayzie" to a soft, cocktail-bar rendition of show theme "How Lucky You Are", was smooth, controlled and always pleasant to listen to, while her presence made her a constant delight to watch, especially as she went from strength to strength with each performance. Breeahn Jones belted to the rafters as the Sour Kangaroo, in a performance that was equal parts Aretha Franklin and the Wicked Witch of the West. Her loud, clear voice easily filled the hall and made her solo moments showstopping moments. She experimented vocally with pop mannerisms while staying firmly rooted in the world of musical theatre, and made an incredibly bitchy villain, with a hint of humanity added via the inclusion of her tiny, mimicking Joey, played by Stephanie Shaw. The two made a convincing mother and daughter, engaging in a charming double-act with the baby kangaroo emulating the larger’s movements. This made for some funny and adorable moments throughout the show. As the Mayor of Whoville and his merry wife, Ron Seymour and Kristen Twynam-Perkins were excessively cheerful and hilariously pantomimic. They worked incredibly well together, and it was amusing to watch these colourful and ever-so-slightly mad characters attempt to parent JoJo in a terribly misguided manner. However, there were also moments of very real emotion incorporated into the characterization of both; for example, it truly was a very sad moment when their son’s death (false alarm) was announced to them. Elsewhere on the planet of Who, Peter Knol’s General Genghis Khan Schmitz was a comical delight, from his rigid facial expressions to his well-timed voice cracking, a side-splitting military parody. A definite musical highlight of all the nights I saw the show was the Bird Girls - Rachael Somers, Lucy Belbin and Maree Cole. As a trio they worked spectacularly well together, their voices blending beautifully to create some truly magnificent harmonies. Their male counterparts, a band of monkey henchmen to the Sour Kangaroo called the Wickersham Brothers, weren’t quite as unified in harmony, but nevertheless burst with energy and commitment. The show’s ensemble grew stronger and stronger each time I saw the show. Their harmonies were good and their acting as a cohesive whole was superb. When I first saw the show, it seemed several of them were a little nervous of the choreography, but by my second viewing they appeared to have a much stronger grasp of the movement. Several standouts included Sally Rugg’s triumphantly ecstatic circus performer, Pia Meehan’s preening leopard, Montana Perrin’s court martial, Melanie Robinson’s high notes and Donna-Marie Gavin’s pretty-much-everything (including her program bio). Musically the show is a difficult one to mount – it is almost entirely sung-through, and the little stretches of dialogue that are included are mostly underscored. As such, much applause is due for musical director Caroline Badnall who simultaneously played in and conducted the band. The band was small and consistently had to alter its volume in the interest of the actors’ audibility; yet despite this they managed to sound full and fantastic. It is also a tribute to the skill of the musical director that the harmonies of the ensemble were so well-executed. And finally its time to heap neverending praise into the lap of director Kimberley Shaw. A truly fantastic effort! Kim has created more than simply a bright, fun, entertaining show - she has brought to life the world of Dr Seuss, within the confines of Hackett Hall. In her direction of the show she has demonstrated a remarkable sense of focus…in a show such as Seussical, with an episodic plot and dealing as it does with two different worlds, one big and one small which both share the stage at several points (!), it would be easy for an audience member to get lost among the loud colours and music. Fortunately, Kim made a very clear distinction between the two worlds which aided the spectator in staying abreast of the story. Her sense of focus also came in handy in numbers such as “Biggest Blame Fool”, where the audience focus stayed squarely on the Sour Kangaroo in spite of the many actors in garish costumes dancing through the background. Her placement of the actors onstage resulted in many frequent beautiful ‘stage pictures’; one that immediately comes to mind is in the climactic court scene, as the vicious jungle creatures close in on Horton and his precious clover, and also in the song “It’s Possible (McElligot’s Pool)”, with Madeleine as JoJo in a bathtub-turned-boat, towering above a sea of dancing fish atop a staircase (which was used effectively throughout the show). And, of course, the “Hunch” dance number (credit also to choreographer Claire French). Congratulations Kim…I think you are aware already of how much I enjoyed the show, and you can credit yourself with converting me from someone who at first heavily disliked the musical, and now quite love it thanks in large part to your production. I would heartily recommend people to see the show if it hadn’t already closed. Sigh. However, if several plans work out this mightn’t be the last we see of Seussical in Perth… Before I finish I just want to give a hearty thanks to the wonderful, welcoming crew at Playlovers. As an audience member I felt looked after and cared for, and it was also an absolute pleasure working alongside you. I will definitely be returning to support future productions. - Tyler Jones