Horton Hears a Review!

As a person who doesn’t know anything about Dr. Seuss, “Seussical,” gave me an introduction to his stories. The musical was very well organized. Every part of the story was presented without noticeable mistakes. Even if I didn’t understand a lot of what was happening, I got the main idea through the vibrant staging. It showed the type of setting the musical was placed in. The songs also gave context to what was happening.  

The audience was very enthusiastic, which is always good for a musical. The auditorium was crowded, and it felt like they were really engaged in the play. The whole middle section was filled, and it was harder than I’d thought it’d be to find a seat. 

The set was beautifully done. The background looked very realistic. The Truffula trees were colorful and matched what they looked like in the book. An expertly done job designed by Indira Kar, in which I’m told was redone in one day. I loved it. What stood out to me on the set was the couch in front. It looked realistic and odd at the same time it looked like the drawing but in real life, which I liked a lot. The lighting during the musical was really well-done too. It would match what was happening during the musical. Once again, a round of applause to the Lighting head, Carter Delevan-Hoover. 

The mics and music did sound good, even though we couldn’t use our phones or else it would mess up the mics. I did see some people in the audience who didn’t care about what the company said and used their phones anyway, but from what it sounded like, it didn’t mess up the sound. 

From my point of view the actors looked like they were enjoying themselves; they weren’t stiff and awkward either, which is a testament to the direction and rehearsals. They did look a little stressed, but who wouldn’t be? It felt like the actors were enjoying everything and were proud of their work. 

The costumes were my favorite thing about the musical. They looked professionally done. We can thank Victoria Caplan for that success! They were really similar to the characters from Dr. Seuss’s that I could recognize. My favorite costume was the Cats.  

The main characters of the musical were Horton and Jojo, played by Tony Lee and Reese Schenkel, respectfully. It was also cool how the Cat was the narrator. Ella Weikert playing the omniscient, suave narrator helped me understand what was going on. My favorite part in act 1 was when they had different points of view. In one scene they had Horton looking for his friends on one side of the sage and his friends on the clover on the other. It was interesting to see that happen. 

As someone who doesn’t necessarily like musicals, this one was enjoyable. I enjoyed it and I was engaged in what was happening.  Although I had to leave before the second act started, it was an overall good performance. Be sure to check out the spring play in March if you weren’t able to see this amazing show.