Capital Region Performance Gallery

by Dick Frantzreb

Dazzling! That’s the perfect word to describe El Dorado Musical Theatre’s (EDMT) current production of Seussical The Musical. It’s the Broadway creation based on the writings of Dr. Seuss (Theodor Geisel), and it weaves 18 of his books into a single story, with nearly all dialog and lyrics drawn from those books. As we all know, the books are wonderfully imaginative, but tonight’s Seussical wasn’t just a flight of fancy ― it was a rocket ship of fancy, with imagination unrestrained.

This was the opening night of EDMT’s 19th season, and this show is double-cast, so my comments below on the performers will only apply to the Eggs Cast. I don’t know: what I saw was so much fun, I may have to see it again for the Ham Cast. I bet the performers in that cast are as impressive as the talented, dedicated young people I saw tonight. (I did see it again.  See the “P.S.” below.)

(Click here to open key pages of the program in a new window.)

From the very beginning this show was an eye-popping explosion of color and imagination. The big opening number filled the stage with 70+ young people, ages 6 to 19. It was a magnificent sight! To me it was especially cute to see the littlest children concentrating on where they should be and what they should be doing. I caught a glimpse of one little girl momentarily confused and a little boy pointing to where she should stand. But I saw that only once. Throughout the show I marveled at the ability of very young children to remember their lyrics and the dance moves that went with them. And it was not only their memory that impressed me, but also the fact that they performed with joy and a good measure of flair. On my way home, I reflected on what a gift this was from parents and from the EDMT staff and volunteers ― to me, it’s hard to imagine a better gift to give to a young person than the opportunity to shine in a public setting, to experiment with their abilities, take risks ― and succeed!

Indeed, this was the perfect vehicle to showcase the talents of the youngest players. They made up the residents of Whoville, a whole world on a speck of dust. Their 16-voice chorus of little voices, accented by colored wigs and hats and the occasional umbrella ― was totally cute. I was impressed to see how well they sang in unison, and I bet there were a lot of justifiably proud parents in the audience. And good for the 11-year-old Mayor (Evan Weishaar) and his 10-year-old wife (Violet Clary)! From their excellent acting and singing, I can imagine they will have bright futures in other EDMT productions.

But impressed as I was with the youngest performers, it was the older cast members whose brilliant efforts shone in this show from beginning to end. First, there was Zach Wilson as Cat in the Hat, a part which he played with the mischievous and playful spirit you might expect from that character. But in each of the many times he reappeared in a variation on his basic costume, Zach brought a different accent and persona, each time creating a comedic highlight of the show. With his many years of outstanding EDMT performances, Zach has accumulated a lot of fans (including me), and he gave us one laugh after another throughout the evening.

But the other principals were each amazing in their own right. Brayden Bambino as Horton the Elephant really embodied the endearing empathy of this character and demonstrated a quality singing voice. And his younger brother Bronson as JoJo surprised me with his strong, 10-year-old singing voice, as he carried his important part through the show. The other principals delivered some really engaging and impressive characterizations. Kyra Schneider as Gertrude McFuzz was the epitome of cute, with her special character voice and gestures, to which she added some memorable singing performances. Emily Hobbs played Mayzie LaBird to the hilt, flaunting her outrageous costume with the strong singing I’ve heard from her before. And Nina Lopez gave some great song styling as the Sour Kangaroo. Yet another delightful characterization was Carson Beards’ portrayal of General Schmitz ― great voice, remarkably limber and completely outrageous, as he barked orders to his 16 child-soldiers with floppy, bent, pointless swords. Maybe it isn’t for me to say, but having seen many of these young people in previous productions, I felt that I was witnessing several break-out performances.

It seems that in each EDMT show the projections are more professional and impressive than those in the previous one. Seussical was no exception. Honestly, Zach Wilson’s projections have become works of art, and because they were inspired by the Dr. Seuss books, they are just impossible to adequately depict here. In the early jungle scene, the projection was just an explosion of color, reinforcing the dazzling colors of the costumes (see the center page of the program). It seemed to me that there were more projections than usual in this show, and nearly every one included some form of animation. In one or two cases the whole animation had continuous movement so that you felt you were moving while sitting in your seat. Most impressive were the animations that appeared to interact with the actors. In the opening scene Cat in the Hat tosses items to his right and left, and they appear as animations in the screen behind him. Later in the show, the projected “Black-Bottom Bird” flies around the proscenium arch while everyone on stage sings about him.

The props were especially impressive in this production, and obviously a lot of thought and work had gone into them. There was the intricate, rolling “tree” where Horton the Elephant protected Mayzie’s egg. In one scene the performers got to the stage by sliding down a 10-foot pole. And then there was the “How Lucky You Are” number in which Zach (as Elton John) drove a 3-wheeled bicycle around the stage, with a keyboard for the handlebar. These were just a few of the many imaginative props that so enhanced this show.

As always, there were numerous outstanding big numbers. “Biggest Blame Fool” was full of pulse-pounding, high-energy music and dancing, from which one just couldn’t turn away. And one highlight of this number was the introduction of the six Wickersham Brothers. Their monkey-like, bad-boy antics were fun to watch every time they appeared. Then there are the songs, about 30 of them, according to the program. Actually, I felt like I was witnessing a steady stream of very listenable songs ― funny, touching, energizing ― and quite a few were truly memorable. The extraordinary variety in music styles was one of the many strengths of this show.

I’ve seen four other productions of Seussical The Musical in recent years, including EDMT’s 2012 effort. In retrospect, each one was completely different (though tonight’s was by far the most impressive). And these shows are different because of the enormous latitude for creativity in producing Seussical. Last night, for example, at the end of the intermission, Cat in the Hat and Things One and Two entered the theater from the back. And with the curtain still down, they clowned around in a routine that included rhythmic gymnastics, a tiny (fake) electric guitar, magic tricks ― and an elaborate device that spun toilet paper into the first rows of the audience. This was one of the many surprises that kept all of us in the audience absolutely entranced.

Every El Dorado Musical Theatre production delivers exceptional entertainment as it showcases the talent and hard work of the dozens of young people you see on the stage. But the reliable quality of the El Dorado Musical Theatre rests first on a cadre of true professionals: Director Debbie Wilson whose creative vision shapes each show; her daughter Anjie Rose Wilson, who has succeeded her mother as Choreographer; Jennifer Wittmayer, EDMT’s veteran Vocal Director ― and Producer Alicia Solo, who show after show manages to keep it all together. Now take a look at the Production Staff in the program, and you’ll see, from Costume Designer, Karen McConnell, on down, it takes an awful lot of dedicated people to mount a production like this. It takes a village to raise a child, and it takes an army of professionals and volunteers to give these 6- to 19-year-olds the opportunity to prove that they can be outstanding entertainers.

P.S. I decided to see Seussical The Musical again, this time with the Ham Cast. I was right. The young performers in the Ham Cast were as impressive as those I saw in the Eggs Cast. Joey Baciocco brought the flamboyant yet enigmatic Cat in the Hat to life, with different dialects to match his changing costumes, and providing a fun one-cat act in his entertaining prelude to Act II. All the principals were strong singers. Ty Rhoades as Horton the Elephant was the first that impressed me with his voice, and his acting reinforced the empathy implicit in Horton’s character. Izzy Weaver’s strong voice came through, especially in “Notice Me Horton,” and she played a cute, sympathetic Gertrude McFuzz from beginning to end. Besides his acting, I was surprised by the strength of 11-year-old Adam Kosciuk’s voice as JoJo. I bet he’ll be part of the High Voltage company within a couple of years.

No surprise here: Ashley Wright delivered Mayzie LaBird with “amazing” energy. And Jocelyn Haney brought her big, versatile voice to the Sour Kangaroo, giving the character lots of “character.” Evan Weishaar (Mr. Mayor) and Carson Beards (General Schmitz) were is both casts, but it was 10-year-old Julia Slavin who played Mrs. Mayor to perfection this time.

 This show is a feast for the eyes (and ears, for that matter), so full of clever, artistic details that one can’t take it all in the first time around. So for example, I was stunned by the unending variety in the costumes, as I watched one dazzling scene after another. I also appreciated the elegant Bird Girls more this time around, with their purple costumes and long black hair. And I noticed how well Angelo Aceves played the Grinch and how well he sang. I was especially glad to get another look at that same bad-boy group of Wickersham Brothers. “Monkey Around” is a great number, and they did it so well.

Everything about this show is charming and totally entertaining. EDMT last produced Seussical The Musical in 2012. So tentatively mark your calendar for 2026 and plan to see what the Whos can do when they’ve grown up.

(This show ran November 1-10, 2019.  For more information El Dorado Musical Theatre, visit www.edmt.info or go to Harris Center for tickets, www.harriscenter.net)