By Kendall Howze
Glenelg’s theater department has done it again with yet another sensational performance. To celebrate Dr. Seuss’ 87th birthday, Glenelg High School put on Seussical the Musical. In Seussical, the Cat in the Hat (Junior Jake Baker), Mayzie LaBird (Senior Alex Wood), JoJo (Lisbon Elementary School Student Lilianna Robinson), Horton the Elephant (Senior Emilio Bayarena), and other Dr. Seuss characters from various stories were all linked in the same storyline. After Horton finds a speck of dust that happens to be carrying the town of Whoville, he does his best to protect the speck and all of the people of Whoville, including an imaginative little Who named Jojo that thinks a little too outside of the box. Horton’s job isn’t easy, as everyone believes Horton is crazy for talking to a speck. Community members of all ages came to see the play. It was advertised as a family event, and many families did in fact have a nice night seeing their favorite childhood classics recreated on the Glenelg High School stage. While there were many little kids in the audience watching, there were also a few kids in the show. The child ensemble had kids from local elementary schools as members of the town of Whoville. Most of the child ensemble members may have been familiar if you saw Glenelg’s 2016 spring musical, Music Man. As always, according to Sophomore Madie Calhoun, “They were adorable.” Lilianna Robinson is another returning elementary school actress from last year’s Music Man. Her role of Amaryllis was small but played very well by her as she acted with her older brother Ray Robinson, a 2016 Glenelg graduate. This year she stepped up to play the large role of JoJo, one of the main characters of Seussical. She sang a wonderful solo “It’s Possible,” a couple duets with Horton, and many songs with the ensemble. Hopefully we will be seeing more of her in the future. Many of the actors in Seussical are excited to be a part of the next play. The seniors, however, have just been in their last play at Glenelg as a student. This final performance was bittersweet for Senior Michael Leard, who has been involved in the theater program all of his high school career. In Seussical, he played one of the Wickersham brothers. When asked about how he felt knowing he was about to star in his last performance, Leard said, “It was a very sad moment for the Seniors of the theater department, however it is also something I will remember for a lifetime.” As phenomenal as the main characters were, the ensemble was just as spectacular. Their energy level was high and kept the audience engaged. The wacky costumes of the residents of Whoville really brought together the setting and depicted the cartoon characters just as Dr. Seuss would have intended. The cast members of Seussical upheld Glenelg’s record of stellar performances. Be sure to watch the next performances from the Glenelg theater department which are GBC’S Aladdin and Dessert Theater. Comments are closed.
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