If there is one childhood memory that I still vividly remember, it is that of reading books of Dr. Seuss, the Cat in the Hat, as early as kindergarten. Maybe its because of the red and white striped top hat or the whimsical creatures in the stories that got my attention early on.
I have been waiting for Repertory Philippines' staging of Seussical when I learned about it as early as last year and after watching the press preview a few weeks ago and the full production this morning, I can say that the long wait is so worth it. Because Seussical is under Repertory Philippines' Children's Theater, the shows are done in the morning and early afternoon -- my ticket was for the first show this morning at 10:30 so I had to wake up earlier than my normal weekend wake-up call and for the love of theater and Repertory Philippines, I made it on time (for the show proper but missed the press call before that so am using photos I took during the press preview).
Opening scene with Cat in the Hat and Jojo
From the first scene where the Cat in the Hat magically appeared, I was instantly glued, watching everything on stage intently, my eyes only removed from the play every time the young girl beside me would hit me with her elbow whenever she moves to fix her ponytail. I was transported into dreamland, witnessing the story of a young boy's wild imagination which led to the creation of a place called Jungle of Nool, the Circus McGurkus and the invisible world of the Whos, and the colorful characters that live there.
Oh, The Thinks You Can Think!
Seussical is an amazing musical extravaganza! Tony winners Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty ("Ragtime," "Once On This Island") have magically brought to life all of our favorite Dr. Seuss characters, among them being the Cat in the Hat, Horton the Elephant, Gertrude McFuzz, Mayzie La Bird and Jojo, the little boy with a big imagination.
Arnel Carrion as Cat in the Hat
Repertory's Associate Artistic Director, Ms. Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo, shared that since Seussical will run from August to December each actor had to master and play 2-3 characters each so that in the eventuality that one cast member is not available on any day, another one can stand-in. Kudos to the great talents for such hard work, dedication and love for theater, I can just imagine how confusing juggling roles can sometimes be. And because they have a long list of cast members per character, am just going to mention the notable roles and the actors who played them today:
Cat in the Hat - Arnel Carrion
Jojo - Noah Ramos
Horton the Elephant - Oliver Usison
Sour Kangaroo - Bituin Escalante
Gertrude McFuzz - Charity Grace Walthrop
Mayzie La Bird - Liesl Batucan
Bird Girls - Cara Barredo, Ayam Barredo & Janine Tolentino
Wickersham Brothers - Rem Zamora, Hans Eckstein & Gabs Santos
Bituin Escalante (right) as Sour Kangaroo
Everyone gave a performance worth the loud applause of the audience but most excellent were Bituin Escalante's belting Sour Kangaroo (she also did a great job as a ventriloquist for the baby kangaroo on her pouch), Charity Grace Walthrop's lovable antics and facial expressions as Gertrude and Liesl Batucan's energetic Mayzie.
Horton Hears a Who
Ms. Joy Virata, artistic & stage director/executive producer of Rep's Children's Theatre wanted to make the visual extra special for the song Solla Sollew, where instead of flashing pictures of beautiful spots on a screen during the song, a slide show of children's drawings of their own concept of a beautiful spot full of love, peace and joy will be displayed. She espoused the idea in the hopes that children today will continue the art of drawing, if not to become professional artists, at least to grow up having an appreciation for the visual arts.
Amayzing Mayzie (that's how 'amazing' was spelled)
Joining Ms. Virata and Ms. Yulo in Seussical's artistic team are: Baby Barredo, artistic director; Rem Zamora, assistant director; Edna Vida-Froilan, choreographer; John Batalla, lighting designer; Onyl Torres, musical director; Gidget Tolentino, sound engineer; Adul Lasin, scenic artist; Raven Ong, costume supervisor; Ayam Barredo, company manager; Jojo Amboy, stage manager; Ronnie Cruz, assistant stage manager; and Deana Aquino, assistant stage manager/dance captain.
The stage design was inspired by the art of Vincent Van Gogh and was crafted through coordination using various technologies between New York, where set designer Oliver Roxas-Green is currently based, and Manila, where Ms. Virata closely supervised the design implementation.
Seussical cast at the press con
Seussical is showing at Onstage, 2/F Greenbelt 1, Ayala Center, Makati City from August 13 to December 18, 2011. Call (632)571-6926 to inquire about the show's time and ticket prices. For tickets, call (632) 571-6926 or log on to Ticketworld.
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