Weaving together the tongue-twisting tales of Dr. Seuss is no small feat, especially not when you throw singing into the mix. But Woodbridge Senior High School’s Theater Department tackled the challenge this weekend with their presentation of “Seussical: The Musical”.
Set in the various backdrops of Seuss’ beloved tales, “Seussical” takes the audience on a journey of combined stories, woven into a more cohesive tale, and teach them that individuality and creative thinking are to be valued, even when others don’t recognize it.
Under the direction of Terri Caretti, Woodbridge students sang and danced their way through the evening that included characters from “Horton Hears a Who”, “The One Feathered Tail of Mrs. Gertrude McFuzz”, “Oh the Thinks You Can Think”, and “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas”.
Brittany Carpenter, a senior and president of Woodbridge’s thespian troupe, played the Cat in the Hat, her 12th and final role. “This has been best my role ever. The character analysis was more challenging than I expected, but it’s been very rewarding.”
Playing alongside Carpenter was freshman Jordan Frederick in the role of JoJo. Frederick made her musical debut in Seussical, and said she looks forward to more theater work while at Woodbridge.
Also joining the performance were several skilled voices including Brandon Boling as Horton, Kelli Hutchinson as the flamboyant Mayzie, and Rachel Feola as the Sour Kangaroo.
Casey Young, who played Gertrude McFuzz summed up the “Seussical” experience by saying “It’s amazing to have little kids running up to you, and even more so their parents, coming to tell you how awesome this experience is for them. It’s just very rewarding.”
