Colourful? Most definitely. Musical? Ditto.
Enchanting, that too,
Who?
Actually, quite a few Whos.
After all, what else would one expect from Seussical, the Musical.
After months of preparation, Bonnyville Centralized High School students are ready to roll out a four-show run of the musical take on Dr. Seuss and his bizarre characters. They'll take the stage Thursday night at the Lyle Victor Albert Centre.
Are they ready?
Co-director Nathalie Reid certainly thinks so.
"It's a pretty big deal, and when it all comes together, it's very exciting," said Reid, who's directing the show along with her seasoned colleague, Nicole Baker. This will be Baker's sixth consecutive time in the hot seat leading musical theatre performers at BCHS. For Reid, it's mission number 3.
Stage performers and their backstage crew were put through their paces in full costume on Sunday, and Reid and Baker liked what they saw.
"I think we were pleasantly surprised at how comfortable they all seemed in their costumes and with the props that we are using," said Reid.
"We were light years ahead (Sunday) over where we were on this day last year."
The show features a cast of more than 30 performers. Lead performers include Sarah Wiatr as Jojo, Zach Fontaine as The Cat in the Hat, Barrett Luciak as Horton the Elephant, Sarah-Jane Drummond as The Sour Kangaroo, Emily Rondeau as Mayzie, Krystal Cross as Gertrude, Corey Dow as Mayor, and Kiera Malishewski as Mrs. Mayor.
The show lasts about three hours, and while it's definitely family friendly, Reid said the Saturday matinee time of 1 p.m. will work best for younger kids because of the show's length. Evening shows run at 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. Based on Sunday's dress rehearsal, the first on the Lyle Victor Albert stage, musical theatre lovers should get more than their money's worth for a $10 ticket. Song delivery was crisp and energetic, and the colourful set and costumes easily put one in the mood for fun and made one's mind wander to many a Dr. Seuss classic.
Reid and Nichol said the set and props are the most elaborate the school has used for a show thus far, and the costumes aren't that far behind, having been pulled from a wide array of suppliers — from Bonnyville Bargain Boutique to Value Village to Wal-Mart. Of course not everything was made on the fly. The Cat in the Hat has the genuine ordered article atop his head.
Students taking part in the musical rehearse and prepare outside of normal class time, though on-stage performers are eligible for musical theatre credits. The cast is pulled from grades 9 to 12 at BCHS.
Reid said she expects the shows will sell out, but tickets were still available as of Sunday. If you're trying to snag a few for the evening shows of the matinee, you can pop by the BCHS office, or get in touch with Reid or Nichol.
