Sami Grimes
Guest Contributor

I am Sam. Sam I am. You should all know I gave some serious thought to writing this entire review in rhymes and riddles, however, I decided against it. Donít all of you rush to thank me at once.

As a child, I grew up reading all of the Dr. Seuss books. Thanks to my parents and their decision to name me Sam, I mostly identified with ìGreen Eggs and Ham.î I also enjoyed ìHorton Hears a Whoî and ìOne Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fishî - such classics!

So one can imagine how excited I was to get the opportunity to review Forest Lake High Schoolís production of ìSeussical the Musical.î

First off, kudos to Cynthia Hess for choosing such a different sort of musical. Not to say that the past years of ìHello Dollyî and ìWizard of Ozî havenít been excellent productions, but it is so refreshing to see such a fantasy-oriented play be chosen and presented in such a fantastic way.

Another thing I would definitely like to commend is the set design and crew. When I walked into the auditorium, it felt like I was walking into a childís imagination.

It was all about the bright colors for me. My eyes lit up, I bit my lip and scrunched my nose. I felt like a five year-old again. A five year-old with high heels and a date. Who could ask for more?

Suddenly, after settling in my seat and glancing over the playbill, the lights dimmed and the show began. I was sitting in a seat by the aisle, and out of nowhere, a boy zipped past and startled me.

The boy was actually Jojo, one of the starring characters.

Here is where I would like to interject a compliment to the costume crew and whoever did make-up. Why? Mainly because it took me at least 10 minutes to realize Jojo was really Stephanie Williams, a sophomore in her second production at FLHS. I kept doing double takes, wondering where her hair went. I thought she was adorable as Jojo, and her voice was a perfect addition to the facade.

The Cat in the Hat was played by Adam Regnier. The audience was constantly cracking up at his clever lines that he delivered so well.

And then there was Horton. I recall Scott Isaacson from his memorable performance as John Worthing in last yearís spring play ìThe Importance of Being Earnest.î

I enjoyed watching the way he portrays his characters. This time, as ìHortonî the melancholy and eager-to-help elephant, Isaacson was just plain cute.

In the first act, Seussical the Musical begins with the aforementioned characters all having mutual difficulties.

Jojo gets magically sent to live with the Whos by the Cat in the Hat, whilst Horton hears tiny little people talking to him from a clover.

The Whos are in trouble, and Horton is the only one who can help protect them. Yet, Horton, so concerned with helping the Whos, is oblivious to a little bird named Gertrude who loves him.

Portraying Gertrude is senior Caitlin Sapa. She was so light and graceful, and her voice matched her actions.

However, Gertrude has some competition from Mayzie, a swanky little blue bird with charm and charisma.

Brittany Falkers, who brought the character of Amaziní Mayzie to life, was so fun to watch. Before the show, I had the opportunity to talk to Falkers for a moment.

She smirked and stated that she had an awful cold. The audience and I had no idea.

Her energy and brilliance completely hid the fact that she might have preferred snuggling up to some Tylenol Cold and a cup of tea.

The only complaint I had during the first half hour was with the lighting. At times it seemed like characters who were the main focus should have been lit up more than characters who were just supplementary. That made it difficult to follow the story line for a bit.

Not to worry, though. Soon to come, I was completely blown away by senior Paula Regnier. That girl has the most unbelievable vocal ability for her age.

Playing the sassy, but sour, kangaroo, she had every mannerism down. She, for me, was the absolute highlight in the entire production.

Regnierís entire stage presence just demands attention. I am willing to bet she will be pursuing her gift of acting and singing long after the curtains close on this yearís production.

One thing that surprised me the most about ìSeussical the Musicalî was how many musical numbers there actually were.

At times I forgot what some of the characterís speaking voices sounded like.

The good thing about this is the fact that it keeps the play moving, and keeps the children in the audience from getting distracted and chattering incessantly.

Instead, the children seated around me had their eyes glued to the stage - watching the color and the wonder FLHS did so well with bringing forth.

Throughout Hortonís quest to help the Whos, and Jojoís mission to find his way home, the story line gets pretty difficult to describe in words.

So I am going to recommend seeing the play for yourself if you would like to know how it concludes.

It is well worth the ticket price to see ìSeussical the Musical.î The orchestra, directed by David Livermore, will keep your ears happy while your eyes are dazzled by the entire cast (whose voices are just as pleasing as the instrumentation backing them).

ìI love [this play]. Itís so fun to get to be a kid again, and to be in that mind set. Thatís what is so wonderful about this musical,î said Falkers.

She is completely right. For two hours I got to forget about bills, deadlines, and got to be a little kid again.

I got to be all giddy when the Cat in the Hat looked at me and winked. I got to laugh when Gertrudeís tail feathers grew too long, and she couldnít fly.

But most of all, I got to have fun. That is the most important thing a play can do for the person taking it in.

You can take it in for yourself Thursday to Saturday, Nov. 9-11 at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets are still available at FLHS the evening of each performance.

Take the wee ones, take a date, or just go by yourself. Get lost in the creativity of Dr. Seuss and remember what it was like before FICA took all your money.

You wonít be disappointed.

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