By Ireland Castillo
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With the well-known Cat in the Hat, things are bound to go awry, but this year’s Central Theatre Arts Academy (CTAA) Seuss-themed musical played out just right. On April 24, MHS’ CTAA program premiered its spring play “Seussical” to parents and students on preview night with performances following on April 25 and 26 and May 9 and 10.
“I think it went well. An audience really helps, the theatre is all about the relationship between the audience and the actors on stage and there’s an energy that’s given that you don’t just get when you’re just rehearsing and you’ll have that feedback,” said CTAA coordinator Jamie Stroud.
“Seussical” is a musical based on the collection of various Dr. Seuss works, such as “Horton Hears a Who?,” “Horton Hatches The Egg” and “Cat in the Hat,” in addition to other less well-known works such as “The Butter Battle” and “If I Ran the Circus.” Originally written by Steven Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens, “Seussical” was first adapted to Broadway in 2000 and co-conceived by Flaherty, Ahrens and Eric Idle.
From the auditions in December to preview night, the hard work and time put into the show paid off. “We went from kind of nothing to amazing performance and show, it was well put together and the cast and the crew were just so nice, I would work with them again,” said Senior Isaiah Avilla, who portrayed Horton.
By preview night, the CTAA program showcased its five months of hard work and dedication for the audience to enjoy. “I love it, I’m a huge fan of Dr. Seuss and a lot of my friends are in this so I’m happy for them, especially (Junior Kalli Hirasa). She’s perfect for this role, she’s fabulous,” said Junior Genevieve Castaneda. Gail Sunada, parent of Sophomore Rachel Sunada, added, “Fantastic job. They did such a wonderful job, a lot of energy, the music was fantastic. It was just very well done.”
For some of the actors, the best part about acting is realizing the relationship between the audience and performers. “I like to give high energy off and I like the feedback that I get back from the audience, especially when I play like really fun, high energy, crazy characters,” said Senior Sean Kaya, who portrayed one of the three Wickersham brothers, “It’s really fun what kind of energy you get back from the audience when you put all the energy in, into the show.”
As the musical followed classic Dr. Seuss stories, it was easy to get attached to the characters that were featured. “Horton, only because you know Horton, when my dad read the story when I was a little girl, I totally fell for Horton,” explained Stroud, “Even though everyone is laughing at him and making fun of him, when it’s so easy to ignore (the Whos asking him for help) he doesn’t. He makes a promise and sticks to it and always sticks to it when it’s hard. And when I was a little girl, and as an adult now, it was something that I really, really liked.”
With such a success, parents and MHS students alike recognized the achievements of the CTAA program. “I like that it’s the kids, not just the high school kids, but it brings in all the elementary school kids and kids from different schools and I think that’s really good that we can get them interested in the theatre, you know? Get a start, a head start,” said Val Cambra, parent of Junior Lindsey Cambra who played several roles in “Seussical.” Castaneda added, “What I think is great about (CTAA) is it teaches us more than just acting in the high school play, teaches us professionalism and CTAA is great because they expect so much more than what other people expect from teenagers.”
“Seussical” is the final play that will be directed under Stroud as she will be moving to San Franciso at the end of this year.
