ShowBizRadio

For a very long time, Pumpkin Theatre has been producing shows for children. Seussical the Musical Jr. makes their first foray into “for children, by children.” A cast of twenty-eight young people obviously put in a lot of hard work to make the first performance a decent maiden voyage into child performers.

Seussical tells the story of Horton the Elephant (Connor Moore), who hears Whos and hatches eggs. Moore has a nice voice and a likeable sweetness to his portrayal. The tale is narrated by The Cat in the Hat (Allison Mudd) with assistance from Jo Jo (Steven Gross), a young Who who thinks many strange thinks. It is high-action with song after song. The choreography is a real hero in this production. It was kept simple but interesting in a way that all the young performers were able to dance in perfect sync.

Throughout the show, there were several standout performances. Sheridan Merrick was dynamic with a solidly developing belt as Mayzie. Ruby Kinstle was sweet with adorable comedic timing as Gertrude. Jake Miller was especially excellent as he charmed and sang beautifully in the role of the Mayor.

The downfall in using child performers, because they are simply not adult professionals, is that this was the most antsy audience I had ever seen at Pumpkin. Usually, their shows keep the 3 & 4 year-olds engaged, but, with child actors instead of adults, 5 or older would probably be recommended for the audience. So, if you have taken really little ones to Pumpkin in the past, you might want to reconsider. However, five and older are certain to enjoy watching other children their age have fun in this high-energy show.

Cast

• Bird Girls: Emily Wheeler, Madelyn Schloss, Sophie Brodinsky
• Mayzie La Bird: Sheridan Merrick
• Gertrude McFuzz: Ruby Kinstle
• Wickersham Brothers: David Polsky, Carly Dagilis, Alex Cashman, Myles Muse, & Maddie Reecer
• The Cat in the Hat: Allison Mudd
• Yertle the Turtle: Emma Moore
• Horton the Elephant: Connor Moore
• Sour Kangaroo: Eva Hellerback
• Young Kangaroo: Sadie Lange
• Vlad Vladikoff: Anthony Hobbs
• Mayor’s Wife: Maya Walsh-Little
• Whos: Sam Willen, Ruby Webb, Claire Mitchell, Nick Dimitriades, Luke Miller, Victoria Miller, Holly Miller, & Jacob Rose
• Mayor: Jake Miller
• Jo Jo: Steven Gross

Design Team & Crew

• Director: Jimi Kinstle
• Assistant Director: Erin Confair
• Musical Director: Mandee Ferrier Roberts
• Stage Manager: Allyson Haley
• Properties Designer: Ally Cribbs
• Costume Designer: Karen Saar
• Lighting Designer: Adrienne Gieszl
• Sound Designer: Nick Hood
• Set Designer: Heather M. Mork
• Technical Director: Seth Glasser

Disclaimer: Pumpkin Theatre provided two complimentary media tickets to ShowBizRadio for this review.