In his latest endeavor, I am reminded of one the reasons why Brad Echols has been my friend since fourth grade: He dares to think of the unthinkable!
Seussical the Musical, which ran December 11-14th is the fourth production Brad has directed for ArtsView Children’s Theatre, and was to say the least – an extravaganza of personality, imagination and fun “thinks”! The show offered a fun-filled festival of incredible rhymes and amazing melodies played by a live three piece band under the direction of Kathy Elder. The music is danceable, hummable, and quite memorable for all ages; audience members claimed they were singing tunes such as, “It’s Possible” and “Oh the Things You Can Think”… long after the show. Choreography by Alisha Kimbly, Ramona Hughes, Mark and Brenda Judkins worked well with this cast given such a wide diversity of ages. The story was narrated by the familiar Cat in the Hat, played by Tyler Lohr, who bounced around the stage with skilled ease and comic genius delivering side splitting jokes throughout the evening. He appeared randomly in every scene making humorous comments to the audience and imitating a variety of characters which included a talk show host, a stage director, and my favorite a German doctor. Grant Carrington, who played Horton the Elephant, with his over-sized ear-shaped lapels earned the sympathy of the audience with Caryn Esch, as Gertrude McFuzz, the bird with the world’s smallest tail who all too soon is regretful of what she wishes for. Grant was shining in such numbers as "Alone in the Universe" (a duet with the Who child JoJo, played by Caroline Bump) and the lovely ballad "Notice Me, Horton" (another duet with Caryn Esch as the lovesick Gertude McFuzz). All three have exceptional singing voices and transformed their characters into very believable roles. Pat Mays played Ghengus Khan Scmitz, and was disturbingly funny in several roles, most memorable as a war crazed general who believes war is “good for boys”. Whereas Brittany Stone in the role of Mayzie La Bird, the bored mother of an unwanted egg, was hilariously self obsessed. With the conviction of a gospel singer, Andrea Mayo who played the Sour Kangaroo, soulfully scorned Horton with an exceptional voice that kept the jungle animals hopping and a jumping! A huge cast of colorful characters, each with eye-popping, spectacular costumes and make-up designed and created by the artistic team of Bonnie Capshaw, Lee Littlefield, and Gwen Springerley, offered show-stopping stage numbers. Even in pitch black the stage came alive with glow-in the-dark creatures from the land of Seuss! This is a complicated piece of theatre – which was made to look astonishingly easy. An amazing production team, led by Alyssa Ford worked incredibly well together to bring Seussical the Musical to life! The set was big and bright and colorful and made great use of the community center stage. Highlights included a rotating Whoville, Jungle waterfall, and a rolling tree which housed a nest in the large, colorful forest of Nool. Master carpenter, Todd Davis and set painter, Zina Thomas designed a fantastic location for the imagination to soar! The props, collected and created by Michelle Cogswell, Kevin Ford and Kristen Jackson are also adorable, all managed skillfully by Hannah Williams, stage manager and the backstage crew. Lighting, designed by Micah Goodding and sound by Nathan Olsen would "pop" the production into moods that vary from menacing to manic and magnificent! This year’s production of Seussical the Musical was in my opinion an absolute triumph for the children’s theatre because once again an outstanding team of talent gave it their all. In addition to raving accolades, comments among audience members included that a challenge has been laid down for the company to match it, let alone top it in the upcoming year. Seussical the Musical was a great experience for kids of all ages, especially the young at heart! by Vickie Echols, December 14, 2008
Seussical the Musical, which ran December 11-14th is the fourth production Brad has directed for ArtsView Children’s Theatre, and was to say the least – an extravaganza of personality, imagination and fun “thinks”! The show offered a fun-filled festival of incredible rhymes and amazing melodies played by a live three piece band under the direction of Kathy Elder. The music is danceable, hummable, and quite memorable for all ages; audience members claimed they were singing tunes such as, “It’s Possible” and “Oh the Things You Can Think”… long after the show. Choreography by Alisha Kimbly, Ramona Hughes, Mark and Brenda Judkins worked well with this cast given such a wide diversity of ages. The story was narrated by the familiar Cat in the Hat, played by Tyler Lohr, who bounced around the stage with skilled ease and comic genius delivering side splitting jokes throughout the evening. He appeared randomly in every scene making humorous comments to the audience and imitating a variety of characters which included a talk show host, a stage director, and my favorite a German doctor. Grant Carrington, who played Horton the Elephant, with his over-sized ear-shaped lapels earned the sympathy of the audience with Caryn Esch, as Gertrude McFuzz, the bird with the world’s smallest tail who all too soon is regretful of what she wishes for. Grant was shining in such numbers as "Alone in the Universe" (a duet with the Who child JoJo, played by Caroline Bump) and the lovely ballad "Notice Me, Horton" (another duet with Caryn Esch as the lovesick Gertude McFuzz). All three have exceptional singing voices and transformed their characters into very believable roles. Pat Mays played Ghengus Khan Scmitz, and was disturbingly funny in several roles, most memorable as a war crazed general who believes war is “good for boys”. Whereas Brittany Stone in the role of Mayzie La Bird, the bored mother of an unwanted egg, was hilariously self obsessed. With the conviction of a gospel singer, Andrea Mayo who played the Sour Kangaroo, soulfully scorned Horton with an exceptional voice that kept the jungle animals hopping and a jumping! A huge cast of colorful characters, each with eye-popping, spectacular costumes and make-up designed and created by the artistic team of Bonnie Capshaw, Lee Littlefield, and Gwen Springerley, offered show-stopping stage numbers. Even in pitch black the stage came alive with glow-in the-dark creatures from the land of Seuss! This is a complicated piece of theatre – which was made to look astonishingly easy. An amazing production team, led by Alyssa Ford worked incredibly well together to bring Seussical the Musical to life! The set was big and bright and colorful and made great use of the community center stage. Highlights included a rotating Whoville, Jungle waterfall, and a rolling tree which housed a nest in the large, colorful forest of Nool. Master carpenter, Todd Davis and set painter, Zina Thomas designed a fantastic location for the imagination to soar! The props, collected and created by Michelle Cogswell, Kevin Ford and Kristen Jackson are also adorable, all managed skillfully by Hannah Williams, stage manager and the backstage crew. Lighting, designed by Micah Goodding and sound by Nathan Olsen would "pop" the production into moods that vary from menacing to manic and magnificent! This year’s production of Seussical the Musical was in my opinion an absolute triumph for the children’s theatre because once again an outstanding team of talent gave it their all. In addition to raving accolades, comments among audience members included that a challenge has been laid down for the company to match it, let alone top it in the upcoming year. Seussical the Musical was a great experience for kids of all ages, especially the young at heart! by Vickie Echols, December 14, 2008