By Marley Seaman
In most respects, it was a typical day for the students preparing the show, which opens Nov. 17 at 4 p.m. in the school's auditorium, with additional performances Friday and Saturday. The annual musical is the product of months of rehearsal and construction by more than 100 students.
Of course, the rehearsal also had its unusual features. Several students with significant roles were at the Yale Model Congress in New Haven, Conn., and sound designer Catherine Meyers was filling in for all of them. Meyers, a junior, was Horton the Elephant, the Grinch and Gertrude McFuzz. It was a complication, but even with just a week to go before the opening, the students took it in stride.
"If something goes wrong, just deal with it," said Charlie Gregory, a senior in his second year as stage manager. When the show begins, Gregory will assist the stage crew and communicate with lighting and sound technicians through a headset. He'll also open and close the curtain. Throughout the weeks of rehearsal, whenever a crew member said he didn't know what to do, Gregory was there to explain what had to be done.
Experience has made him an expert in dealing with complications. During a performance of "Ragtime" last year, the lights died in mid-show. Gregory found himself running around the auditorium, plugging in extension chords to keep things going.
"Seussical" strings together many stories from the beloved children's author Dr. Seuss. Narrated by the Cat in the Hat, the show details the adventures of Horton the Elephant as he tries to save the Whos and hatches an egg. Meanwhile, a young Who named JoJo attempts to find his way in the world, with the Cat encouraging him to use his imagination and remember that anything is possible. It's clearly a message for the audience, and it has rubbed off on the cast as well. Except for a little choreography and some of the lighting and sound work, Harrington and the students have handled every aspect of the show.
Auditions were held at the end of the last school year, giving the students time to learn their lines over the summer. When school resumed in September, the cast rehearsed in the school's large cafeteria, while the chorus began learning songs and dance moves. The stage crew began building and painting the sets in the auditorium.
"I had about 10 girls working on that, 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., four days a week," said Jen Werfelman, the show's scenic art director, as she pointed to the enormous black and white proscenium arches over the stage. There are two of them, each about 55 feet wide and 21 feet high. The arches took about three weeks to paint. The rest of the set is bright and colorful - a big change from the black and white look of last year's "Ragtime" - featuring famous Seuss characters like the Lorax and the Sneeches.
This is Werfelman's seventh show as an art crew member, but her first as art director. Many students have been involved in the theater for years. Senior Jesse Kreuzer, who plays the Cat in the Hat, is one of them. "Since I started, I've just been working my way up," he said. He was an extra in his very first high school show four years ago, gradually took on larger roles, and is now playing an iconic storybook character as he guides the audience through the Seuss world.
"It's kind of surreal playing a character you grew up reading about," Kreuzer said. Though he confesses to some nerves, he is looking forward to the spots in the show when he will be able to wander from the stage and interact with the audience. Kreuzer also designed the T-shirts, program covers, and poster art for the show.
But not all of the members of "Seussical" are theater veterans. David Myers Jr. had never even thought of acting before his teachers suggested it. "They just opened my eyes into this new world," he said. "Everything is coming out beautiful. ... I never thought I could do it. Every day, I look forward to going to rehearsal. I come to rehearsal with a smile on my face."
Myers, a junior, is not a total stranger to music: He is a percussionist in some of the school's jazz ensembles and sings in his church choir. He also break-dances, and that loose-limbed energy informs his role as a chorus member. But his scene as Yertle the Turtle is another matter. "[He's] a little slow, strong, but happy - a very fun character," Myers said.
"Seussical" ran for about six months on Broadway, from November 2000 to May 2001. Harrington first saw a production of the show last year, and decided a year ago that it was a perfect choice for Baldwin's next musical.
"It's all about following your dreams, following your goals," said Harrington, an English Language Arts supervisor at Baldwin Middle School who has directed the high school musical for the last eight years. "It kind of brings out the kid in all of us."
"I'm excited about this show," said Gregory. "The people are amazing. It's an awesome thing to be a part of."
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