Adelaide Youth Theatre. Arts Theatre. 25 Jan 2013.
For their first production of 2013, Adelaide Youth Theatre (AYT) take on 'Seussical', based on the works of celebrated children’s author Theodor Seuss Geisel, aka Dr Seuss. The play draws together themes and characters from his most famous stories including 'Green Eggs and Ham', 'The Cat in the Hat', 'Horton Hatches the Egg', and 'Horton Hears a Who!'.
A veteran performer with AYT, Buddy Dawson makes his directorial debut with Seussical and he should be very proud of the result. The positioning of the huge cast over a split-level stage was balanced and minimized obfuscation. The movement of performers on, off and around the stage was impressively smooth.
The musical direction of Esther Riggs was also a great success with wonderful solos and gutsy ensemble numbers. The duet of Jamie Hornsby (Horton) and Nathan Stafford (Jo Jo) in ‘Alone in the Universe’ was a highlight.
This energetic and vibrant show is a credit to AYT and their very talented young cast. All put in excellent performances; the standouts being Sebastian Cooper (Cat in the Hat), Nathan Stafford (Jo Jo), Leah Harford (Gertrude) and Chloe Bruer-Jones (Maizie).
Whenever Bruer-Jones graced the stage, she drew your eye with her energy, vocal strength and flair. Cooper embodied Cat in the Hat and displayed impressive vocal dexterity with a range of accents and a very authentic purr. Both Stafford and Harford are armed with beautiful voices and were expressive onstage.
Craig Williams’s set was simple but well designed, with screen projection providing a changing background that linked seamlessly to the progressing story. Costuming deserves special mention; Kate Harford excelled in design and quality, notably in the case of Mr and Mrs Mayor, Things One and Two, Maizie and the Fish.
This colourful and entertaining production is another feather in AYT’s cap, you’ll be sorry if you miss the opportunity to see out the school holidays with Seussical!
Nicole Russo
When: Thurs 24 Jan to Sat 26 Jan
Where: Arts Theatre
Bookings: bass.net.au
