Small Town News

Middle school presents musical on Dr. Seuss Friday and Saturday

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Seussical Jr. is based on the stories of Dr. Seuss. The Aberdeen Middle School will present the musical on Friday and Saturday, April 10 and 11. Curtains will open at 7 p.m. at the AHS auditorium. Tickets are $5 for adults and $4 for children 12 and under.

Seussical is a musical by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty based on the books of Dr. Seuss (mainly "Horton Hears a Who!", "Horton Hatches the Egg" and "Miss Gertrude Mc Fuzz") that debuted on Broadway in 2000.

The story begins with a bare stage, save for an odd red-and-white striped hat. A small boy discovers it and imagines what it could belong to, finally conjuring up the Cat in the Hat, played by Nathaniel Tilley. The Cat creates the Seussian world around him and the Boy, played by Carlos Serna, and the Cat acts as the narrator for the remainder of the musical. At the Cat's encouragement, the Boy thinks up the Jungle of Nool, where Horton the Elephant, played by Parker Libby, is bathing.

Horton hears a strange noise coming from a speck of dust, and decides there must be someone on it. He rescues the speck and places it on a clover and decides to guard it. Led by the at-first-villain Sour Kangaroo, Julyssa Ganzalez, the other animals in the jungle mock him mercilessly, except for Gertude Mc Fuzz, Tessa Woo din, Horton's next door neighbor, who admires his compassion and begins to fall in love with him. Horton soon discovers the dust speck is in fact a planet covered with microscopic people called Whos.

At this point, the Boy becomes Jojo, the son of the Mayor of Whoville, Cory Row bury. He is scolded by his parents for causing trouble at school by thinking, disrupting the class and horrifying the teachers. Jojo blames the Cat for getting him in trouble and asks him to leave. The Mayor and his wife, Halle Driscoll, wonder what they should do about their son.

Meanwhile, Horton has been guarding the clover for "over a week", getting ridiculed by the Citizens of the Jungle. He then thinks about how no matter what others may say or do, he still has his dreams for adventure and a friend. He decides to chat with the Whos, and Jojo responds. They chat and discover they have found a friend in one another.

Horton is ambushed by a group of dowell monkeys called the Wickersham Brothers, Jack Behrend, Angel Lemos, Nathan Selman, and Carson Wynn, who steal the clover and run off with it. Horton gives chase, until the monkeys give the clover to a black-bottomed eagle named Vlad Vladik off, Jude Allen. Horton continues to chase the clover, until Vlad Vladikoff drops it into a large patch of identical clovers, 'one hundred miles wide.'

Horton, betrayed and alone, sorrowfully remembers how no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't save the Whos, or poor Jojo.

Horton, Jojo and Gertude go through many other adventures during the show.

Other cast members are: Mayzie, Jimena Serna; Bird Girls, Kawehi Beck, Carina Cardona, Careli Cauthron and Grace Wright; Nurse, Elizabeth Summers; Hunters, Wyatt Driscoll, Clay Ingersoll, Martin Law and Fredy Ledesma; and Yertle the Turtle, Braiden Wheeler.

The Citizens of the Jungle/Circus Animals are: Jude Allen, Lionel Brambila, Gisel Cardona, Leonel Carrillo, Wyatt Driscoll, Manuel Hernandez, Zack Hickman, Freddy Ledesma, Carlos Medel, Carmen Partida, Chance Reynolds, Ivan Rosales, Garcey Valeriano, and Braiden Wheeler.

The Whos/Fish are: Luke Driscoll, Hector Carrillo, Ivan Cerna, Zane Goss, Eduardo Hernandez, Clay Ingersoll, Martin Law, Taylor Maestas, Daniel Medel, Elizabeth Summers, Tesla Torres, Jonathan Valeriano, and Jared Vaughn.

Everyone is invited te support the middle school and see their recreation of Dr. Seuss' books.



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