Milan High School will open the curtain on the whimsical Suessical – The Musical in the Dennis McComb Performing Arts Center, an 840-seat auditorium in Milan High School. Suessical – The Musical has three performances this weekend, 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday with a 2 p.m. matinee on Sunday. There is a 7 p.m. show on March 14 and 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. performances on March 15th.
Suessical – The Musical combines many Suess characters, with the story woven nicely in songs and dances. Artistic Director Jason Berry, with Associate Director Becky Berry, kept things moving along and used the smartly designed set to stage the scenes effectively. All you can say about costume designer Katie Kaiser is her designs were a splash of color. Adeline Wiard was the musical director and her work with the cast shined as many of the numbers featured multiple singers, singing different harmonies at the same time, and the cast did so masterfully.
The cast included 25 students, including 4 seniors, 1 junior, 11 sophomores, 8 freshman, 1 four-year old, one adult playing The Grinch and Max (played by Buddy Bell). Matt Douglas plays Horton the Elephant, and of course, Horton hears a who, which serves as a main plot line throughout the show. Horton sings a great deal in the show, but it is in the song “Alone In The Universe” where he really shines. Douglas is joined by Cheyanne Froelich (Gertrude McFuzz) in singing “Horton, Notice Me”. It took the elephant a long time to recognize that what he was missing was right there in front of him all the time.
Owen Burdette, a 12th grader, plays a comical, and at times mischievous Cat In The Hat. His conducting of the overture to Act II is a hoot. Burdette plays a key role in helping to move the story along. He has a strong voice and can sing the up-tempo songs just as well as he does with the ballads. Aniela Crill plays a wild Mayzie, a bird who flew the coop, sticking poor Horton at the top of the tree tending to her egg.
Suessical – The Musical is structured in a way where there are no true lead characters. Every character shares responsibility in telling the story, and multiple characters have their moment in the spotlight, singing their solo parts in songs. It is a great moment for this young cast to be given the chance to sing a solo and then know that they can do it. The Milan High School Drama Club is building for the future.
The Bird Girls were on stage a lot, and they added their voices to many of the songs. The Bird Girls were played by Dallas Pardo-Hall, Lexi Lozen and Lila Grimley. They were funny, their costumes stood out and their voices complimented so many other voices. The Bird Girls’ counterparts were the Wickersham Brothers, played by Lynsey Dunn, Katie ‘Kye’ Bell and Jackson Mullins.
And, of course, Suessical wouldn’t be complete without The Grinch, played by Mr. Lawver. And you didn’t see Grinch without his fur buddy Max. There are several opportunities to watch Suessical. Tickets are $10 for students/seniors, $15 for adults. Matinee tickets are $8 for everyone.
8123 Main St Suite 200 Dexter, MI 48130
