The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
‘Seussical’ the musical at Hamden High School
NEW HAVEN » Continuing our occasional series of articles on top community theaters in the area, there is the Whitney Players Theater Company, a spirited bunch with a side mission of education.
That interest in educating young actors plays right into the latest theater production, the musical “Seussical,” getting a colorful treatment by the troupe from Wednesday, Aug. 9 through Aug. 12 at Hamden High School auditorium.
For 15 years, said Whitney Players Director Cindy SimellDevoe, the company has been doing “some pretty good, highproduction-value, big-talent community theater” in Hamden.
“And we try to keep our ticket prices down to keep it affordable for our community.” Simell-Devoe said in a release, “Not everyone can afford a trip to Broadway, so we put a lot into making the technical parts of our show as professional as the acting.”
A news release said that four young people who started with the Whitney Players as young teens are now on national tours with professional theater companies, several are doing regional theater, one is off-Broadway and one can be frequently seen playing Gloria Estefan in Broadway’s “On Your Feet.” The program, said Simell-De-
voe, is designed to mix experienced actors from the area with community youth “to provide professional acting, dance and musical instruction while forming a company and producing a full-length, entertaining musical.”
Rehearsals began in June for this show, cosponsored by the Hamden Arts Commission; it is being directed by Simell-Devoe and choreographed by Joan Christensen and Jaclyn Ianniello.
The release says the cast will include more than 60 people, ages 6 to 68, from West Haven, Killingworth, North Haven, Northford, Hamden, New Haven, and Guilford. (That makes the show one of Whitney Players’ midsized productions, an official told us, since a previous show used up to 114 people.)
Hamden resident Bradley Ellis plays Horton the Elephant, the only one who can hear the Whos on a dust speck floating through the air. He is joined by his daughters, Alayna, 10 and Everley, 6 who are Whos.
“A simple story of Horton, the Whos and The Cat in the Hat translates to a rather complex stage show,” said Simell-Devoe in an email. “Staging Horton talking to the residents of Whoville on clover, while seeing the Mayor and his family in Whoville on the opposite side of the stage calls for some challenging staging and lighting. We have a great technical team that complements the quality of our performers, so it all works out to great production.”
The goal is not spectacle, actually, but intimacy.
“Staging a big production like our ‘Seussical’ is only successful if the audience can feel a part of the show. Watching a show is fine, but when audience members truly care about Horton, and dislike the Sour Kangaroo and feel a part of the action, the experience is so much richer. Even though we do big shows, we hope our audience has that intimate theater experience.”
It will appeal to more than just children, said board chairwoman Janet Maruca, since it’s a story “of being the lone voice in a world of opposition; a tale of loyalty and friendship and commitment; ultimately, of admitting perhaps you were wrong. In his brilliant writing, Dr. Seuss speaks to everyone.”
Performances are 7:30 p.m. each evening at Hamden High. Tickets are $20 and will be available at the door or online at www.thewhitneyplayers. org. For information, call 203-314-8599.