Seussed

For the past 6 weeks or so, Seussical has devoured me...and everything else in its path! Of all the shows I've ever done, no other has seemed to grow so completely out of control - and still manage to be amazing.

What started out as "Dr. Seuss set to music" ended up being something more like "Dr. Seuss ate Spartanburg...in a good way." It all started with the Who costumes. We raided the DRP costume room in search of all things yellow and orange. Well, some very crafty Whos (Kitty, Julie, and Steven) decided that just simple yellow and orange wasn't enough...they added buttons and ribbons and poofs and lace and hats and sparkles. And all of the sudden, the Whos from Whoville had their own dress code of awesome Whoiness that made everyone wish they lived on the "tiniest planet in the sky."

Well, with the Whos looking so spectacular...the Jungle Creatures had to step up their game. And they did - 80s punk rockers gone Seuss. Throw in a few Vegas Showgirls as the Bird Girls and a Vulture with fantastic Latino dance flair and the Jungle of Nool was one happening place to be.

Then came the set. Brought to you in STYRO-D! Yes, the set was almost entirely made of Styrofoam. And every color came straight from the pages of a Dr. Seuss book.

Take all that community effort and throw in over 20 musical numbers and a tree that actually bounced under the weight of Horton the Elephant (PS - Trey was AMAZING!) and you have a show that defies description...well, unless "it was so SEUSS" counts.

After nine, yes NINE performances, a couple injuries (poor Malcom! He's such a trooper), countless hours of rehearsal, and desperately trying to spit out all the words to Green Eggs and Ham while dancing, it's time to finally put the show to bed. And, as always, it's strange to say goodbye to the 50 people you've been sharing your life with for so long. Some of them I will see almost daily, some weekly, some once in a blue moon...and there will be things I miss about each of them. I'll miss my Bird Girls - there is a bond you can only share with someone when you're wearing identical saloon girl get-ups complete with tail and head dress. I'll miss the Wickersham Brothers - our partners in crime, causing trouble throughout the Jungle and having a blast while doing it (I still hate we didn't get a group picture!). I'll miss the Jungle Creatures - the hip swishers and saucy kids on the block who so effortlessly made Seuss cool. I'll miss the Whos - no other group could make wholesome so quirky and lovable. I'll miss the Grinch - the biggest flirt in the whole show; I'll miss talking to Schuyler through the wall of her little cave as we waited for the curtain to go up; I'll miss watching Matt try to eat that enormous olive (if you missed it, you missed out - it was pure comedic genius); I'll miss pulling Joanna's tail from her pouch and praying that we didn't accidentally pull up her skirt; I'll miss being saucy with Meg in Amayzing Mayzie; I'll miss being diva back up girls for Gina - she's a powerhouse and a delight to work with; I'll miss Scott and Melanie's Who Walk; and I'll miss tearing up at the end of the show as we all gaze at the baby Elephant Bird.

To the cast and crew of SLT's Seussical: it was a pleasure. A completely exhausting, hilarious, colorful, surprisingly delightful pleasure. I love you all, and I hope to be onstage with you again soon.

Now, I leave you with a quote...not from the show, but from it's creator:
"Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened." - Dr. Seuss