Seussical Junior

Seussical Junior
Written by: Stephen Flaharty
Lyrics by: Lynn Ahrens
Performed at: The Blakehay Theatre
The Oppitts /Weston Super Mare Operatic Society
Directed by: Tom Creswick
Choreographed by: Elisha Webster
Musical Direction: Hannah Steer
Date: 30/05/2025
Noda Rep: Mike Purnell

It seems a long time since I’ve seen the Oppitts back on stage. The Addams
family seems quite awhile away now. I must say it was nice to see the Oppitts
at the Playhouse when they united with the Weston Operatic Senior Society
and got very nicely involved with Joseph back last year. I recognise quite a
few faces. and always good to see our young talent coming up through the
ranks.
I’ll be quite honest I didn’t know much about Seussical the Musical. I must’ve
missed out on those books when I was younger, but I knew one thing we
needed for sure was we needed it to be engaging and colourful and certainly
both boxes were ticked.
On arrival and having taken our seats it was nice to take in the display of the
set. Beautifully laid down in front of us and wow what a kaleidoscope of
colours. It was good to see that most of the areas were going to be used. I
was almost expecting the cat to have been under the hat the whole time we
were waiting for the show to start. I must admit I was quite relieved when she
wasn’t. That would’ve been a long time. The opening lighting was striking but
theatrically subtle, and I just knew when full lighting came into play on that
set it was going to be dazzling.
The opening number proved just that! Not only where we dazzled by the set
but the costumes. Wow! What a feast for the eyes. Such an array of colour
and very well fitting costumes too. Each and everyone was so very, very
interesting even if you took your eye off the story for a couple of seconds
there was always something to catch your eye. Looking around all the faces
in the ensemble and cast I could also see the commitment everyone was
giving. Nobody was taking a backseat in this song. The choreographer and
director certainly created a wonderful energy upon that stage. this was
maintained throughout the show. I thought the focus from everybody was
exceptional from the youngest to the oldest. This really has become a
company that I look forward to seeing what their next production is going to
be.

There was certainly a great pace and flow to the show. No gaps or dark

spaces that I was aware of. You kept the audience engaged from the
beginning to the end. Well done Oppitts another great production under your
belt. Congratulations

Cat in the Hat (Hollie)
Well you certainly achieved your brief of a mischievous narrator who guided
us wonderfully through the story. Nice clear diction throughout. You were very
charismatic popping in and out of scenes to stir up trouble but you kept the
story moving wonderfully. I loved how you engaged us as the audience and
brought us into the story and took us on your journey with you. Well done.

Horton (Oli)
I so enjoyed this lovely laid back performance. You really got into character
from the off. I enjoy watching an actor who uses their eyes and you did this
so well. We believed every word you told us. A beautiful baritone voice in the
making. There were a couple of times when your vocals wavered slightly, and
I wondered if the ears on the hat made it trickier to hear the music clearly.
You did give a very nicely thought through performance showing us loyalty
and perseverance. I look forward to seeing what you do next.

JoJo (Margot)
This is a very pivotal role which I felt you got exactly right. Showing us the
power of imagination and individuality. A good strong energy on stage with
excellent stage presence and good singing voice.

Gertrude (Millie)
Your story was one I enjoyed very much from you feeling inadequate due to
your very unimpressive tail compared to Mayzie‘s very flashy one. You were
then able to show us your comedic side after taking the berries when your tail
became far more extravagant this was extremely funny. It was perfect that
you and Horton found happiness together realising true beauty comes from
within. A very nice believable actress. A super performance, thank you.

Mazie La Bird (Sophie)
Wow you had it all and gave us everything. Super strong voice with moves to
match. I so enjoyed your numbers very much. Great team work with the
company but you fronted it beautifully. Well done.

Ensemble
Each and everyone of the company added greatly to this production. Their
focus, energy and enthusiasm came flowing over the footlights. Well done
team.

MD

Congratulations, Hannah as a first time MD, you did an absolutely super job.

Some very strong harmonies were coming through the company as well as
very strong solo talent coming through from the lead characters. This is by no
means an easy show musically I felt the timings were very difficult, but the
company handled it remarkably well under your guidance. Good work.

Choreographer
I do believe this is the first time I’ve seen your work on stage. I felt you and
the director worked very well together. As the choreography felt seamless,
everything flowed exceptionally well. You created some wonderful shaping
and covered the stage extremely well and at the same time kept it all very
interesting and very in keeping with the production. Everyone seemed to so
enjoy what they were doing and to me it felt like they enjoyed doing your
moves. I hope you do another one soon.

Director
Overall this was a visually stunning and a heartwarming production. One you
should be very proud of. It felt more of an experience than a show to me a bit
like “Cats” maybe we didn’t always know what was going on but we were
loving the journey we were being taken on. You really picked a super cast
which helps no end, and I’m sure with your help and guidance there was a lot
of thought and character development as everyone was so engaged with
what they were doing.
This was a great choice for The Oppitts offering us a fun and an engaging
experience whilst maintaining the heart of the Dr. Seuss’s world.
Congratulations Tom on a super production.
Thanks for your hospitality and looking forward to seeing what you do next.
Best wishes.
Mike Purnell

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