The cast of Seussical sings “How Lucky You Are” at rehearsal. Photo by Bethany Warsaw
Much of Seussical the Musical will be familiar to fans of author Dr. Seuss when the students of Lima Christian School present the show this weekend.
The show is a whimsical musical dramatization of Dr. Seuss’s popular children’s books.
The performances will take place at the Honeoye Falls-Lima High School auditorium on Friday, March 8th, at 7 pm and Saturday, March 9th, at 2 pm and 7 pm. Tickets are $8 for adults and $6 for students.
The musical weaves together various stories and characters from Dr. Seuss’s books, focusing primarily on Horton the Elephant, who discovers a speck of dust that contains a tiny civilization. Horton vows to protect Whoville and the Whos from certain destruction despite the ridicule he faces from the other animals in the Jungle of Nool. He also finds himself babysitting an egg from his neighbor Mayzie while his next-door neighbor Gertrude pines after him. Celebrating the joy of childhood and the power of imagination, the musical explores themes of friendship, loyalty, perseverance, and kindness. Its fun stories, energetic characters, and catchy songs will appeal to children and adults alike.
Members of the cast are Megan Sanders (Cat in the Hat), Justin Choromanski (Horton the Elephant), Caleb Warsaw (JoJo), Laurel LaBarca (Gertrude McFuzz/Dance Captain), Abigail Britton (Mayzie LaBird), Rachel Negbegble (Sour Kangaroo), Rebekah Lakra (Young Kangaroo), Lemuel Fiegl (General Schmitz), Owen Teitsworth (Mr. Mayor), Anna Grace LaBarca (Mrs. Mayor), Jordyn Warsaw (Bird Girl), Sarah Churnetski (Bird Girl), Emily Churnetski (Bird Girl), Sophia Britton (Bird Girl), Lydia Harrington (Bird Girl), Jasmine Lakra (Bird Girl), Lillian Herring (Wickersham), Joshua Lakra (Wickersham), Samuel Parks (Wickersham), Olivia Kennell (Yertle the Turtle), Eden Falco (Grinch), Grace Vogt (Ensemble), Noelle Slisher (Ensemble), Owen McCarty (Ensemble), Gavin McCarty (Ensemble), David Dils (Ensemble), Jenna Warsaw (Ensemble), Molly Teitsworth (Ensemble), Eden Settle (Ensemble), Brielle Hammond (Ensemble), Abigail Dils (Ensemble) and Samantha Owens (Ensemble).
“One of the things I love about this show is that it’s not just about little kids’ books,” says director Bethany Warsaw. “It actually touches on a lot of real-life things everyone grapples with, like feeling alone, people not believing in you, and learning to be comfortable in your own skin. It has a lot of important ideas inside these characters and stories for kids, which is exactly what Dr. Seuss wanted his books to do. He never wanted to talk down to kids just because they weren’t adults yet.”
This year, Lima Christian School is participating in Rochester Broadway Theatre League’s Stars of Tomorrow program, which recognizes high school theatre students in the Rochester and Buffalo area. Designed to support the growth, discipline, and teamwork inherent in musical theatre, the program celebrates high school musicals and performing arts students. Stars of Tomorrow recognizes individuals and schools for their accomplishments at a recognition ceremony gala at the West Herr Auditorium Theatre in May.
“This will be the first year that we have participated in the program,” Warsaw said. “The kids are really enjoying the show. It’s always a challenge to find a musical that fits with the students you have and I thought this show fit well. It is a fun story, but there are elements of the show that have deep, thoughtful themes that both kids and adults can relate to.”
The show is approximately two hours long with an intermission. Tickets are available at the school office (1574 Rochester Street in Lima, for cash sale at the door, or online at www.seatyourself.biz/limachristian. For more information, call Lima Christian School at (585) 624-3841 or email dramalcs@gmail.com. The LCS Drama Club is on Instagram at @lcsdramaclub.
