HF-L grads Andrew Hargrave (left) and Emily Borden are in this weekend’s production of Seussical The Musical this weekend. Photo by Donna MacKenzie
Like the mythical Phoenix rising from the ashes, Pittsford Musicals has taken flight since COVID-19 prevented the organization from presenting a Broadway musical for a three-year period (2020-2022). Pittsford Musicals soared high with audiences with its first two productions since then in Beauty and the Beast and Legally Blonde The Musical.
The organization, which has been one of the premiere community theatre organizations in the Rochester area for almost six decades, hopes that this year’s production of Seussical The Musical will fly high with audiences. Two graduates of Honeoye Falls-Lima High School are part of Seussical and, interestingly enough, both were involved in the show when HF-L High presented it in 2013.
Emily Borden, a 2014 HF-L graduate, was in Legally Blonde a year ago. She loved the experience so much that she tried out for Seussical this year and made the cast again.
“Since this show has two main settings – the Jungle of Nool and Whoville – it’s interesting getting to know the other half of the show now,” said Borden, who was in all four productions at HF-L high: Oklahoma as a freshman, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee as a sophomore, Seussical as a junior and Thoroughly Modern Millie as a senior. “I was a Bird Girl in high school and am a Who and a featured dancer this year, so I’m doing totally different things than I had done before. It’s neat to see how the same show can be interpreted differently through a different take on the costumes, props, and sets.”
Andrew Hargrave, a 2015 HF-L graduate, participated in all four productions in high school. He was Mr. Ob in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee as a freshman, Wickersham Brother #1 in Seussical as a sophomore, George Gershwin in Thoroughly Modern Millie as a junior and Coach Johnson in Good News as a senior. In addition to the high school musicals, he also had the experience of being in the musical State Fair and in two cabaret shows: On Broadway and Broadway Extravaganza with other groups while he was still a student and says that working with such talented and different performers and directors in those settings helped him see all the ways theatre can be done. Unlike Borden though, this is Hargrave’s first time in a Pittsford Musicals production.
“I have been missing performing,” said Hargrave, who went on to SUNY Fredonia and majored in theatre first before switching to and getting his degree in music education. “I have loved the experience being the music director of the musicals at SOTA (School of the Arts) the last few years, but I’ve always been told through my higher education that the best teachers are still performers themselves and, while I don’t think that is exclusively true, I believe I have something to gain in my teaching from performing. Also, Emily did the PM production of Legally Blonde last year and gave me a glowing review of the production team so I decided to audition.”
Hargrave will perform the same role, that of Wickersham Brother #1, in this production of Seussical and responded in the affirmative when asked if he is enjoying this experience.
“Absolutely, it’s been incredible,” said Hargrave, who returned to his alma mater this year as the Middle School Chorus/General Music teacher after teaching the past five years in the Rochester City School District. “Coming back to Seussical as an adult has brought a whole new layer of appreciation. There’s a sense of nostalgia, of course playing the same role I did over a decade ago, but also this deeper understanding of the story’s message and characters. The cast is amazing, and it’s been such a joy to work alongside others who share the same love for theatre.”
Hargrave also had the experience of being part of the HF-L group that went to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2015, performing the show School House Rock Live in the role of George.
“That was a once-in-a-lifetime experience!” he said. “Traveling to Scotland and performing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival was both exhilarating and eye-opening. Being part of the global theatre community, sharing our show with international audiences, and exploring such a vibrant city – it was unforgettable. And getting to sing classics like “Conjunction Junction” and “I’m just a Bill” is always a plus.”
Seussical is based on many of the children’s stories of Dr. Seuss with most of the plot centered on Horrton Hears A Who! and Horton Hatches the Egg and features many beloved characters such as Horton the Elephant, Gertrude McFuzz, The Cat In The Hat, the Whos and even the Grinch himself.
Both Borden and Hargrave said that doing Seussical as adults is much different than doing the show when they were high school students.
“It’s interesting coming back to this show as an adult and now taking more notice of some of the underlying political messages of the show,” said Borden, who is not the first in her family to be a part of a Pittsford Musicals production as her grandfather David Borden portrayed Mr. Lundie in PM’s 1995 production of Brigadoon. “The treatment of the main character, Horton the Elephant, shows how easy it is for a majority group to ostracize someone with a different way of thinking, and the way the jungle animals try to control the fate of the Whos exemplifies the dangers of authoritarianism.”
Hargrave said, “It’s really magical. In high school, I loved every second of it, but as an adult, I find myself catching things I didn’t notice before like some emotional beats and subtle humor. And the deeper messages about acceptance and imagination I think are incredibly important to be sharing right now.”
Pittsford Musicals has been presenting community theatre productions since 1969. Before its incorporation in 1968, its members were parents and teachers in the Park Road Elementary School PTSA. In the fall of 1966, as a surprise to the other parents and teachers, the group, led by Ruth Snelgrove and Bonnie Smith, decided to put on a musical comedy: a lip-sync version of Bye, Bye Birdie. The show was so well received that the group produced a second lip-sync show, The Pajama Game in 1967. A third lip-sync show, Bajour, was produced after incorporation in 1968 and was so financially successful that the group awarded scholarships to students pursuing studies in the fine arts (either art, music or theatre). In 1969, the group decided to perform its first “live” production, The Music Man, complete with a singing and dancing cast and an orchestra. Since 1969, the organization has performed legendary shows such as South Pacific, Fiddler on the Roof, Carousel, The King and I, Oklahoma, The Sound of Music, Brigadoon, Finian’s Rainbow, Camelot, Hello Dolly! and Mame as well as lesser known shows such as The Will Rogers Follies and Steel Pier. It was also one of only two Rochester-area community theatre organizations to secure the rights to perform the epic Les Miserables in 2013 when the rights to that musical were briefly available to community theatre organizations. Through the financial success of the productions, the non-profit organization has awarded over $250,000 to talented high school seniors in Pittsford and the Rochester region pursuing studies in the fine arts in college ever since 1968.
Pittsford Musicals will perform Seussical The Musical on Friday, April 25 at 7 p.m., Saturday, April 26 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. and Sunday, April 27 at 2 p.m. at Pittsford Sutherland High School.
Tickets are available at pittsfordmusicals.ludus.com and are children 12 and under $15 ($16.55 with service fee); Obstructed Balcony View $20 ($21.80 with service fee); and Adult $25 ($27.05 with service fee).
