As the auditorium quickly fell dim, just a single spotlight revealed a familiar red and white striped hat – one that most of us have known our whole lives. This was only the beginning of what would end up being the best production I have ever seen at our school. Throughout the show, the stage was covered in a brightly painted set nearly identical to the pages in any Dr. Seuss book. Lines said throughout the show were actual quotes from some of the books written by Dr. Seuss too. If you still haven’t guessed what I’m referring to, it’s “Seussical the Musical”, brought to you by FHC Spotlight Players.

Being a former ‘theatre kid’, I know how much work must have been put into this show, and it truly was shown across the stage – through every costume, every prop, and every actor, it was clearly seen that they were dedicated to this production, this theatre. Watching this show actually made me miss being in theatre a little.

Whomever helped pick the cast, chose actors who were able to nail their roles’ right on the head. Each and every actor’s actual personality fit their part perfectly. The leads were so talented, and made the show very pleasing to watch.

Sophomore Sean Gundersen played the Cat in the Hat and he was the perfect person to play it because he was just so funny. Throughout the show, he interacted with the audience, such as when he sprayed his ‘tears’ all over the audience with water guns as he ran through the walkways.

Senior Patrick Hurley’s character, Horton the Elephant, was one of my favorites because throughout every scene he was in, he was really good. He and a member of the ensemble actually chased each other through the rows of the seats, actually running through my row as they did.

Freshman Ethan Hammer played JoJo, but don’t judge him just because he’s a freshman because he and the two listed above were my favorites, by far, of the show. They all are very talented actors and played their roles very well.

Juniors Mikelle McClintock, Anna Gingrich, and Claire Henderson had such great parts casted to them; McClintock’s character, Gertrude McFuzz, was always getting pushed away by Gingrich’s character, Mayzie La Bird, in everything she did, it was quite funny. Henderson played the wife of Mr. Mayor, also known as junior Kyle Chumbley, and both she and Chumbley acted together very well throughout their scenes.

Seniors Chelsea Curtright and Jimmy Nash were also very good when it came to their roles, Sour Kangaroo and General Genghis Khan Schmitz. If you didn’t already see her perform with Nash at Talentpalooza, Curtright can seriously sing; she’s got such a loud voice and can really bust out the notes like it’s no big deal. Nash played the General very well. All of the ensemble and other members of the cast also were very well at doing their parts.

I also would like to point how how wonderful the crew was. Whether it was costumes, make-up and hair, lights, set, or paint, everything looked perfect. It was overall just a great experience and I really hope The Spotlight Players keep up the great work because I would love to continue reviewing their shows this year and next year. It was truly such an amazing performance, and I recommend anyone and everyone who doesn’t have tickets already to hurry and buy some for one of the next three nights.

Tonight is opening night for the show, and after last night, I know that they will do just as great, probably even better, the rest of this week. So hurry up and get your tickets because I am pretty sure they are going to have a full house all three nights!

Break a leg, Spotlight Players – you all deserve it!