We are just over a week out from opening night of Seussical! It has been so much fun watching this show come together. Some evenings I feel like pinching myself just to make certain that this isn’t some dream. Doing live theatre is so fun. I love rooting for other performers. I love nailing a scene. I even love the challenge of working on things that are not (yet) what we want them to be: choreography that is not perfect, missed lines and cues, musical notes that aren’t on point. I’m feeling good about where we are. Our cast still has work to do, but it’s manageable. And this set. My goodness, this set makes me feel like I’ve been dropped into a Seuss book.
Earlier this week I started taking voice lessons again with Chris Hollingsworth, a voice professor at ACU who works with our musical theatre students. We met a few times last summer, but the school year made it difficult for both of us to find a time to continue. It has been such a joy doing vocal training to work on parts of my singing that are underdeveloped, and to unpack new things in my voice that I didn’t know were there. My Broadway karaoke playlist has grown to include some newer songs that I’ve fallen in love with. My personal favorite: “Dear Bill,” from Operation Mincemeat, which is one of the most amazing musical ballads I’ve encountered from recent Broadway shows. My playlist has over 50 tunes at present, with a special subsection of songs I’m too old to sing but still love.
Last weekend the cast of The Prom began choreography rehearsal for our late July production. I wasn’t present for this rehearsal, but I will be there this Saturday. Two shows in one summer… How great is that? Acts 1 of Seussical concludes with a humorous song, “How Lucky You Are.” Last night at the conclusion of our rehearsal the sentiment of the song–one sung by the cast in a moment when things are looking especially bleak for Horton and the Whos–felt very personal. I feel so fortunate, so lucky to get to perform. It is inspiring to get to work alongside talented theatre students and to learn from the professionals who are directing and choreographing this show. In many ways theatre has become something of a safe haven for me in a moment where I watch the news and surf the internet with great dread about the things that are happening around us. I’ve come to love Seussical both because the show brings such joy to me, but also because the show has something important to say about caring for those people in the world who are “small”–marginalized people who are vulnerable victims of our indifference. It’s a message we sorely need to hear.
Are you coming to Seussical? Get your tickets! I’ll close this post with a nice shot of my Mr. Mayor costume. Some of our younger cast members tell me that I look like Willy Wonka. I’m so looking forward to playing the dandy… Enjoy!
Break a Leg !