The magical world of Dr Seuss sprang to life at St Xavier’s Primary School Hall last week, in the colourful, high-energy musical Seussical JR, which involved the whole school.
Literally “packed to the rafters” the hall was abuzz as children from Kinder to Year 6 showed off their singing and dancing talent in a fantastic production, revisiting beloved characters including The Cat in the Hat, Horton the Elephant, Gertrude McFuzz, Lazy Mayzie, and JoJo.
The Cat in the Hat, played by Sallie Thompson, took the audience on a journey into The Jungle of Nool where the kind-hearted elephant Horton (played by Darcy Mainey) has discovered a speck of dust containing Whoville. He meets JoJo (Grace Baker), a Who child reprimanded for “thinking too many thinks”. Horton decides he must protect the speck of dust on a nearby clover, while at the same time protecting an abandoned egg left to his care by the lazy Mayzie la Bird (Elsie Walshe).
Horton is ridiculed as he tries to convince the other animals in The Jungle of the existence of the Whos, but his loyal neighbour, Gertrude McFuzz (Molly Ramien), never loses faith in him and eventually, the two fall for each other and they band together to save the Whos, and restore peace and unity to the Jungle of Nool.
The impressive performance of 32 musical numbers, had the audience spellbound as endless talent shone through in the main characters and the shining faces of every pupil involved in group dances and song.
The lighting, the music, the colourful costumes and endless practices needed to produce such an event is a credit to the staff and students alike.
