March 11th and 12th, Air Academy’s Thespians performed Seussical the Musical: a fun, imaginative and heartwarming story about Horton the Elephant’s journey to protect the people of Who-ville.  Beyond the show, Air Academy reached out to local elementary schools where the Cat-in-the-Hat read students a Dr. Seuss classic.  Seussical will be remembered by generations of future Kadets because of the hard work and talent of our theater program.

Seussical promotes kindness and imagination by following the timeless stories of Dr. Seuss.  The original Broadway version premiered in 2000, and since then, the show has made it into the hearts of children and nostalgic adults alike. In a complicated yet fun-loving tale, the Cat in the Hat (played by Micah Wilborn) narrates the adventures of Horton (Richard Patterson), Jojo (Leah Mason), Gertrude McFuzz (Brooke Mathews), Lazy Mayzie (Maya Florin), and the Grinch (Landon Frye).  It’s a bright and colorful story taking place in the Jungle of Nool, where Horton finds the world of Who-ville on a speck of dust and must fight for what is right even though the residents of Nool refuse to believe him.  Gertrude, a girl-bird with only one feather, stands with him when nobody else will, and tog

ether, they fight for their new friends and fall in love.  Eventually, peace returns to the Seussical world, proving that loyalty and uniqueness makes the world go round.

Part of the reason Seussical was chosen to be this year’s musical was as a “hats off” to Dr. Seuss in honor of his birthday on March 2nd. Theodor Seuss Geisel inspired generations of people to be creative, read, and have fun, which is a legend celebrated well by Air Academy’s presentation.  Led by tech director Glen Hoit, the Seussical crew participated in an encouraging community outreach by reading for Woodmen Roberts, Foothills, and Douglass Valley Elementary Schools.  They brought to life the show’s famous saying that, “A person’s a person, no matter how small.”  Sophomore Micah Wilborn, who played the Cat in the Hat, read potential future Kadets a Dr. Seuss classic.  Moreover, the 2:00 performance featured an ASL interpreter and a reach out to the Colorado Springs deaf community.

Micah Wilborn spoke to the hard work that went into this year’s musical, stating, “With so many working parts, Ms Manst, Ms. Lee, Ms. Cassano, and Mr. Hoit have done an amazing job in putting together this production, with lots of blood, sweat, and tears (hopefully fewer tears) going into the experience. As the Cat in the Hat, I’ve gotten to see firsthand the process everyone takes in getting to the final result. The costumes are fantastic, thanks to the wonderful moms giving their time, and the makeup, done by Air Academy’s own students, is also very impressive. I’m sure I can speak for the entire cast and crew when I say that we are proud of this production in every way.”

With so many dynamics to the show, Seussical’s cast and crew was extensive.  In addition to the actors, our band provided an impressive live pit directed by Austina Lee.

According to Senior Lilly Lemond, who played a citizen of Who-ville, “The cast got to be good friends and the costumes were fun.  We love to have dance parties!”  The colorful costumes were all thanks to the “theater moms” who graciously put together the whimsical ensembles, and their hard work certainly paid off.

“This production was a huge undertaking,” commented Susan Manst, AAHS theater director.  “The story line is complex, the costumes and makeup are unbelievable crazy and the technical aspects were very involved.  The group of students in this show were so committed and made me very proud.  I am grateful to work with the amazingly talented team of Mr. Hoit, Ms. Lee and Ms. Cassano.”

The hard work and talent of Air Academy’s theater and tech crew was very evident in our vibrant 2016 production of Seussical the Musical.