Seussical the Musical, performed by the Riverwatch Middle School Drama Club, combines familiar Dr. Seuss favorites with music and talented choreography, bringing audiences closer to the nostalgic stories. The musical takes inspiration from works like “Horton Hears a Who”, the “Cat in the Hat”, and “Horton Hatches and Egg”, taking a contemporary spin on beloved stories. Featuring characters like Horton, the Whos, Gertrude McFuzz, Mayzie La Bird, The Sour Kangaroo, the play hopes to perform a retelling reminiscent of Seussian favorites. With the help of the Acting Troupe of Lambert (ATL)’s tech crew, the Riverwatch Drama Club brings the play to Lambert, performing the show in the Lambert Auditorium.
Having the older high schoolers allowed the middle schoolers to talk about their future in drama, ask questions about performing and understand the different aspects of being on stage in front of so many people. The tech crew provided support with lighting, stage transitions and the sound. For many students, Riverwatch’s drama program provided a perfect leeway into the high school troupe and helped them become more confident and comfortable with the stage.
Lambert’s own, Audrey Starrett, attended the Saturday night performance. Starrett has been a part of theater since her junior year and has continued into senior year, leading her fellow students and engaging in the program.
“They did an amazing job and there is definitely a ton of talent that is about to be brought to Lambert,” Starrett said. “Without the middle school theater program, there would be less interest for the theater pathway at our school, so they should definitely keep that going.”
For Starrett, she enjoyed the opportunity to hang out with the middle schoolers, and help them grow as theatre students. They are soon to be Lambert students that can learn about different parts of theatre, including how the tech crew at Lambert operates, and how musical theatre students practice and perform. The directors teach them how to create a flawlessly transitioned performance while also handling all backstage work.
“This program has helped the kids get more comfortable with the processes that we have in high school including, mics, costumes, choreography, tech run crew and the musical overall,” Starrett explained.
Now as the play’s runtime has reached an end, Lambert congratulates the Riverwatch Drama Crew for performing what is sure to be a crowd-pleasing performance. Months of hard work, time and effort have finally paid off for these students as they finish off, and Lambert is proud to have hosted such an amazing show and performance.
