Somers Middle School brings Dr. Seuss classic to life

The world of Dr. Seuss comes to life on the new Somers Middle School stage with performances of “Seussical Jr.” at 6:30 p.m. Friday, May 14, and Saturday, May 15, and continuing May 20 and 21.

In its fourth season, Somers Middle School Theater’s “Seussical Jr.” illuminates the power of small voices to make big changes.

In the Jungle of Nool, Horton the pondering elephant (Collin Olson) hears a faint cry for help, igniting a chain of events sure to bring excitement and whimsy to the stage. Buffeted by wind gusts at every turn, the Mayors of Whoville (Brady Fried and Charis Wendle) trust Horton to protect the clover on which their tiny world has come to rest. Yet, as Horton listens and cares for his newfound friends, a mischievous gang of monkeys (Katelyn Thompson, Alana Wilcox, Merry Walker, Bella Wolfe, Melody Hantz, Michelle Deyoung, Hunter Mitchell) led by the Sour Kangaroo (Isabelle McKoy) stir up trouble. Rejected by his fellow jungle animals for the preposterous belief that “a person’s a person no matter how small,” Horton braves storms and a rollicking sea in defense of the invisible world he knows exists.

Meanwhile in Whoville, goaded by the Cat in the Hat (Nalani Sullivan), young Jojo (Ali Putzler), the Mayor’s imaginative daughter, stirs up trouble of her own. Will the power of imagination and empathy be enough to unite these different worlds? Or will fear and tradition stand in the way of accepting differences and standing up for the unbelievable?

Additional roles are played by Gracyne Johnson, Marley Bain, Natasha Ilin, Mackenzie Murray, Keelan Moore, Audrey Ruonavaara, Anna Bain, Madilyn Bain, Savannah Hutcherson, Madison Bonnett, Brylee Pickering, Jillian Murdock, Allen Curtin, Liam Sullivan, Jerrick Erickson, Everett Weber, and Dimitri Ilin. Cori Bergenheier and Cordilla Dederick are tech crew.

Contact the front office for seat reservations. Masks are required for admittance.