On January 26 and 27, 29 Elementary School (ES) students from Grades 4 and 5 participated in the musical production “Seussical Kids!”
Based on the works of children’s author and cartoonist Dr. Seuss, the musical “transports audiences from the Jungle of Nool to Who-Ville, where the Cats in the Hats, the narrators, tell the story of Horton, an elephant who discovers a speck of dust containing tiny people called the Whos, including Jojo, a Who child, who gets in trouble for thinking too many ‘thinks.’” The musical includes familiar characters such as the irresponsible Mayzie La Bird and the intrepid Gertrude McFuzz, who never loses faith in Horton.
Tracy Caton, Grade 1 teacher and Director for the ES musical, shares, “It was great to see the students grow so much during rehearsals. Many students didn’t know what they were signing up for when they joined the ES Musical After School Activity (ASA) and didn’t even know what a musical was. They’ve learned many new skills, such as singing, acting, expression, and choreography. It’s been great!”
When asked about the message behind the musical, Tracy remarks that a person’s a person, no matter how small. “Valuing other people and celebrating the differences in people highlight that no one’s better than anyone else. We are all the same,” says Tracy.
She adds, “We also had wonderful volunteer helpers who helped with the process, everyone from Elementary to High School students to parents and faculty giving their extra time to help with the whole process. We couldn’t have done this without them. ”
With a fantastic turnout for both performances, proceeds from the musical were donated to Greater Action, a Bandar Baru Ampang-based nonprofit organization dedicated to bettering the lives of 250 at-risk refugee families.
The audience was truly mesmerized by the colorful and creative production and congratulations to the immensely talented cast and crew. Performing in front of an audience can take a lot of courage, especially for younger people, yet these performers showed their competence, enthusiasm, and self-assurance in their art.
