Middle School wows with their production

 “The Seussification of Romeo and Juliet.”

“The Seussification of Romeo and Juliet” ran March 12 – 14, 2020, in the Robert B. Gaw Theatre at ISKL. Presented by the Middle School, the show was directed by Bruce McDonald, with excellent help from Assistant Director Megan Turner, Choreography Supervisor Karen Palko, and Scenery Constructor Jeffrey Ormrod.

The play, by Peter Bloedel, is the classic Romeo and Juliet story as if Dr. Seuss had written it himself – which of course, meant it had a lot of fun and silliness and a happy ending!

The stage set had delightfully colorful scenery, including Seuss-style houses, a puffball tree with large ornaments made from feather boas and tinsel (creatively made by Loreena Burns), flowers, puffbush, balloons and a whimsical Seuss-bird in the style of a pink flamingo yard ornament.

Enormous banners of Shakespeare with Seuss hat and Dr. Seuss with Shakespeare hat framed the stage, and wildly colorful costumes and props added to the fun!

Many of the roles were double-cast – two students sharing a role and splitting performances.

The cast was led by 8th graders Oscar G. and Ferran K. double-cast as Romeo and 7th graders Trisha V. and Emma W. as Juliet. A crowd favorite was the Nurse, played by 7th graders Cyrus B. and Carl O. D. in British panto old dame style.

Notable sequences included a giant street brawl with weapons such as pool noodles, hula hoops, paper airplanes, nerf rockets, and such; a lively dance sequence with several student choreographers contributing moves; and a kiss squad complete with Kiss band rock-n-rollers.

Furthermore, a bumballoon (balloon sword) battle between Mercutio (played by Yasseen E.D. and Julian L.) and Tybalt (played by Lucas M. and Jason R.) took things up a notch, and stage crew member Paul B. was kept busy as the balloon sculptor.

The large cast and production staff, along with a host of parent and teacher volunteers, made this huge endeavor the single biggest extracurricular activity in the school!

The Seussification of Romeo and Juliet was a bright spot amidst other events and gave everyone a smile and lots of fun!

Thank you to all the participants and all the audience members!

Bruce McDonald has been a theatre teacher for 40 years. ISKL is his eighth international school, and Seussification is his 228th production. When not busy in the theatre, he likes to travel, read, and maintain his “people collection” from all over the world.