Carnation City Players will bring the whimsical world of Dr. Seuss alive over the next two weekends at the Firehouse Theater.
A group of actors will present “Seussical Jr.” from Friday through Saturday, June 5-14.
Tony winners Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty have woven together characters from at least 15 Seuss classics into a fast-paced, heart-warming story that reminds us all that “a person’s a person, no matter how small.”
Guiding the audience into the giant imagination is the mischievous Cat in the Hat, played by homeschooled 2026 graduate Ava Fritz. She is making her 10th appearance with CCP before heading to Ohio University in the fall to major in acting.
Andrew Horning will play JoJo, a smart child from Whoville whose massive imagination keeps getting him into trouble for thinking too many unusual “thinks.” Horning is a rising eighth grader at Alliance Middle School who has performed in school productions such as “James and the Giant Peach.”
Jaymes Smith will make his CCP debut as JoJo’s imaginary friend, Horton the Elephant. Smith previously appeared in school productions that include “School House Rock Jr.”
Corie Horning, a rising junior at Alliance High School, will play Mayzie LaBird. She previously appeared in shows with CCP, Salem Community Theater and Canton Players Guild.
Horton and JoJo meet plenty of friends and troublemakers along the way. Alliance High 2026 graduate Makenna Root will play Gertrude McFuzz, the loyal neighbor who just wants Horton to notice her. She will perform with her younger brother Sam, who will play a Who and Hunter. Meanwhile, Mia Vigliotti, a 2026 Marlington High School graduate, will play Sour Kangaroo, whose sassy sidekick, Young Kangaroo, will be played by Ellie Kern.
The sassy Bird Girls will narrate the Jungle of Nool’s biggest gossip. Playing the birds will be Joliene Conrad, Addy Fox, Vivian Fritz, Reese Hays, Gabby Heslop, Grace McGeehen and Elle Nussbaum.
Meanwhile, bringing plenty of mischief to the jungle are the Wickersham Brothers, played by Sawyer Basford, making his CCP debut, Jayden Duchon, Deacon Harper, Carter Hoopes and Bennett Hunter.
Rounding out the chaos are Quinten Lewis as Vlad Vladikoff, and Connor Cole, in his CCP debut, as the Grinch.
Ty Nagle will play Mr. Mayor of Whoville, while Marlington junior Maddie Coblentz will play Mrs. Mayor. Coblentz is performing in her fifth CCP show.
Rounding out the cast are Ellie Lou Basalla, Autumn Caldwell, Gabe Cox, Lennon Davis, Ava Doak, Dominic Falconer, Ella Fontaine, Beatrix Fritz, Elliot Fritz, Philip Fritz, Ceci Griffin, Noah Griffin, Molly Hays, Lillian Hoopes, Marlie Hudachek, Willow Hudachek, Maleah Larsuel, Stella Pisanello, Aliyah Rounds, Aurelia Schneller, Ava Selander, Harmony Thomas, Brantley Wilson and McKenna Wolfe.
Veteran director Don McCallister is back at the helm after most recently directing “White Christmas.” Joining him is musical director Kim Lewis, celebrating 18 years of working with CCP youth, and stage manager Katie Jo Johnson.
Jenna Heslop, a dance student at Washington University, and Avery Horning, a freshman at Spring Arbor University, choreographed the show’s dances. The pair have been working together since the fourth grade.
Performances will be 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, June 5-6 and June 12-13; and 2:30 p.m. Sundays, June 7 and June 14. Reserve your seats at carnationcityplayers.org.
This article originally appeared on The Alliance Review: Carnation City Players set for ‘Seussical Jr.’ in Alliance
Reporting by Special to The Alliance Review / The Alliance Review
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By Special to The Alliance Review | USA TODAY Network
