Brian Blair
If there were any better source of sheer, flat-out community fun and exuberance this past weekend than the local Mill Race Theatre Company’s grand presentation of “Seussical,” I’m unaware of it.
This is to shine a well-deserved spotlight on a nonprofit troupe that just did in about seven weeks what it has done most every summer since 1969: piece together a lavish, sparkling, creative musical showcasing the area’s better actors, singers, musicians, dancers, choreographers, set designers, you name it — and all on a restrained budget.
Sunday’s closing matinee easily triggered a hooting standing ovation from a Judson Erne Auditorium crowd of a few hundred people ranging from children to probably 80-year-olds. So now is a good time for us to suitably recognize the tough-to-precisely-target, yet huge value of polished community theater that inspires, educates, pokes, prods, challenges and entertains (and this goes for troupes doing sellout dinner theater in Hope, too).
As fun-loving as “Seussical” is, it should also be noted that it also is rich with super serious themes about the value of each individual (and especially those whom many could see as insignificant), the strength of a unified group, and the power of gratitude. Any time a community puts that centerstage in these sociologically unbalanced times, we all benefit far beyond the reach of the arts.
The $15 ticket would have been well worth it, even beyond the superb principal characters, exclusively for the initial, joyous, ensemble number just a few minutes beyond the opening curtain; or just for costume designer Sue Lindhorst and her team’s fabulous creations; or only for music director Ciaran Hill and his pit orchestra’s uber-varied talents to move smoothly through numbers ranging from jazz to calypso; or just for the unmatched kinetic comedy of the characters of Thing 1 (Alayna Nelson) and Thing 2 (Maria Sanchez Cisneros).
An audience member who has seen his share of shows in south-central Indiana commented at intermission that this presentation probably could be favorably compared to professional-caliber productions in a metro city such as Indianapolis. I agree.
After the curtain fell, it was sweet to see youngsters in the venue lobby fetching cast members’ autographs.
Given the remarkable talent here, adult attendees might want to consider such a post-show pastime themselves at the next production.
