Editor’s note: This is a three-part series that delves into the world of theater, from the auditions to the lengthy rehearsals to production. If you missed any part of the series, visit: www.hudsoncurrent.com.
Part two: the rehearsal
Tension runs high throughout the auditorium as the actors scramble up the stairs for an ensemble musical number.
With only three weeks left before the opening of the musical Seussical at DeBaun Auditorium in Hoboken, the directors are putting the new cast through the paces.
Through the flurry of activity that is the first run-through with the entire cast, it is easy to see that the actors are pleased to be performing their craft – in fact, most seem almost giddy with it.
And they have ever right to be pleased, having made it through the audition process and beating out 69 people for a part in this elaborate musical production.
During the eight weeks of rehearsals, the 24 actors are following a rigorous schedule that often includes four nights per week of training, and even some weekends. Yet for most, the dedication required is a joy.
Eleven-year-old Leah Greenhaus, who auditioned for and plays JoJo, said she was “very excited” when she was told that she got the part.
“I had all of the winter break to go over the script,” said Leah, who had some help from her mom when learning her lines. “She’ll look at the book and I’ll recite the lines.”
Director Billy Mitchell, who has a knack for working with child actors, says that the trick is to treat them as adults.
“They actually work pretty well when you give them responsibility and hold them accountable,” said Mitchell.
The first run-through
The staging is a little rough during the first run-through, yet the overall story emerges.
Seussical includes familiar characters from the Dr. Seuss children’s books – the Cat in the Hat, the Whos, and Horton the Elephant (who hears a Who). The characters interact in the show, and one subplot involves Horton trying to prove the existence of Whos.
Yet, reading about a cat or an elephant isn’t quite the same thing as playing one. Many of the actors in this production have the added difficulty of playing a human who is playing an animal or bird with believability.
The Wickersham brothers, who play characters playing monkeys, take that difficulty to task in the first act, with an almost circus-inspired routine. The three actors (Eric Anderson, Mark Dunn, Robert Gonzales) shine during the song “Biggest Blame Fool.”
Leah, who is one of the youngest actors in the production, plays the character JoJo with aplomb. Not only does she sing her little heart out, she moves on the stage with an uncanny grace that belies her age.
Although much of the script has been memorized by the actors, there are parts in which they read from the book. A few of the more confident actors try to make it through without help, only to break into laughs when a line or two is flubbed.
At one point during the action, Mitchell stops the cast to reset the stage when he notices that a few actors are facing the wrong way.
While there is still much to be done before the opening, including lighting, sound design, set construction, and costumes – it’s plain to see that many of the actors have already begun working on their characters.
Mayzie La Bird (played by Lezlee Benninger) and Gertrude McFuzz (played by Laura Yoder) have done wonders with their songs “Amayzing Mayzie” and “Amayzing Gertrude.”
Adding layers
The ever-patient Mitchell is quick to compliment the actors for their work. During the break between the two acts at the first run-through, Mitchell said, “I’m not giving notes, because there are things that I have to help you with. Most of the things I’ve asked you to do, you’re doing. So let’s get to Act Two.”
According to Mitchell, the hardest part of creating any production is always the casting.
“We were fortunate enough to get people that for most part [were] our first choice for the characters,” said Mitchell. “Even people who were cast in the ensemble were capable of playing bigger roles, which raises the level of the bar.”
A subtext of the plot is a ’70s variety show theme throughout the musical that director Mitchell added as a layer.
“Sometimes you want a certain picture on stage, but at no point do you want it to be still,” said Mitchell.
Mitchell also had to consider the many entrances and exits happening between musical numbers.
“It’s important to me that the audience gets used to certain things like where the Whos enter from, because there are two different worlds throughout the story,” said Mitchell. “It is sort of generally represented and it is up to us to make [the audience] understand.”
Creating harmony
But character work, placement, and lines are only part of the job that the actors face. They must also learn how to sing complicated harmonies.
Musical director Liz Gerbi, who has worked with cast members since rehearsals began, now faces the difficult process of fine-tuning the cast to hit all the right notes.
While there isn’t a single cast member with a bad voice (in fact, many have exceptional voices), Gerbi notes that on some of the songs, the actors are “sliding” between notes.
Gerbi tells the Bird Girls, who have to sing a tight four-part harmony, to practice together in someone’s apartment “to function more tightly.”
She tells the cast that when they are in doubt about holding a note “to cut it short.”
While some of the harmonies aren’t yet up to opening-night level, many of the solos are.
Mitchell tells the cast to sing louder even if they don’t know it.
“It’s actually easier to hear where the mistakes are if you sing at full volume,” he says.
Theater magic
At a later rehearsal only days before opening, many earlier staging problems have been smoothed out.
There is a determined focus and a palpable energy amongst the cast, which gives new meaning to some of the lines that were previously lost.
Although not yet in costume, several of the actors indicate their character with a certain hat or bag.
Many of the ensemble numbers show a marked improvement, allowing the actors to shine.
In fact, there are several that have come to life including the complicated “Having a Hunch,” which demonstrates the combined talents of the cast and crew.
Yet while the actors polish their performance, behind-the-scenes tension mounts.
Mitchell, Gerbi, and the entire production staff worry over the minutia – a dropped cue, a scene change, an actor’s voice. It is now their job to ensure that all the disparate parts and subtext come together to form an unforgettable theater production.
Seussical opens this weekend at DeBaun, 5th and Hudson Streets in Hoboken, with performances on Feb. 8, 9, 15, 16, 22, & 23 at 8 p.m. and performances on Feb. 10, 17, & 24 at 3 p.m. Tickets are: $25/adults, $20/students and seniors, and $15 for children. For more information, visit: www.debaun.org or call (201) 216-8937. Comments on this piece can be sent to: current@hudsonreporter.com.