Review of “Seussical"

"Seussical”: From One Audience Members Perspective

The Cerro Coso theatre department recently ran a three day production of “Seussical, A Dr. Seuss Musical” directed by faculty member Melinda Fogle-Oliver. The musical featured music by Stephen Flaherty, lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, book by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty. The musical was co-conceived by Lynn Ahrens, Stephen Flaherty and Eric Idle and was based on the works of Dr. Seuss.

I enjoyed the musical immensely, but I would definitely say that my 4 year old son found it to be far more magical. By the end of the performance he was literally dancing in his seat along with the performers as the show closed. To me that says something about the power of a performance if it can hold the attention of a child that young and keep them enchanted throughout - and he was captivated the entire 2 hours of the show!

We were transported to the mythical world of Seuss, through the Jungle of Nool, and the microscopic world of Whoville. It was a whimsical, fantastical, hysterical, and magical venture through the imagination of Seuss where elephants talk and kangaroos sing. Led by the Cat in the Hat, we met some of our favorite Seuss characters including Horton the Elephant, The Grinch, Lazie Mayzie, Gertrude McFuzz, and all the Whos of Whoville. The classical tales were seamlessly woven together in a tapestry of color and energetic music.

The set design was simple, with a tile floor of cream and teal large squares and two large backdrops painted with Seuss-style art scenes. All of the props used fit with the Seuss style of objects and art. I thought that the costumes were done cleverly since several of the actors/actresses played multiple parts. Their face paint was done in a whimsical manner, stylistically reminiscent of Seuss, but in a way that made them able to go from one costume to another and look good in any outfit. I found it amusing that the stage hands had numbers on them, and I believe that was a reference to the numbers on some of the Dr. Seuss characters from his stories.

I thought the entire cast performed wonderfully but a few of the stand outs in my opinion were; Gertrude (Brittany Candra Throckmorton), Horton the Elephant (Savanah Liska), and JoJo (Becki Cornett). These three ladies have wonderful voices but beyond that they really exude the personalities of their characters and are very emotive in their actions and their facial expressions. You connect with them and therefore connect with their characters and find yourself moved by them. An excellent performance by them all.

The primary themes of the musical were to be aware of “How Lucky You Are” and that “a person’s a person, no matter how small.” The first focused on the idea that no matter how difficult things may get it is important to know that they can always get worse. Count your blessings and know that everything will be okay. The production team was successful in doing this because it was very touching at parts of the story and it made me think about how lucky I am. I shouldn't stress out so much about little things and remember to hang on to the friends and family I have. The second focused on the concept that everyone has value, no matter how small they are, what they look like, or what they do. I found this theme very endearing, especially when Horton the Elephant was singing to the little tiny Who’s that they were important, no matter how small they were. I was very impressed with this production.

The production itself, as mentioned earlier, is a musical that is a combination of some of the Dr. Seuss stories. We meet Horton the Elephant who hears a Who and ends up in a tree sitting on Mayzie’s egg, JoJo the Who that gets in trouble for thinking too much but whose thinking saves the day, and Gertrude, the bird with the one feather tail who tries to get Horton’s attention by taking some pills to grow a fancy tail, but then can’t fly because her tail grows so long! We see the Grinch, Yertle the Turtle, a Sour Kangaroo, Cindy Lou Who, and a variety of other characters that made the evening a hoot. I felt the story was a wonderful blend of the original Seuss books, and I enjoyed the songs very much.

I found the production to be whimsical and energetic. I also found it to be moving and the story of Horton and the Who’s in particular very compassionate. The music was lively and made you want to sing along. As evidenced by my 4 year old, it also made you want to get up and dance along with the characters. I was happy to see that in the end Horton found the Who’s and that he wasn’t the only one who heard them anymore; that Gertrude finally got Horton to notice her; that JoJo saved the day and the Who’s realized that thinking wasn’t such a bad thing after all. It was definitely a journey I, and I’m sure my son, will not soon forget!

More Seussical Photos

More Whiskey Flat Days Fun

Yes, Whiskey Flat Days is a fun-filled weekend. However, there is tons of history behind this annual event. Kernville, California was first established during the Gold Rush days, but was known as the town of Whiskey Flat. Many miners were travelling through this region and a man by the name of Adam Hamilton saw this as a great business prospect. Hamilton set up a tent next to the Kern River and began selling whiskey to the prospecters that came through the valley. Next thing you know, Whiskey Flat was a town.

Some years later, a dam was built on the Kern River that created our own Lake Isabella. When this happened, the town of Whiskey Flat had to be relocated to a higher spot on the mountain. This is when the town became Kernville, as we know it today. As the Gold Rush dwindled down, people began to really settle into the town of Kernville. However, they were faced with a challenge: not many people wanted to travel all the way up here in the mountains. So, they decided to devise a plan that would bring tourists, and therefore more money into the town. Without tourism, the people knew that Kernville would not last.

The people agreed to have some kind of a celebration to attract people. According to The Kern Valley Sun, "Lloree Knowles, a local real estate broker, was the first to recommend that the community use a frontier-type celebration to try to bring more people into the Valley during the slack winter period." Then, Ardis Walker, a local historian and author, suggested the name "Whiskey Flat Days" because he thought that it would be a great way to showcase the town's historic past. The first Whiskey Flat Days kicked off in 1958 and has been growing ever since.

There you have it! The history of Whiskey Flat Days in Kernville, California.

As Candace said, there is so much to see here...and some GREAT artwork too.

But for me, the best part is that it offers fun for the whole family.

Whiskey Flat Days

Hello again everyone! I hope everyone in the Kern River valley managed to make it up to Whiskey Flats and enjoy the festivities. I managed to make it for a few hours but didn't have much time to spend there. For those of you who are not from the area and are not familiar with the celebration, it is an annual event held in Kernvills to celebrate the history of the town. Vendors come from al over the United States to sell their goods; everything from home-made kettle corn to clothes and art. There are also events such as a shoot-out held in the park (following the western heritage of the town) and a carnival for the kids. I got a chance to speak to one of the vendors, Paul Harding, who comes to Kernville each year from San Jose, where he and his wife sell various goods, many hand-made. They have a great website; its definitely worth checking out. All of the pictures I have here are from their booth.
It seems like there are a dwindling number of good artists and good art each year. Maybe it's just me, or maybe I'm going on the wrong days, but I think the new restrictions put on sellable goods by the Chamber of Commerce has something to do with it. A few years ago, there were two different booths that sold original paintings that were remarkable, and all I saw this year were prints. Maybe I just missed them. I do miss some of the good stuff because I always have to work all weekend. Hopefully some year I'll make it to the carnival, or catch some of the live music at Riverside Park.

Men of Worth

This past Friday I had the pleasure of attending a concert featuring the Celtic duo Men of Worth. I’ve seen this duo many times over the past 9 years that they have been coming to Cerro Coso College. Each Fall Men of Worth has entertained concert goers with their humor, casual and friendly attitude, and of course their wonderful folk music.

This concert is a treasure to all who attend. The back and forth friendly banter always draws a laugh, and James and Donnie know how to draw the audience in. Their ability to adapt on the fly, to bring attention in a light-hearted way to someone coming in late or clapping off beat, always amuses the audience. The concert is very informal and the audience is often regaled with stories of their travels to the location, or rather mishaps along the way. The musicians also share stories about the music, helping the audience to understand the meaning behind the words or the relevant history to help enlighten the listener to the significance of the songs. Songs are performed in both English and Gaelic and include exciting tunes and heartfelt ballads.

Something that really sets these musicians apart is that they welcome the audience to come down during the mid-concert break and talk with them and look at their instruments, which include a mandolin, accordion, bodhrans, guitar, concertina, banjo and mandola. Because of the intimate atmosphere at their concert you really feel like you’re enjoying an evening with a couple of old friends. James and Donnie have often said that their visit to Cerro Coso is one of their favorite stops on their fall concert tour, and for this concert goer, it is one of my favorite Fall events to attend.

Men of Worth was formed in 1986 by James Keigher from Ireland and Donnie Macdonald from Scotland. They currently reside in Southern Oregon and Northern California, the duo travel frequently, bringing the Gaelic culture to audiences throughout the western states. Learn more about Men of Worth by visiting their website, and look forward to their 2007 concert to be held next November.

Creative Expressions Art Show Review

This past weekend I attended the Creative Expressions Art Show. What a plethora of talent! There was a variety of paintings, some graphite and colored pencil work, ceramics, gourd art, rock art, candles, decorated artificial trees, pottery, and cut paper Chinese pictures. The Chinese cut paper work was amazing, the delicacy of the paper, and the intricacy of the designs just blew me away; I even had to ask if they were all done by hand. Nna Chapman, the artist, showed me that all of work was done with just an ordinary cutting razor, just like the kind you’d find in any craft section, the ones with breakaway blades. That blew me away even more, I was sure that she must use some special tool to create her art.

I spoke with one of the jewelry artists whose abalone necklaces caught my eye (and whose fake ice crystal decorations enthralled my 3-year old). I asked where she got her materials and she said that she frequents bead stores while on travel and collects a multitude of beads and materials and then later designs the jewelry. She said that sometimes she’ll have a single art bead for years before she finds the coordinating beads that will complete the design. I was very impressed with her work, and especially the variety of her designs. I’ll definitely be back at her table again at Santa’s Art Shop, the next major local arts and crafts festival.

I was also able to meet Lois Hinman, a fabulous local artist whose ceramics work and paintings are very high quality, and Kathi Moe, who both organized the art show. Hinman has been involved with pottery for 30 years, and painting for the past 12. Moe has is a long-time Creative Expressions member, whose tole painting and wearable art has been seen, collected, and worn in Ridgecrest for many years.

The artist I was most interested to check out was Paula Caudill (Dragonfly Pottery), a friend and colleague, whose work I’ve admired for some time. Paula is a painter and ceramic artist who got her start in ceramics at Cerro Coso College where she first took ceramic classes, and received her A.A. in Art. Paula has been a resident of Ridgecrest for many years, leaving for a brief time to pursue her Bachelor’s degree in Art at Humboldt State University. Paula’s sculpture and paintings are very expressive and her pottery demonstrates a solid skill in both form and function. Paula is ever one to explore new things, and I was intrigued by her creations using polymer clay over glass – kaleidoscope of color with flowing patterns that look like an explosion of color. Her polymer work included plates, bowls, cups, flower vases, and candle vases, which when illuminated had the most wonderful translucent stone appearance.

We also talked about a new glaze she was using that had a deep teal color that was very appealing. I inquired about some of the different glazes as some appeared to be over porcelain and were very smooth, while others were darker and rough. I was surprised to learn that there were several pieces that used the same glaze, but were used over different clay bodies, one being white stoneware clay, the other being rich dark ‘electric brown’ clay. It was amazing the difference that the clay itself made to the results of the glaze. Having worked with only a few glazes and single type of clay in my own experience, it was a pleasure to learn more about how the clay body affects the glazing process.

Paula invited me, and any other interested persons, to come to an upcoming show the “Potted Barn” on December 9th from 9 to 4 at one of the participating artists studios located at 2168 S. Gateway, Ridgecrest, where more of her work will be displayed and sold. The Potted Barn started as a group of potters but it has expanded to include jewelry, metal work, and a variety of artistic creations. Hopefully I’ll have a chance to check out the Potted Barn and will share my discoveries after the visit. Check back for more information about upcoming art shows and artists in the Indian Wells and Kern River Valley area.

Paula's Pottery, Polymer Clay work, and Jewelry

Paula Caudill, Dragonfly Pottery

Creative Expressions Art Show

This weekend the Creative Expressions art show comes to Ridgecrest. Creative Expressions is a community of local artists that was formed nearly twenty years ago by artists Kathi Moe, Lois Hinman, Donnie Woods, and other locals. The Creative Expressions show, offered twice a year, features the work of member and guest artists from the local community. Participating artists have an opportunity not only to share, but also to sell their work. The range of art is wide, from pottery to paintings to jewelry, crafts, rock art, and more. For anyone interested in art and the crafts of local artisans, this is a wonderful opportunity to partake of the talent in the Indian Wells Valley.

The Creative Expressions is showing from 9am to 5pm Friday and Saturday, November 3rd and 4th at the Kerr McGee Center in Ridgecrest, California. Admission is free.

Look for a follow-up article featuring my visit to the Creative Expressions art show, and my review of the work of local artist Paula Caudill.