This coming weekend on the Pine-Richland stage,
Storybook characters will spring from the page.
Horton will be there and so will the Whos.
Spotlights will shine on Thing 1 and Thing 2.

Figments of Dr. Seuss' imagination come to life in "Seussical," a delightful stew of stories, including "The Cat in the Hat" and "Green Eggs and Ham."

The show requires an ensemble cast, making it a perfect fit for Pine-Richland's thriving theater department. More than a hundred students auditioned for a chance to live out their childhood literary fantasies.

"Our production team decided to do this musical because we wanted to feature a lot of students," says Tim Marquette, a district alumnus who is making his directorial debut. "We are blessed with a wave of talented kids this year."

There are 55 cast members, between 40 and 50 students on the stage crew, and around 25 teenage musicians in the pit orchestra. Most of them grew up on Dr. Seuss' silly rhymes and nonsense words.

The musical incorporates elements from at least 15 Dr. Seuss books and follows the adventures of Horton the Elephant, who one day hears voices coming from a speck of dust. Horton discovers that within this tiny speck exists the smallest planet in the universe.

During the course of the musical, the Cat in the Hat makes appearances, providing narration to help younger members of the audience keep track of what's happening.

Junior Lauren Gigliotti, 17, is geeked to portray Miss Gertrude McFuzz. Francesco Salpietro, 17, plays her onstage crush, Horton.

Arielle Katcher, a 16-year-old junior, says she got hooked on the performing arts after watching the high school musical in second grade. Now, nearly a decade later, she'll be shaking her tail feathers as Mayzie LaBird.

Belting out songs like Aretha Franklin is senior Jenna Panza's favorite pastime. She'll get to showcase her vocal skills as the soulful Sour Kangaroo.

The "Seussical" cast took the show on the road earlier this week and visited all three of the district's elementary schools. Marquette is certain that he'll see the same young faces in the audience this weekend and hopes to direct them once they get older.

"We're definitely going to attract lots of families with this performance, lots of elementary students," he says.

Children of all ages will enjoy the colorful sets, costumes and dance numbers.

"It's basically just fun," says choreographer Christen Braun, another PR graduate. "I don't know how else to describe it."