Arts & Entertainment

'Seussical' is More Than A Musical for Newtown Kids

The musical, sponsored by the 12/14 foundation, runs August 9-11 at Newtown High School.

Above: Student Brittany Watson, part of Seussical's Bird Girls ensemble, describes the experience as a "fun and great place to be."

Written by Davis Dunavin


Something incredible happened at Saturday's rehearsal for Seussical, the upcoming musical produced by the 12/14 Foundation and opening August 9 at Newtown High School.

"There's a scene where all the kids pass a dust speck," said director Michael Unger, referring to a scene in Dr. Seuss's Horton Hears a Who where characters guard a dust speck containing the tiny world of Whoville. As the dozens of Newtown students participating in the musical passed the speck, one student forgot their cue. Others filled in, keeping the speck from falling.

"It's okay if you forget," Unger said of the scene's message. "We're going to take care of you."

Scenes like that one -- and others in the Tony Award-winning team Lynn Ahrens and -- brought an emotional response from "everyone in the room," said 12/14 Foundation founder Michael Baroody.

"When that little switch turned, it got extremely emotional," said Baroody. "The whole room was crying and hugging each other today. It was exactly what we wanted it to do. This is going to be far different than anything anyone has ever done."

86 Newtown students -- including about 40 elementary and middle school students, according to Unger -- join Broadway veteran John Tartaglia in what Unger describes as a "very professional production."

"It's not a kids' show," Unger said. "They're full-on days. We're not treating these kids any different than we would professional performers."

Unger says the 86 students involved have formed a tight-knit community, and have grown emotionally from the experience.

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"I know we're making kids experience joy, laugh, cry sometimes, be honest with one another and support each other."

One student -- 17-year-old Brianna Bauch, who plays Gertrude in the show, said the experience has brought back "hope, and that sense of community and unity."

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"After what happened on Dec. 14, we lost a lot of hope and felt like we lost control," Bauch said. "To be able to put on the show, we’re in control of what we put out on the stage."

"It’s been such an incredible experience: the love, the support – the family; the uniting as one has just been evident in everything – from behind the scenes, to rehearsals," said Brianna’s mother, Jane Bauch. "Every person has just been a beacon of light."

Baroody formed the 12/14 Foundation with the vision of eventually providing a performing arts center for Newtown.

"But we aren't going to wait until that building has been constructed," he said. "There's a way for every type of person to be involved with something like this. It may be a musical this time, a dance performance next time. After this, we're going to brainstorm. We're reaching out to the best people in the world."

For more information, and to buy tickets, visit the 12/14 Foundation's website.


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