Category Archives: Fund-raiser

EPIC’s Seussical the Musical

Fund-raiser, Musical, Off-Broadway May 11, 2025 Leave a comment

Seussical the Musical was not exactly a hit with the critics when it ran on Broadway about 25 years ago.  Nonetheless, the familiarity of the characters and its themes, including the consequences of cronyism and the importance of staying true to yourself, resonated with audiences.  It continues to be performed regionally with its “junior” version popular in schools throughout the country.  These messages also make it a fitting selection for EPIC’s diverse troupe.  The cast’s palpable joy in performing a work that embraces such a delightful and distinctive population makes for an easy-to-love experience for the whole family.

Horton the Elephant (Gianluca Cirafici) surrounded by the Wickersham Brothers

For those unfamiliar with the script, it is adapted from several children’s books written and illustrated by Theodor Geisel aka Dr. Seuss.  Music is by Stephen Flaherty with lyrics by Lynn Ahrens.  Two of the plots feature a compassionate elephant portrayed by an endearing Gianluca Cirafici sporting soft floppy ears.  The third story line moves the focus to his love-struck neighbor, Gertrude McFuzz, depicted with pizzazz and warmth by Natalie Kaiser, accompanying herself on kazoo.  To attract Horton’s attention, the self-conscious bird grows an impressive tail with the help of Dr Dake (Ethan Jones).  Other Seuss inventions that make appearances large and small are the famous trickster The Cat in the Hat (Shoshanna Gleich), a bluesy Sour Kangaroo (Emily DeMaio) and her Baby (Anjel Bell), a judicious Yertle the Turtle (Prince Hurst), and the Wickersham Brothers (Miles Butler, Ethan Homan, Nick Moscato, Sven W) who never get tired of literally monkeying around.

Gertrude McFuzz (Natalie Kaiser, center) growing a tail with the help of Dr Dake (Ethan Jones) and encouragement from The Cat in the Hat (Shoshanna Gleich).

The opening is primarily based on Horton Hears a Who. Finding an entire populated planet on a clover, Horton appoints himself protector aided by the Smallest Who of All, Jojo embodied in the tiny but mighty Christine Newberry.  It is she who calls forth a universe of Seussian creations with her unbridled imagination.  Standout Matt Tierney has a wonderful time soliciting both laughs and donations from the audience as her father the Mayor.  Sandy Gladstone Karpe is Mrs. Mayor rendered with overflowing glass of chardonnay in hand.

Jojo (Christine Newberry) with her disapproving parents, Mrs. Mayor (Sandy Gladstone Karpe) and Mr. Mayor (Matt Tierney)

As if the Whos of Whoville and their speck of dust world (Bre Baron, Sami Binder, Miles Butler, Tess Carvelli, Shafer Gootkind, Prince Hurst, Ethan Jones, Genesis Solivan) weren’t responsibility enough, Horton then falls for the manipulations of Mayzie Labird, taken on with sass a-plenty by Kayla Robinson, who tricks him into sitting on her egg.  As is appropriate, all the birds, including Kaiser and Robinson plus the powerhouse “Bad Girls” trio of Alice Frannsen, Rachel Paine, and Elisa Weiss, bring vocal purity to all of their songs. 

Mayzie Labird (Kayla Robinson, second from the left) with the Bad Girls: Alice Frannsen, Rachel Paine, and Elisa Weiss

Scenic designer Christian Flemming has done an admirable job capturing Seuss’s drawing style in three dimensions encircled by an “Oh, the Places You’ll Go” rainbow sidewalk.  Likewise Izzy Kitch’s whimsical costumes and elaborate headgear.  Props by Dana Weintraub include miniature everyday items for the Whos and of course a Red Fish and a Blue Fish.  Against this background, Artistic Director Aubrie Therrien and her Co-Director Meggan Dodd have added their usual high-energy interaction.  Choreographer Travis Burbee provides several effervescent dance numbers. 

The Cast of EPIC Players’ Seussical the Musical

Since 2016, EPIC Players (Empower, Perform, Include, Create) has been dedicated to creating professional performing arts opportunities and a supportive social environment for Neurodivergent and Disabled artists.  With its wonderful range of colorful characters, Seussical the Musical is a perfect match for their talents and mission.  As a Mother’s Day “gift,” on Sunday May 11th their performance will be relaxed with ASL interpretation.  There couldn’t be a better time to deliver the message that “a person’s a person’s no matter how small.”  So if you could use a reminder of How Lucky You Are, head to ART/NY The Mezzanine Theatre, 502 W 53rd St. now through May 18.  Tickets are $35-$65 and can be purchased online at https://epicplayers.ticketspice.com/epic-players-presents-seussical.  

Photos by Zui Gomez

College Fun

Comedy, Fund-raiser, Off Off Broadway May 22, 2023 Leave a comment

When I heard there was a theater troupe called the Frog & Peach, I simply had to see what they were up to.  Though they were founded in large part to make Shakespeare more accessible to a broad audience, their most recent production, College Fun, is a 35 minute long sharp-edged satire written by founding company member Ted Zurkowski.  With its setting at an elite university in Southern California and its relentless puncturing of a certain brand of authority figure, it reflects many of the qualities of Beyond the Fringe, the innovators of the routine about the world’s most revolting restaurant.

A lifetime member of The Actors Studio, Mr. Zurkowski has recently been focused on the musical portion of his career.  It would appear that for the creation of College Fun, he drew on his past experience as a teacher of theater history. The objects of his ire are those in the education community who employ the language of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion without embracing or even understanding the movement.  Buzz words like “unpack,” “curate,” and “thought leader” are tossed around as if their mere use can take the place of their intended, beneficial goals.  

The cast features DazMann Still as the Everyman Teacher appropriately named Professor Jones, a black member of the theater department who who has somehow triggered one of his rich white students.  Alyssa Diamond’s wildly inappropriate Dr. Ram is the first to confront him, though she won’t even tell him the nature of the offense or who filed the complaint.  Filling in some of the blanks is Jonathan Reed Wexler as the over-the-top flamboyant Dr. Queeg.  It falls to the questionable power figure Dr. Pane, portrayed by Anuj Parikh, to complete the increasingly ridiculous picture. 

DazMann Still, Anuj Parikh, Alyssa Diamond and Jonathan Reed Wexler in College Fun

The one-night performance of College Fun was made possible in part by the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs. It was staged at the Marjorie S. Deane Little Theatre, a 145 seat house in the West Side YMCA near Lincoln Center.  As explained on the Frog & Peach Theatre’s website, the charming co-founder Lynnea Benson was chosen as the director because she’s the “least hammy and most wily” among them.  She made use of the physicality of her actors and a well-chosen wardrobe to give color to the simple set of a few wooden chairs, two tables, and a sad potted plant as background.  Diamond, Wexler, and Parikh previously worked together in the company’s production of As You Like It, giving them a familiarity that is useful to Still as his character navigates a progressively surreal landscape.  At key points, Professor Jones speaks directly to the audience as if to acknowledge that any discussion with his idiotic interrogators is pointless.

Zurkowski and Benson are now developing a new work, Verbatim, with Estelle Parsons and Austin Pendleton, so stay tuned.