The Phantom Project Theatre at La Habra Depot brings their production of Seussical Junior
by: Steve Cisneros
Published: July 7, 2025
LA HABRA...The Phantom Projects Theatre (311 South Euclid St, La Habra CA) continues its decades long commitment to arts education and accessibility by presenting its second annual No-Fee, No Tuition, Summer all-youth musical, Seussical, Jr July 11-27.
The production, featuring nearly 70 students from LA and Orange Counties, ages 8-18, is once again offered to the participants without charging any fees, tuition, or costume charges; the alarming trend of charging students nearly $1,000 to be part of a Summer program is a format Steve Cisneros, Founder of Phantom Projects, vowed to never do when they took over the historic La Habra Depot theatre in 2021.
Cisneros adds “The idea that any family would be unable to be part of a live theatrical production due to financial restraints breaks my heart. Our goal every summer is to allow students of all backgrounds the opportunity to participate in an exciting Summer Camp that ends in a live performance. We will fund it the old fashion way: through ticket sales, program ads and fundraisers. We will never fund it through fees.”
Tickets are on sale now by calling 714-690-2900 or visiting: www.ThePhantomProjectsThetare.com Discounts for students, seniors (Over 55) and residents of La Habra are available. The Phantom Projects Theatre at La Habra Depot is located at 311 South Euclid St, La Habra CA 90631
Seussical JR. Co-conceived by Lynn Ahrens, Stephen Flaherty and Eric Idle, Seussical JR. combines Dr. Seuss tales using many musical styles – ranging from Latin to pop, swing to gospel, and R&B to funk – as colorful as the classic books.
The production is Directed and Choreographed by Sharie Nitkin and Musical Directed by Michelle Hernandez.
The production features two casts of young performers
THE YOPP CAST: Mercury Gonzales as Horton, Sierra Kim-Staniec as Jojo, Abigail Lemus as Cat, Indiana Bomgaars as Gertrude, Katie Handley as Mayzie, Lauryn Aguirre as Sour Kangaroo, Freyja Ortiz as Young Kangaroo, Shyam Balasubramanian as Mr Mayor, Ava Abundis as Mrs Mayor, Oona Murphy as Cindy Lou Who, Avery Pisanelli as Thing 1, Arabella Lin as Thing 2, Brooklyn Starke as Grinch, Serenity Bullock as Wickersham Monkey, Dulce Garcia as Wickersham Monkey, Isabelle Fraser as Wickersham Monkey,
Skylar Weber as Bird Girl, Caddie Murphy as Bird Girl, Natalia Padin-Torres as Bird Girl, Sophie Neumeister as Bird Girl, Sofia Sorto as Yertle The Turtle and an ensemble featuring: Ryann Anderson, Lucas Arrieta, Vivienne Gonzalez, Ava Le Erickson,
Naomi Flores, Darren Parris, Tessa Pham, Elyssa Quintana, and Suzanna Stave.
THE PILBERRY CAST: Derek Huckeba as Horton, Audrey Moore as Jojo,
Danica Roseli as Cat, Gweneth Lozano as Gertrude, Ellasyn Carpenter as Mayzie,
Isabella Roy-Lazarito as Sour Kangaroo, Olivia Moore as Young Kangaroo,
Jayden Bae as Mr Mayor, Emi Lees as Mrs Mayor, Luna Guzman as Cindy Lou Who,
Juliana Robles as Thing 1, Lucy Lopez as Thing 2, Cassian Guzman as Grinch
Asher Carpenter as Wickersham Monkey, Arianna Gluch as Wickersham Monkey
Mateo Torrez as Wickersham Monkey, Kendall Kooiman as Bird Girl,
Sophia Mendez as Bird Girl, Ella Taraborelli as Bird Girl, Alessandra White as Bird Girl,
Giselle Lopez as Vlad Valdikoff, Tessa Rocha as Yertle The Turtle and an ensemble featuring Luna Bernal, Olivia Contreras, Amelia Howard, Dima Ibrahim, Nasser Ibrahim, Lucy Cleland, Martia Egarton, Lilah Reifenstein, Karina Rymarczyk and Jozlynn Torres.
Seussical JR. begins with a young boy named JoJo who conjures up the Cat in the Hat with his powerful imagination and is whisked to the Jungle of Nool for a fantastical adventure. There JoJo learns of the plight of the tiny citizens of Whoville, who live on a planet the size of a speck of dust. Their sole protector is Horton the Elephant, who is the only one with large and sensitive enough ears to hear them bipping and beeping and playing their oompahs.
The small world is threatened by Sour Kangaroo and the Wickersham Brothers, who in disbelief that a world could be so small, try to steal the dust-speck so they can cast it into a vat of Beezle-Nut oil. During all of this drama, Horton has not noticed that he has an admirer, Gertrude McFuzz. She blames his indifference on her one-feather short tail and endeavors to find a way to change her looks.
Meanwhile, Horton’s friend, Mayzie La Bird, is bored of perching on her nest, and convinces the watchful elephant to sit on her egg so she can take a vacation. The Cat follows all of these storylines and finally casts the boy into his own as the irresponsible son of Mr. and Mrs. Mayor of Whoville, JoJo, who ultimately saves his whole tiny world with one big, imaginative “think.”
Photo:Phantom Projects