‘A dream come true’: St. George performing artist puts on the show of her dreams

ST. GEORGE —After a 15-year dream to direct “Seussical” turned into a magical reality, a St. George performing artist encourages the public to see the unforgettable show on stage this weekend.

Brianna Rosia, director of "Seussical," proudly stands by her musical flyer outside of the Electric Theater, St. George, Utah, July 13, 2022 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
Brianna Rosia, director of “Seussical,” proudly stands by her musical flyer outside of the Electric Theater, St. George, Utah, July 13, 2022 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News

Brianna Rosia, who has directed musical theater shows in Washington County for 15 years, said she fell in love with “Seussical,” a story primarily based on the Dr. Seuss stories, “Horton Hears a Who,” “Horton Hatches an Egg” and “The One-Feathered Tail of Gertrude McFuzz,” with many references to other Dr. Seuss stories. 

“Putting 53 people on this type of stage is an adventure,” Rosia said, “and in the middle of the pandemic and other things, everyone has stepped up. … I couldn’t ask for a better team to showcase my dream.”

Rosia said her desire to direct the musical started when she performed the lead role in high school. Although she loved the show, she said the overall experience wasn’t very pleasant and the cast wasn’t happy. It was then that she set the intention to direct the show herself one day and create something magical for the world to see, she said.

“I wrote in my journal, ‘One day I’ll direct ‘Seussical’ and everyone will be happy,’ and since that moment, it’s what I’ve worked towards,” she said.

The cast of "Seussical" poses together for a photo, St. George, Utah, date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Brianna Rosia by Alan Holben Photography, St. George News
The cast of “Seussical” poses together for a photo, St. George, Utah, date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Brianna Rosia
by Alan Holben Photography, St. George News

Rosia took a variety of theater classes in high school and college, including set and costume design. Each time she was asked to choose a show to create from, she chose “Seussical.” While fellow students picked deep, dark scripts to analyze during a script analysis class, she, again, chose “Seussical.” While her teacher originally felt apprehensive about her choice, Rosia said she was able to shed new light on the storyline.

“At first, when you watch or read it you think, ‘Oh, it’s so cute,’ but like all Dr. Seuss stories, there’s so much deep meaning behind it,” Rosia said.

While Rosia had many opportunities to almost direct her dream musical over the years, something always got in the way of the show happening.

One day, as a member of the artistic board for The Stage Door and director of the summer programs, Rosia sat in a meeting with discussions about upcoming shows. When she was asked what show she wanted to do the following summer, she suggested “Seussical,” which she thought would be turned down. To her surprise, they agreed.

And instead of only performing a junior kid show, they decided to open up the cast to entire families.

Cast members perform "Seussical," St. George, Utah, date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Brianna Rosia by Alan Holben Photography, St. George News
Cast members perform “Seussical,” St. George, Utah, date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Brianna Rosia
by Alan Holben Photography, St. George News

“It’s actually the first time the show has been performed with adults in St. George in 15 years,” Rosia said. “It’s popular for kids to perform but not as common for adults.”

The show includes a cast of many different families, such as Joel Thomas, one of the actors who played Horton the Elephant in the show 15 years ago, who performs with his wife and three kids – the youngest child only 14 months old. Jamie Cook, her husband and four kids also perform in the musical. Barb Christensen plays the lead “Mayzie” alongside her daughter and husband. Geoffrey Reynolds, his wife, and his 6-year-old daughter are also in the play, along with four additional families.

As she saw the first number of “Seussical” performed on stage, Rosia said she had no words. While she is not usually a crier, she said she has cried more over this show than she ever has before. She emphasized her gratitude toward her “amazing” support system, which includes her family, friends and cast members.

“The talent is literally the best of the best and I couldn’t ask for a better cast to pursue my vision,” Rosia said. “The sets, the costume – everyone just came together and it’s magic. A dream come true.”

Cast members perform "Seussical," St. George, Utah, date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Brianna Rosia by Alan Holben Photography, St. George News
Cast members perform “Seussical,” St. George, Utah, date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Brianna Rosia
by Alan Holben Photography, St. George News

The Stage Door, incepted roughly six years ago, is now run by Jalee and Josh Scott, who are also the producers of Seussical. 

“We just wanted to create a place where we could do art that wasn’t mainstream and wasn’t being done everywhere else,” Jalee Scott said. “While Seussical is mainstream, we did it differently.”

For a full list of upcoming shows at The Stage Door, visit their website or follow them on Instagram.

“Seussical” at The Stage Door performed its opening night on June 29. There are three remaining shows, which will be performed Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.

Event details

  • What: “Seussical” at The Stage Door
  • When: Thursday, Friday and Saturday, July 14, 15, 16, at 7:30 p.m.
  • Where: Electric Theater, 68 E Tabernacle Street, St. George, UT 84770
  • Admission: Tickets are $20 for adults, $19 for seniors, $17 for students and $12 for children 3-12

To purchase tickets, click here

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2022, all rights reserved.

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