Fredericksburg, Virginia—Anyone familiar with the original story of The Cat in the Hat knows the original double trouble: Thing 1 and Thing 2. For STEP VA Inc., Isaac will don the blue wig for Thing 1, with Presley Levasseur playing opposite in the role—and wig—of Thing 2. The duo are part of the local 501(c)3 nonprofit's staging of Seussical Jr. STEP VA's mission is to “empower people with disabilities and their families through creative expression and sensory exploration.”
Seussical Jr. will be the third musical for both Isaac and Levasseur, who first joined the cast of Disney's “The Lion King, Kids!” in 2022. Both agree that the camaraderie that inevitably forms between a STEP VA cast is what brings them back each year.
“Being in the play with my friends and enjoying my part of the show,” is specifically what Isaac enjoys about the experience of the STEP VA spring musicals.
And he's always immersed himself in the roles he's played, from the hyena Banzai in STEP VA's version of Disney's “The Lion King, Kids!” to Snoopy's brother, Andy, in last year's “You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown.”
Witty and charming, Isaac is particularly suited for the role of Thing 1. As he explains, his favorite part about the role is “being silly and hanging out with Cat in the Hat and the narrator for most of the scenes in Seussical Jr.”
The opening number, “Oh the Thinks You Can Think,” is Isaac's favorite song in the musical, which is the first time the audience sees nearly every character, including Thing 1 and Thing 2. That doesn't mean it's all been a cake walk for him, though. He admits that “memorizing the dances” has been the most challenging aspect of this year's show for him.
For Levasseur, the hardest aspect of Thing 2 to master has been “acting out” specific movements, but she's making the best of it while enjoying “being with all my friends.”
Levasseur has been dance captain for both her roles in the previous STEP VA spring musicals.
In Disney's “The Lion King, Kids!” she donned a leopard costume to lead the animal chorus in all the prominent song and dance numbers, while last year she was able to wear human clothing as a human dance captain for “You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown.”
It's not a big surprise that the spunky and tenacious dynamo is particularly enjoying the dancing and singing that comes with the role of Thing 2. To date, she's the first cast m ember to claim “The Courthouse Song” as her favorite piece in the show.
With the show just days away, excitement is building for the cast and crew of “Seussical Jr.”
Isaac is looking forward to “being with my friends and having the best time being Thing 1,” while Levasseur—who very well could have a future in directing—can't wait for “every cast member to see how they can connect to their characters.”
You, too, can see how each cast member, including Isaac and Levasseur, connect to their characters and bring the energy to the stage on April 13 at 6 p.m. and April 14 at 3 p.m. All performances will take place at Courtland High School. Tickets can be purchased HERE or via the STEP VA website, www.stepva.org.
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STEP VA, Inc. is a 501c3 non-profit organization that provides sensory-based theater and arts programs for individuals with disabilities. Its vision is to transform the world by offering each individual the opportunity to flourish in the community.