Performing has always been in the family for Amanda and Lucas Testini.
It's been part of their lives ever since young Lucas got roped into taking classes with his older sister because he was always tagging along anyway.
"I was always in the car with my Mom when she dropped Amanda off," Lucas recalls.
It was his mother who suggested that, since he wasn't doing anything at those times, he might as well take classes too. Which is how Lucas - a hockey and soccer buff - ended up getting into dancing and singing.
He admits he was skeptical.
But now, as he and Amanda prepare to take to the stage for the Carousel Theatre production of Seussical, it would seem his mom was onto something.
The two have performed together before, but this marks the first professional theatrical side-by-side appearance for the talented Burnaby siblings.
"I love it," says 21-year-old Amanda with a grin. "It's a great cast, the story is wonderful, the set is so bright. It's just so much fun to be part of."
"I like the music a lot," chimes in Lucas, 20. "Dr. Seuss is kind of over the top, creative. ... You're never going to do another show quite like Seussical."
The musical is based on the classic children's stories of Dr. Seuss, telling a tale that the director's notes describe as "a simple, sweet story in which an elephant, a boy, a bird, some monkeys, a kangaroo, a zebra and a host of animals come together to live in harmony and to protect a little universe."
It's Lucas's fourth appearance in the show - his first was as young Jojo, the small inhabitant of Whoville who sets out on a series of adventures that make up the story. These days, he appears as one of the mischievous Wickersham Monkeys, as well as a Who and a Fish.
Amanda - who has recently returned from a two-and-a-half-year stint in Toronto, where she studied at the Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts - is in her first Seussical production. She's onstage as the Impala, a Who and a Fish.
Amanda notes the musical carries a number of messages about bullying, inclusion and friendship.
"It is definitely something that you watch and you feel inspired to be creative and to help everyone you can," she says.
But that doesn't mean it's a heavy, moral-of-the-story type of show, either.
Amanda notes that the show will be fun for everyone - moms and dads included - because director Carole Higgins makes a point of including elements that will appeal to all segments of the audience.
The siblings agree that performing theatre aimed at a young audience brings its own special series of challenges.
"Kids get bored very quickly, so you have to be entertaining all the time," Amanda points out. "You can't tune out, you can't just go through the motions."
Lucas agrees, noting that a faster pace is needed to keep the youngsters' attention.
"The audience is a lot more variable than an adult one," he points out, and he says the show responds accordingly. "It's very high energy, and with that comes a high-energy audience."
Once Seussical's run is over, the two siblings' paths are diverging.
Amanda is starting further study in acting at Langara College's Studio 58, and Lucas is still deciding between his two possible careers: more performing, or sales. He did his business studies in sales and marketing at BCIT, and he recently finished up a sales job in order to take on Seussical. Both career paths have their appeal, he says, and he isn't in any hurry to decide between them.
For the moment, the two are focusing all their energies on making sure Seussical is as entertaining as it can possibly be.
And what should the audience expect?
"You're going to expect a wacky 80 minutes of being engulfed in this crazy, crazy world. All the colours are brighter, all the songs are a little more exciting," Amanda says.
Adds Lucas: "They should expect a high level of professionality. Even though it's for kids, they should still expect great songs, great music, great choreography. It's at quite a high level of theatre."
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Seussical is onstage Dec. 6 to Jan. 5 at the Waterfront Theatre on Granville Island. The show is designed for audiences aged three and up. Families with younger children, including babies in arms, have a chance to enjoy special all-ages performances on Dec. 23, Dec. 31 and Jan. 2 at 10 a.m.
Tickets are $29 regular, $25 for students with ID and seniors. Children are $15.
Call 604-685-6217 or buy online at www.carouseltheatre.ca.
