By Zoe Liedl, junior
Shaking the Winter Blues off, the theatre department performed “Seussical,” the musical, bringing lively dancing and songs to the Mane Stage.
The cast included senior William Nelson starring as the Cat in the Hat and sophomore Adrian Drees starring as Jojo.
“It was a really good cast and we all worked well together. We had a good mix of really experienced people and people who it was their first show,” said Emma Nugent, 11.
“Seussical” is a musical based on several of Dr. Seuss’s stories. The plot follows Horton the Elephant, played by junior Audric Mansoor McKedy, as he tries to protect a village full of Whos who live on a speck from the other animals in the jungle. The animals begin to think Horton is crazy for hearing voices from a speck. Not only this, but when Mayzie La Bird, played by junior Bailey Smith, abandons her nest, Horton takes on the responsibility of sitting on Mayzie’s egg. Luckily, he has his neighbor, Gertrude McFuzz, played by junior Piper Wiebe, to help him.
Meanwhile, in Whoville, Jojo is learning the importance of creativity and free thinking, as the Cat in the Hat narrates and observes.
The cast and crew all enjoyed working on Seussical. From set-running crew getting to push the piano out on stage to actors learning music, it was a fun time.
“My favorite part about being in Seussical was the cast, getting to learn all the things with my friends, and making new friends was really fun,” said Drees.
Even though the show was a lot of hard work, members still had a good time.
“Learning the music and choreography. The music was really fun,” said Nugent
Although the end result turned out to be spectacular, there were a few bumps along the road the cast and crew had to overcome. There were occasional missed cues or not bringing props out on time during the rehearsal process, and one of the spotlights was not operational. Actors were stretched thin when some people were not able to make it to rehearsals.
“A lot of people dropped so we had to cover for them, and we lost a lot of time, but we were able to get it together,” said Nugent.
Timing is also a very important factor of musicals, and it can be difficult to get down properly.
“There were certain struggles with timing, because you had to get the timing right or the music would be all wrong and then you wouldn’t come in on time, so I think that was the hardest part of Seussical, especially in ‘Alone in the Universe,’”said Drees.
Not only the actors, but the crew had a few small issues as well.
“Costuming is always a challenge, so Alana came up with some really awesome solutions, especially for Gertrude’s tail. Also, the timing of rehearsal is challenging due to the holiday break, so we did a lot of rehearsals before and the actors were able to remember well and did a good job with that,” Jamie Oettle, Director.
Despite a few minor problems, the cast and crew were able to overcome these challenges and put on an amazing performance.
Aside from the obvious factors that made this musical stand out, such as the talented singers, thoughtful set design, intricate costumes, and skilled acting, there were a few small details that contributed to the overall experience. One scene involved all the lights being turned off and black lights being switched on, so that actors dressed all in black could wave glowing white gloves and neon signs around. At one point, the backdrop was lit up with swirling lights that looked like aurora lights. Another song had the Wickersham monkey brothers run through the audience. The Cat in the Hat also spoke to the audience, making for a very interactive show.
Mrs. Oettle claimed that she chose Seussical to be this year’s musical because “it was just a really good fit for the students we had, and it was time to do more of a children’s show, and it fit the vocal ranges of the students we would have auditioning. We did it 20 years ago and it’s a fun show and a crowd pleaser,” she said.
Whatever the reason someone would choose to work on Seussical, no one regretted it.
After many long rehearsals, actors were well prepared for show night. Show night always brings jitters and nerves, as well as excitement.
Drees said that before the performance, “I was excited. I was really happy that I got to do the show with all my friends. I was a little bit nervous, but that just comes with being an actor.”
After the show is over, show night also brings a sense of satisfaction, and maybe bittersweetness, at the end.
“I thought it was fantastic and I was super proud of everyone. I felt like the cast had a great time with their show, so it helped the audience to have a good time with it,” said Oettle.
After all of this, there is only one question left to ask. As the Cat in the Hat would say: “What do you think?”
