It’s one of those stressful times of the school year again-there’s so much going on, including rehearsals for the Drama Club’s musical this year. As a cast member, I want to give East a sneak preview of what they can expect from the show as well as how it all happens! Seussical, as the title suggests, is a musical based on Dr. Seuss’s books. The main plotline tells the story of how Horton the elephant is shunned by the jungle animals, especially the Sour Kangaroo and the mischievous monkeys the Wickersham Brothers, for talking about finding a dust speck with Whos on it. Meanwhile, his bird neighbor, Gertrude McFuzz, is trying to get him to notice her with the “help” of the ever-sassy Mayzie LaBird. Meanwhile, on the dust speck of Whoville, Jojo, a Who boy (played by yours truly), is also cast aside as an outcast because his “Thinks” and wild imagination get him in trouble with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Mayor. Horton and Jojo start talking to each other and Horton vows to keep the Whos safe by watching over Whoville. The Ca in the Hat, meanwhile, oversees and even causes some of the adventures and trouble the characters get into. To know about the rest, come see the show!
Seussical has 7pm shows on February 6th, 7th, and 8th, and a 2pm show on the 8th. A huge show like Seussical takes a ton of hard work and effort to put on, so I interviewed some of the cast members about their thoughts on the play. Senior Justin Hess, who will be playing Horton the Elephant, says, ”Having Seussical as my last performance for Drama Club was probably the best show we could’ve picked. It’s such an ensemble based show and it gets everyone in the cast closer together. Although I’m upset that this is my last musical, I couldn’t have been happier for it to be Seussical.” For a few months, the musical basically takes over our lives with dance rehearsal (with Gracie, a dance teacher who annually does all of East’s plays and musicals by making sure we’re all on task)and vocal practices (with Ms. Reilly, who makes us all sound great and performance ready). Sophomore Lizzy Bamford, a Jungle Creature, says, “Seussical is so much fun! The cast is amazing and so talented. Rehearsals can get crazy but it’s so worth every second!” An average day at rehearsal consists of getting the stage ready, changing into rehearsal clothes, and often going back and forth between vocals and dance/blocking. When we get to what we call “Tech Week”, we add lighting and microphones with the help of the awesome Stage Crew and the talented pit orchestra directed by Mr. Moose. As our chaotic rehearsals come to an end, senior Matt Mangione, the Mayor, says, “I’m really glad I decided to break out of my box and audition my senior year. The cast is so much fun; the energy is incredible. I can’t wait for the performances, but I will miss everything about this.”
