As the cast and crew of “Seussical the Musical” are preparing for their performances later this semester, they are also adjusting to an unexpected change as they had originally prepared to do a different musical.
SHS Theater Director Caleb Francis loved the idea of “Into the Woods,” a musical by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine, however he felt as if “Seussical” was a much better musical for the cast.
“I need to have a gut feeling when I know that a show is correct for us,” Francis said. “I did not have that gut feeling with “Into the Woods.”
Into the Woods was the top contender for the theater department because of the music and their suitable cast.
But there were many things that contributed to the choice of doing “Seussical” over “Into the Woods.” They liked the larger cast, big roles and more difficult music that the “Seussical” offered, but they also wanted to work with the elementary schools and since this Musical is a Dr. Seuss Musical, it is targeted toward kids.
“We liked that it would have been a challenge for the students, more specifically because the music is harder in it,” Francis said. “We also would have had a good group of students to do that show.”
But near the end of April when the cast and crew found out, they had very mixed opinions.
Instead of choosing the Tony Award-winning musical, “Into the Woods,” they decided on doing the “Seussical,” which was very unexpected for the cast and crew. One member in particular was distraught.
“I saw the post and I started crying,” sophomore Anna LaBay said.
When thinking of “Seussical,” LaBay saw this as a show for and performed by a younger audience. She says she felt more connected to the initial choice because of her love for the movie and music in the film.
Senior Abbie Wethington, the production’s stage manager, shared a less intense but similar feeling as LaBay. Although she wasn’t necessarily intrigued by doing “Seussical” over “Into the Woods” at first, she learned to love it.
“I like the show more than I thought I would, and it’s a lot more interesting than I originally thought it was going to be,” Wethington said. “It’s colorful, which I’m excited about.”
Although he was aware of the many comments and thoughts that would come from the cast, he was still confident in his choice. Francis says he felt a big spark toward “Seussical” and is overall satisfied with his decision.
While it was mostly negative opinions at first, most of these changed over time. Eventually, students began to see the bright side of the show as well, like the big roles.
“I feel like we had a really good lineup of people to play the roles,” LaBay said. “Everybody that has a named role really fits the role.”
The cast and crew ended up loving how “Seussical” is growing the amount of people joining theater, bringing a contrasting side compared to the darkness of last year’s musical, “The Addams Family.” The cast members say that the show has introduced fun characters and a challenge to the actors.
While “Into the Woods” would have been an entertaining musical to do, they collectively learned to love that “Seussical” would’ve been the best for the quality of fun and creativity.
“It’s just fun,” Francis said. “It’s a lot of fun. It’s a lighthearted story about finding your own journey, loyalty and all of that stuff.”
