The cast of “Seussical” is preparing for their upcoming opening night.
“Seussical” is a combination of all the Dr. Seuss books, characters and themes. Throughout the show, audiences see classic characters such as Horton the Elephant and the Cat in the Hat.
While the show is designed for kids, many of the themes can be important for adults too. Lydia Leichty, the stage manager, said that while the show is fun it also has some deeper meanings.
“(The musical) talks a lot about relationships between different people groups, friendships, loyalty, standing up for yourself, growth and development. A lot of the importance of community is really stressed in the show as well, and it’s also just a lot of fun,” Leichty said.
Along with the importance of relationships and community, the show also looks at the uniqueness of individual people. Tucker O’Roark, who plays the Cat in the Hat, said that throughout rehearsals he has noticed the message that each person is important.
“I’ve picked up on a lot of biblical themes and stuff on this show, and I just think that it’s kind of reinforced that God loves everyone, no matter how big or small they are,” O’Roark said.
As opening night approaches, the cast and crew continue working hard to make the show the best they can. Grace Rinkel, who plays Sour Kangaroo, said the show has come along well up to this point and the cast is now working on the technical aspects of the show such as lighting and scene changes.
“Everybody has known where we need to go, what we need to do, and everybody has been really hard working,” Rinkel said. “I think that makes a big difference.”
This show has many moving parts and unique set pieces. Rinkel said because of the scene changes, there are many set pieces that have to move around to create two completely different worlds.
“Just a lot of colors, kind of unique things,” Rinkel said. “Like in the courtroom scene we have church pews, but they’re gonna have vines and things on them because it’s a courtroom in the jungle.”
“Seussical” opens on March 28. The other performances are March 29, April 4 and April 5.
