Oh the thinks you can think!

By Mallory J.

Copyright: R. Schwind

Caption: A group photo of all cast members of the musical

During the long and tiring weekend of March 28, West Jefferson High School performed Seussical the Musical. The show was composed of a dinner theatre on Thursday, an evening show on both Friday and Saturday, as well as a matinee on Saturday. Seussical the Musical was a fun experience no matter the age.

The musical was a culmination of multiple stories of the beloved Dr. Seuss, most notably “Horton Hears a Who”. This cast was made of a very distinct group of students ranging from as young as 1st grade to as old as a senior in high school.

There were many characters one might recognize that made an appearance in the musical; Dr. Seuss (Nathaniel Dersom, senior), JoJo (Jaden Davies, 7th grade and Alexa Bogenrife, and 6th grade), Horton (Nick McGlothlin, junior), Gertrude McFuzz (Nicole Evans, senior), Mayzie La Bird (Loraine Stone, senior), Mr. and Mrs. Mayor (Wesley Miller, sophomore and Ivie Nicholas, senior), Sour Kangaroo (Hanna Messer, Freshman), as well as other very important supporting characters.

Many people found this to be a very fun and light-hearted musical, enjoyed by all ages. The opening number, “Oh, The Thinks You Can Think”, was very upbeat and incorporated almost all of the cast. It introduced the plot of JoJo thinking about Dr. Seuss and giving him an imagination.

Of the many talented students performing, one in particular seemed to really surprise the crowd. Hanna Messer, a freshman, was in charge of bringing the personality of the Sour Kangaroo to life. She did an amazing job of bringing the fun and sass to the theatre stage. Many watchers seemed shocked that someone as young and tiny as her had the spunk to bring this beloved character to the stage.

The best part of the show had to be the way that they incorporated the quotes and songs from the books and movies into this script. Such as the way they kept using the line “A person’s a person, no matter how small,” within the “Horton Hears a Who” scenes.

Not only was the acting amazing and the plot fun and light-hearted, some praise has to go towards all the crew members that go into producing this musical. A lot of sweat and hard work went into all the costumes, makeup, lighting, music, and directing. A lot of this was accomplished by a student stage manager, Grace Shields, and her assistant, Cory Ratcliff.

While the final number, “Green Eggs and Ham”, was a fun way to highlight the cast and crew, it still had a bittersweet feeling. Each time they performed that final number, a person could see the emotion put into the months of rehearsal all put into a small weekend. And when that final curtain call came, you could see the sadness as the cast realized this would be the last time they performed as this group of people.