Natalie Vargas
The Lincoln County High School drama department presented many of Dr. Seuss’ most famous stories in ‘Seussical The Musical.’
The Lincoln County High School’s drama production of the complex mix of many of Dr. Seuss’ most famous stories, Seussical The Musical, was performed Feb. 28 to March 4.
It was a friendly, magical show filled with humor and energetic high spirits. The show was directed by Pete Peterson and Jacob Lester, with the great help of Cherry Lournis.
Sophomore David Conahan remarked that “it was great experience; we were having a blast, and if the audience had as much fun as we did, I’m sure the play was complete a success.” Conahan was one of the students composing the drama crew, along with seniors Haylee Zierow, Nathanael Frehner, Tyler Frehner and Amy Thomas, juniors Jack Butler, Jueun Lee, Carlin Christensen, Cody Dirks and Ashlee Decker, sophomores, Karina Sinjay, Abigail Loverme, Esther Lee, Kismet Derkovitz and Lincoln Frehner, and freshmen Hayden Showell, Joanna Ahlstrom and Jessica Shumway, among others.
The engaging musical was filled with cheery voices and outstanding performances, alongside the amazing portrayal of Sour Kangaroo and The Cat in the Hat by seniors Zierow and Tyler Frehner. As Conahan also mentioned “the phenomenal energy the seniors bring to this kind of plays, it’s what makes it so fun for all of us, and it’ll be so much different next year without them.”
Performing music created by Stephen Flaherty and orchestrated by Jacob Lester, the cast excelled at their rendition of the lively musical. This show features familiar and beloved characters like The Cat in the Hat, Horton the Elephant, and Sour Kangaroo, taking us into the magical world of Dr. Seuss. The Cat in the Hat guides the audience into The Jungle of Nool where we meet Horton, the kind-hearted elephant that discovers Whoville. Despite ridicule, Horton bands together with Gertrude and chooses to do what he believes is right: saving the Whos and bringing peace to the Jungle of Nool.
This mix of Dr. Seuss stories is now considered one of the most produced musicals in the U. S., because it’s a family-friendly example of friendship, loyalty and love. It’s a beautiful story to share with family and friends, that focuses on the importance of staying true to who you are, being unique and fighting for what you believe in.
Such a complex play demanded a lot of effort, and as Decker remarked, the success of the play took a lot of hard work and long hours of practice, for over six weeks, starting right after winter break.
Departing senior Zierow remarked that the production of this play was considered a challenge at first, because the simplicity of the story required a lot of charm, but “the whole group’s dynamics, from the directors, to the cast, to the sound and lights crew to the make up artists made it incredibly fun.” Since it’s the final play of the year, Zierow commented on how this was a great year for the drama production department, saying that “we’ve had an amazing year and every single moment has been filled with memories. When I look back on high school, my best memories will always be on play practice or performing with these awesome kids.”
