By Jason Wesseldyk
Sports Editor
Oh, the sights you will see and the songs you will hear—Otsego High School’s production of the “Seussical” is almost here!
The musical, inspired by the works of the one and only Dr. Seuss, will take the stage at OHS beginning Thursday, March 27, and run through Sunday, March 30
The Thursday, Friday and Saturday shows have a 7 p.m. start time, with a Sunday matinee at 2 p.m.
OHS choir director Meredith Lincoln said she selected this show for several reasons.
“The first reason I selected this show is because one of my goals while I’m here at Otsego is to put on musicals that the community has never put on before,” she said. “I believe that it is good for our students and our community to experience shows that are not as popular and get to see different realms of theater.
“The second reason is it is such a fun show, and everyone knows Dr. Seuss. Plus, this show has a lot of positive messages that we can all benefit from hearing.”
Primary among those messages is “a person’s a person, no matter how small.”
“It’s such a universal message, that everyone and everything matters,” Lincoln said. “It really is a show for all ages. Adults will love it, and of course so will children.”
“Seussical,” which encompasses more than 15 of Dr. Seuss’ books, tells the story of Horton the Elephant, who discovers a speck of dust that contains Whoville and meets a young Who named JoJo. Wanting to keep the Whos safe, Horton takes it upon himself to protect the dust speck on a clover.
The problem? Only Horton can hear the Whos, so the other creatures think he’s crazy and treat him as such.
Horton and JoJo are played by brother and sister Caleb Wesseldyk and McKenna Wesseldyk, with Grifin Jacobs taking on the role of The Cat in the Hat.
The Wesseldyk siblings and Jacobs are part of a cast that includes 39 students.
“This group of students have been really fun to work with,” Lincoln said. “They are willing to try new things and get outside of their comfort zone. They are hardworking, determined and enjoy their time on stage.
“They’ve also developed long-lasting friendships with each other and genuinely enjoy being around each other. These students are kind and encouraging to each other, and it will show on stage. I truly enjoy my time spent with these students.”
“Seussical” presented a unique challenge compared to other musicals put on by OHS: it is almost entirely sung with little additional dialogue.
“Given how much singing is in this show, it was a different learning curve,” Lincoln said. “Each song only got two music rehearsals, and most dances only got one rehearsal. This has made the students have to be very accountable in terms of learning their music. It’s also been a challenge in terms of the stamina of the students.”
With those additional challenges, though, also come additional opportunities.
“Because there’s so much music, it’s provided a lot of solo opportunities for more students than usual,” Lincoln said. “This allows me to highlight even more students and show off their talents.”
Seeing so many students share those talents has been a highlight for Lincoln.
“Seeing the progress these students make is always very rewarding,” she said. “I have seen a lot of kids come out of their shells. I have students singing solos in this show that would never have sung in front of anyone just a year ago. The life skills they learn during the musical process will stay with them far after they graduate from high school.
“These students really have become the characters and worked really hard to do so. Seeing them go on stage and show off everything they’ve worked on is why I do what I do. It’s truly a life-changing experience for them, and I am blessed to be a part of it.”
In addition to Caleb Wesseldyk, McKenna Wesseldyk and Jacobs, the cast includes:
- Gertrude McFuzz: Rebekah Stachura
- Mayzie LaBird: Sophie Ruiz
- Mr. Mayor: Michael Crispi
- Mrs. Mayor: Madison Collison
- Sour Kangaroo: Emma Zimmermann
- Young Kangaroo: Ephraim Walker
- General Genghis Kahn Schmitz: Jeremy Perricone
- Wickersham Siblings: Piper Carper, Hannah Chapman, Keegan Bates and Morgan Gruber
- Bird Girls: Melody Begeman, Tori Sparks, Callie Smith and Molly Koppers
- Thing 1: Corbin Crowe
- Thing 2: Lily Baird
- Yertle, the Turtle: Raegan Begeman
- Vlad Vladikoff: Calista Walker
- Grinch: Skyler Crispi
- Jungle Citizens/Cadets/Circus: Paisley Russell, Desirae Birman, Janora Robertson, Chloe Landon, Calista Walker, Breliyn Webb, Cali Burroughs, Ellyanna Bouwman, Skylar Brooks, Raegan Begemen, Calliah Willover
- Whoville Citizens/Hunches: Katherine Breedveld, Alana Chapman, Madison Nyberg, Rori Chapman, Kaidence Pitcock, Krystal Goldacker, Trenton Travis, Sophia Waite.
Tickets are $15 for adults and $13 for students. They can be purchased at otsegops.tix.com or at the door.
