The Muskingum University Music and Theatre programs have entered their final technical week for their spring production of “Seussical the Musical.” The show opens Friday, April 1.
This will be Muskingum’s first musical since the spring 2019 semester. The cast has been rehearsing for three months.
This will be the second performance held in Thompson Theatre for the 2021-2022 school year.
There are 20 people in the cast, and there are a variety of majors represented that are not music or theatre, such as nursing, psychology, biology, engineering, and education.
Members of the cast practice the finale. The musical will run the first two weekends of April.
Senior theatre and history student, Augusta Kinzel, is using this show as her senior seminar project. She plans to take her design to the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. Kinzel has not been involved in a musical on Muskingum’s campus since she performed in “The Wedding Singer” in 2019.
“I have always been interested in the design side of theatre, and the design classes I have taken here [Muskingum University] have helped me become a designer myself. Although I like acting, it’s been lovely to grow as a designer,” said Kinzel.
Freshman Grace Phillips said this is her first musical since her senior year of high school. She is playing one of the Wickersham Brothers from the Dr. Seuss book, “Horton Hears a Who!”
Savanah Hurt, Grace Phillips, and Sami Tish are the Wickersham Brothers. This is their first musical at the collegiate level.
“At first, I was nervous because it is not a normal role I would play. It’s been a good experience getting to try out a different role and I am so ready to spend the week with my cast mates and finalize things for show weekend,” said Phillips.
Mayzie La Bird from the Dr. Seuss book “Gertrude McFuzz,” is being played by junior Emma Jimison. This is the first musical Jimison has been a part of since she has been at Muskingum.
“I think when we first started we were just a group in the same room who all had the same music in front of us. Now we are able to rely on each other and work as a unit to out together something great,” said Jimison.
Junior Emma Jimison and junior Ava Hayslip rehearse their duet. Neither student has previously acted in a musical at Muskingum.
Jimison said that being cast as Mayzie is her first big role in musical theatre.
Poster design by Kailyn Shalosky and Chloe Tang.
“I honestly have never gotten this close to a group of cast members before and it has been a great change of pace for me,” said Jimison.
The cast agreed that the “Circus McGurkus” scene is in their top favorites.
This scene features several colorful props, a couple acrobatic moves and an upbeat and fast-paced song lead by The Cat in the Hat.
The musical will be open for two weekends, April 1-3 and April 8-10. Show tickets can be reserved online.
Tickets are $5 or free with a Muskingum ID.
