The University of Lynchburg will present “Seussical” on Friday and Saturday, March 1 and 2. Performances in Dillard Fine Arts Center’s Hailey Theatre will begin at 7 p.m. on Friday and at 1 and 7 p.m. on Saturday.
The public is invited and tickets, which are $5, are available here.
In the 70-minute, kid-friendly musical, The Cat in the Hat takes the audience on a journey through some of Dr. Seuss’s most popular children’s books, including “Horton Hears a Who!,” “Horton Hatches the Egg,” “Yertle the Turtle and Others Stories,” and more.
In addition to the The Cat in the Hat, played by theatre major Michael Tock ’27, familiar Seuss characters include Horton the Elephant, Gertrude McFuzz, Sour Kangaroo, the Whos of Whoville, and others.
At the play’s core, director Jeff Wittman said, is “Horton’s wonderment at finding these Whos on a flower,” Gertrude’s wish for “larger than a one-feather tail,” and the deep friendship that develops between the two characters, culminating in a surprise ending.
The play emphasizes respect, appreciation, and acceptance of diversity, Wittman added, and how “we meet challenges in our daily lives, but get over them with love and attention, tending to each other and the world.”
Josiah Randles ’25, a double major in criminology and theatre, was cast as Horton. One could say they’ve waited their whole life for the opportunity to play the big-hearted elephant.
“I remember, as a kid, watching the live-action version of ‘The Cat in the Hat’ and telling myself, ‘This is the greatest movie of all time,” Randles said. “In all seriousness, my favorite book is ‘Horton Hears a Who!’”
Not surprisingly, when Randles auditioned for “Seussical” last November, they were aiming for one part: Horton. “I see so much of myself in Horton,” they said. “How much he cares about his friends and wants to protect the people around him, no matter how many obstacles he gets into.”
While Horton is Randles’ first lead role in a Lynchburg theatre production, audiences might also have seen them in “Much Ado About Nothing,” “Pippin,” “Urinetown: The Musical,” and the music department’s opera workshops.
They’re also a member of Dance Works and Curtain Call, Lynchburg’s musical theater ensemble.
Arilyn Webster ’26 — also a Dance Works and Curtain Call member — will play Gertrude McFuzz. No stranger to Hailey Theatre, she’s appeared in “Split,” “Urinetown,” “Much Ado About Nothing,” and other productions.
The theatre major also played Pansy in Lynchburg’s 2023 holiday film, “The Grand Hopwood Hall.”
Like Randles, Webster is a longtime Seuss fan. Her favorite book was “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” Unlike Randles, she didn’t have a particular part in mind when she auditioned.
“I loved so many roles … offered in this show, though I’m extremely grateful to get the opportunity to play Gertrude McFuzz,” she said. “She is so bright and bubbly, but in an extremely awkward and adorable way.”
In addition to her onstage role, Webster is assisting costume shop supervisor Savannah Bower ’20 MEd. She’s making sure everything is “organized and ready to go” for the actors, Bower said, and working on Horton’s accessories and the Bird Girls’ tail feathers.
Three other students — Lydia Linkenhoker ’24, Samira Gharavi ’26, and Regan Weeks ’26 — are making costumes, too. Linkenhoker is making Horton’s vest, Gharavi is creating a dress for Gertrude McFuzz, and Weeks is crafting Sour Kangaroo’s costume.
Like Webster, Linkenhoker and Gharavi have onstage parts, as the outrageous Mayzie La Bird and Whoville’s Mrs. Mayor, respectively.
“Once the main pieces are created, we’ll be able to focus on the smaller and more fun details,” Bower said in mid-January. “By having each student work on one major component, they will be able to add a beautiful garment to their portfolio.”
Bower said the costumes will be “bright, fun, and whimsical,” like Seuss’s books, and “child-focused, so when they come to see it, they will love the characters and are delighted. I’m making sure things are as bright and fun as possible.”
One also could use that description for the two- and three-dimensional props that Christopher Otwell and his students are building. “Everyone has been enjoying the whimsy that comes with bringing Dr. Seuss to life,” Otwell, the scenic and lighting designer, said in late-January.
“We have attempted to highlight this whimsy because it’s such a crucial component behind all of this work, even when the work deals with some tougher issues.
“In the scene shop, I believe the fun will really amplify … during the later stages, as we begin our painting on the scenery, with the classic, robust Dr. Seuss color palette and sketchy style.”
There are 33 musical numbers in “Seussical,” described by musical director Dana Ballard as “peppy and upbeat, with a lot of fun dance rhythms and pop styles, as well as some beautiful ballads.”
The songs will be performed to live music, as opposed to a recorded soundtrack.
“There will be a pit band, consisting of two keyboards, drums, and bass guitar,” Ballard said. “I play one keyboard and the other is manned by Josh Lindevaldsen, who has joined us for our last two musicals.
“He provides a wide variety of instrumental lines to capture the sound of a full pit orchestra.”
Before classes started in late January, Randles, Webster, and the rest of the cast went through what is traditionally known as “boot camp.” Over several days — some with three-a-day rehearsals — they worked on all aspects of the production: acting with Wittman; choreography with Wittman’s wife, Loretta; and vocals with Ballard.
“It’s definitely a commitment,” Webster said. “You’re working for hours on end to get a head start on the semester. We block scenes, learn the hardest choreography … and we start learning our music.
“You’re definitely tired after every day, but to see your hard work paying off and how much [we] accomplished is incredible.”
Wittman described boot camp as an “immersive experience” that students can take with them after graduation.
“At the same time, Loretta is in the dance studio with choreography, I’m with the actors, and Dana is working on the solos and duets,” he said. “Everything overlaps and works simultaneously. That’s the way it works in the real world.”
Despite the grueling schedule, he added, boot camp is fun and “a great jump start to the show. It engages and excites the students. They dig deep into the material very quickly and, let’s face it, we have a lot of fun doing this. They have to work hard, but they love it.”
Several Lynchburg alums also will take — or manage — the stage in “Seussical.” Temika Younger ’16 MSN will play Sour Kangaroo, Elizabeth Martin ’21 is one of the Bird Girls, and Kelly Nesser ’23 is the production stage manager.
Bringing alums and community members onboard is a “tradition or trademark” of Lynchburg’s theatre program, Wittman said. For example, Hubbard Farr ’08, a professional actor with Wolfbane Productions in Appomattox, Virginia, guest starred in “Urinetown” last spring.
Bill Bodine ’78, ’89 MAd has made numerous appearances on Lynchburg’s stage over the years.
The students “can learn a lot from these guest artists,” Wittman said. “We want them to rub elbows with our alums and professional artists. They’re role models. That gives them new perspectives and real-world experience.”
The cast of “Seussical” also includes three international students: the aforementioned Gharavi, of Germany; Timmy Oluwatimilehin ’27, of Nigeria, as Thing Two; and visiting undergraduate student Eunice Yun, of South Korea, as a member of the troupe.
“The theatre department has wanted to support and welcome international students as they become a part of the University,” Ballard said, “and we are thrilled that they came out to audition for the show.”
Two local children, siblings Lawson and Frances Neufeld, are cast members as well. “It’s been really delightful to have Lawson … playing the lead role of Jojo,” Ballard said. “Lawson is a wonderful and imaginative actor and a great singer, much like the character he plays.
“Lawson’s younger sister Frances … joins the cast as a young Who from Whoville in ‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas.’ It has been a real treat for the University students to have such fun kids working on the show with them.”
