Seussing to the End

Ashlynn Morgan
Staff Writer
  Seussical, the musical, is a wild story filled with characters from the Jungle of Nool to the tiny who's on Who. Two of the lead roles were interviewed about the musical.
  The Cat in the Hat is played by Ainsley Smith, a senior. She was interviewed a week before the show on their thoughts about the musical and how it is going. Smith replied that she enjoys how “mischievous” Seussical is, and that the whole thing is colorful and childish.  Trying out for a musical can be very stressful, but she knew she wanted to join because this is her last year at Bonneville, and she wanted to be a part of the cast one last time. She helps herself prepare for a musical by looking on the internet for a script. She uses key words to help her find a one-minute monologue. For the song part of the audition, she finds a song she already knows and tries to match the song with the character she wants to try out for. Smith’s first musical was in sixth grade, and she has done a musical every year since then, besides her freshman year. She was in “Anastasia” and “Bright Star" in high school. 
  Seussical, involves a crazy amount of rhyming as well as plentiful supplies of color. Sometimes memorizing lines is difficult and takes a long time. However, Smith gets motivated to learn her lines because of the cast. She understands that if she does not do her part, it will slow down the process of getting the musical prepared for opening night. Smith sees that the musical is time consuming and takes plenty of practice outside of the regular hours.  Smith wants the musical to be the best it can be, and she is aware it takes plenty of time and dedication to make it enjoyable for the audience. Her favorite part about being in a musical is getting to sing musical theater songs because “they are expressive.” She enjoys being a part of the cast and how the songs can portray emotion to the audience. Her favorite musical theater song: “When he sees me” from the musical waitress, it is a “silly song” and it is “fun to sing” so she used it for her audition this year. 
  The part of JoJo is being played by Sarah Bingham, who is a senior. She loves how this musical is childlike and less on the serious side unlike past shows. She loves how “it brings out the childlike joy and fun that we all miss.” Sara has a huge part because the plot of the show is JoJo trying to save Whoville and that comes with many lines. She is motivated to learn her lines because she loves coming to a rehearsal prepared. When she shows up prepared the show can move along faster and she enjoys working on the small details. Bingham loves all the songs, but she loves “Alone in the Universe” the most because of how beautiful the song is. She prepared for her auditions by finding a monologue and song in the theme of the show and what the teachers asked for. She makes sure to find something that can fit her and the character she wants that can show her talents. She has done six musicals and two plays; she did “The Murders Announced” in the fall this year. She believes that the hardest part is the time commitment. There is so much that goes into it practicing songs, dances, lines, scenes, and then sometimes getting in tech hours. She says the best part about being in a musical is “the family.” It is frustrating to be around them sometimes, but she says that they can make up and you get really close to people. She loves that the cast is like a family and how comfortable she feels around them.
  Seussical the musical is a bright and colorful musical full of upbeat songs and amazing characters. Ainsley Smith and Sarah Bingham are two talented seniors starring in this musical.