Homeschoolers dive into world of Seuss

Musical tackles many different stories crafted by beloved children’s author
By: 
Lee Pulaski
City Editor

The Wolf River Homeschoolers Performing Arts program will be taking several tales from one of literature’s most beloved children’s authors, adding water and stirring as it performs “Seussical the Musical” in April.

“Seussical” has become a popular musical to be performed locally, with the Phoenix Players taking on the show in 2021 in Clintonville. However, it has also been performed by Shawano, Bonduel and Gresham schools, as well as the Box in the Wood Theatre Guild in Shawano.

This will be the first time the Wolf River Homeschoolers have taken a crack at it, but with over 30 children from Shawano, Marion, Bonduel, Gresham and other communities, it’s expected to bring the house down. The actors and the adult volunteers working behind the scenes have been rehearsing the show weekly since November but are intensifying the rehearsals in the waning days before the show opens April 13 at Clintonville High School.

“The show is a variation of multiple different Dr. Seuss books, and it tells the storyline of this little boy, Jojo, and his life,” said Charli Ritter, who plays the Cat in the Hat in the musical. “It mixes in a lot of Dr. Seuss characters.”

Utilizing multiple stories from the world of Seuss means there are a lot of main characters, Ritter said, with Horton the Elephant, the Sour Kangaroo, Yertle the Turtle and even the Grinch mixed in to create a unique tale. For the homeschoolers, who regularly come up with theatrical productions, this gives a chance for many children to have time in the spotlight.

“This provides a lot of spaces where people can act out their characters and have a bunch of different and diverse characters,” Ritter said.

Ritter is having a fun time as the Cat in the Hat, as Seussical gives her the opportunity to play that character, who serves as the narrator for the show, but also other characters as needed.

“He hops in and he hops out of the story,” Ritter said. “It’s fun that I get to change up my personality.”

The silliness of Seuss is a wonderful reason to be part of the show, according to Nathaniel Byars, who plays the Mayor of Whoville in “Seussical.”

“I love acting, and this is just a super fun play,” Byars said. “You have all of these fun actions, and we get to be silly. It’s just amazing.”

Byars noted that he sings an octave lower than the actor playing his wife, so a challenge for him is to make it seem like both are singing closely note-wise, but he’s having lots of fun nonetheless.

“We are homeschooled, so we’ve read Seuss quite a bit, and we also have readings on Dr. Seuss Day,” Byars said. “We do fun little activities. Dr. Seuss wrote these stories a long time ago to make kids happy, but now we’re doing this show to make everyone happy.”

Caleb Bestul is playing multiple characters in the show, including one of the naughty Wickersham Brothers that plague Horton’s existence. Even though it can be hard to keep track, Bestul noted that the directors are keeping track of which character is on backstage, helping the kids to get into their roles.

“It’s just for the enjoyment,” Bestul said. “There probably aren’t many Broadway shows that have people doing this, and it’s nice to give that to people.”

Aubree Wojta also plays a Wickersham and enjoys being able to play such a naughty character.

“I love it,” Wojta said. “I’m often the mischievous characters in the shows.”

Ritter believes audiences will get a lot out of the show.

“Our cast has a lot of fun putting on shows and building off each other’s character,” Ritter said. “It’s a very lively, colorful, energetic show, so there are lots of things to see.”


lpulaski@newmedia-wi.com


AT A GLANCE

WHAT: “Seussical the Musical”

WHEN: 7 p.m. April 13-15, 2 p.m. April 16

WHERE: Clintonville High School, 64 W. Green Tree Road

ADMISSION: Free, but donations will be accepted to offset production costs.