Announced slightly more than six weeks after the scheduled announcement, the news has finally broken: HHS’s winter musical will be Seussical. Based appropriately on Dr. Seuss’s classic children’s books, the storyline centers around Horton of Horton Hears a Who! and incorporates various other popular Seuss characters including Yertle the Turtle, Gertrude McFuzz, Mayzie LaBird, The Grinch and The Whos. The show, of course, is narrated by the Cat in the Hat.

Junior Jaymie Inouye has been involved in the past two musicals, starring in last year’s Oklahoma!, and has high expectations for Seussical.

“I think it’s a good choice for this year because there’s lots of talent and there [are] enough parts [to] showcase that,” Inouye said. However, she’s most looking forward to the color of the production.

“Suess is all color and weird shapes [and] Paul Warne does the sets and he’s a freaking genius,” she said. Junior Ava Reynolds saw the show when it was first performed at HHS nine years ago, and the colors stuck with her.

“I have a memory of seeing my brother in it his freshman year, which was the first year the school opened. It was our first musical here and I still remember it to this day. I remember these awesome things that hung down from the ceiling that were colorful and looked kinda like jellyfish,” she said. Senior Graham Rebhun also saw the first performance at HHS, although he remembers less.

“I was young, so I just liked the bright colors,” Rebhun said. He is definitely looking forward to the colors in this production as well.

Senior Neal Perrine and Reynolds will both be trying out for pit orchestra, directed by Fine Arts instructor J.R. Snow.

“I’m going to try out for either upright bass or electric bass,” Perrine said. Unlike Rebhun and Reynolds, Perrine hasn’t seen or heard much about the show and looks forward to learning more.

“I’ve heard of it, but I’ve never actually seen it so I don’t have any [ideas],” Perrine said with a laugh.

Originally, sophomore Megan Labarge was a little skeptical about the decision.

“At first I wasn’t totally sure about it because my initial thought was that it might be a little bit childish, but with Mr. Swartz and all the cast members, it’s going to be an amazing show,” Labarge said. Last year, she worked on the stage crew under the stage manager, Phoebe Copeland. Her competence backstage earned her a spot as Copeland’s right-hand man and eventual successor.

“[My favorite part of working backstage] I think [is] just all the teamwork that goes on back there and the fact that we play a big part in [putting on] the play,” Labarge said.

Reynolds is mostly excited to watch the show come together.

“I have all these ideas of what it’s going to be like, but I just can’t wait to see the actual finished product,” Reynolds said. “I think my favorite part is probably going to be when everyone’s onstage interacting because that’s when the shows that we put on here are the most exciting.”

Overall, the popular opinion seems to be that the crazy show will allow Mr. Swartz to work his magic.

“I never know what [Swartz] is going to do. He always pulls something crazy and awesome out of nowhere and it’s fantastic,” Rebhun said. “But I think he has a lot of room to do whatever he wants with the extravagant set and the extravagant costumes.” Inouye agreed, adding that the already high level of creativity within the show itself will allow Swartz to take it even farther.

“I think that Mr. Swartz and everyone helping him are really going to up the ante on everything. Because it’s Seuss, I feel like you either have to go really big or go home,” Inouye said.