Herald/Tamara Jackson

With chilly winds still lingering in West Michigan, Cornerstone University’s upbeat and colorful production of “Seussical the Musical” will energize your anticipation for spring.

This theater production is based on some of Dr. Seuss’ best known children’s books that have been translated into more than 15 languages and sold over 200 million copies.

In this opening weekend, the musical displays a wide range of drama talent such as Adam Miller, Amy Groen, Kyle Juresich and Lauren Root. Out of their 25 member cast, five are junior high students.

At the start of the performance, the stage curtain opens to a single character on stage, a Who named Jojo (played by Bradley Lake, eighth-grader at St. Stephen Catholic School), who has a tendency to think more than most Whos. With his imagination, Jojo brings the mischievous Cat in the Hat (played by Kyle Juresich, sophomore) to life.

With their imagination combined, Jojo and the Cat in the Hat embark on an imaginary journey with some of Dr. Seuss’ most remembered characters including Horton the Elephant, Gertrude McFuzz, Lazy Mayzie and all of the Whos of Whoville.

Seussical the Musical is performed in an operetta style where the story is sung instead of being told through dialogue. With a live orchestra conducted by Randall Burghart, assistant professor of music, the audience experiences styles of music that change with each character’s personality and ranges from a mixture of swing, gospel, funk, R&B, Latin and pop music.

“Everyone did really well in getting a specific character across through their movement and vocals,” said Sherry Lee Allen, director of the musical and adjunct theater and dance professor at Cornerstone. “We see it in the illustrated manner that it was initially meant with the animated characters.”

With costume designer Nancie Smith on board, the wardrobe of vibrantly colored costumes and crazy hair allowed the performers to look as if they hopped right out of one of Dr. Seuss’ books.

With equal excellence in the choreography of the play along with the music, this production featured tap dancing—a first for a Cornerstone show.

With lights changing from hues of purple to teal to pink, the stage is designed with rows of steps for quality spacing and a tall staircase leading to Whoville. The stage features a cave for different imaginary creatures to emerge and exit from and a jungle gym allowing some performers a swinging time.

“It is a lively show, and it is very entertaining,” said Nathan Reynolds, a junior majoring in theater at Cornerstone. “We want people to come out of the show feeling energized that they had a good time.”

“I just hope the audience has fun. That is really all we want,” said Amy Groen, a Cornerstone junior who plays the bird, Gertrude. “We just try to put all of our energy out there, and we hope that the audience really enjoys it and it puts a smile on their face.”

If you didn’t make it to opening night, you still have three more chances: tonight and tomorrow at 8 p.m., and Sunday at 2:30 p.m.

Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for students and seniors and $5 at the door for students with a valid ID. To order ahead, call the Cornerstone University Bookstore at (616) 254-1663.