Anyone who endured sleepless nights wondering how they might be cast in the local production of Seussical the Musical can rest easy, as the cast of 43 (and counting) has been announced.

Those who sweated the auditions needn’t have. According to director Portia Ezell, except for those who had to bow out due to scheduling conflicts, everyone who auditioned for a part received one.

Because the production is mostly a musical, one that involves many group ‘parts,’ the cast size was flexible. In fact, Ezell was prepared to take on a cast of up to 100.

Ezell said she hopes a successful production this year will encourage more people to become involved next year.

“You will just never work as hard or have as much fun,” she said.

But there will be work. At an audition last week, Ezell asked the hopefuls to look over the rehearsal schedule and make sure there would be no conflicts with their other activities.

“If you’re not at rehearsal it’s not fair to you,” she said. “Nothing is scarier” than being unsure of what you’re doing on stage, she said.

It is unlikely that her pleading fell on deaf ears as the hopefuls then had the experience of performing songs and reading lines on stage, material they weren’t intimately familiar with.

Ezell attempted to ease their fears.

“We’re not looking for perfection today,” she said. “Today we’re looking for possibility.”

One of several different audition sessions, last week’s afternoon session was mostly children (predominantly girls) with one adult. They began by learning a song, Oh, the Thinks You Can Think, as a group before coming to the front of the stage to perform as smaller, shyer groups.

Miming to their children on stage, mothers in the audience attempted to help their children shine.

“Chin-up” and “I can’t hear you,” silently said the mothers, using effective combinations of hand gestures and exaggeratedly mouthed words.

Ezell said audiences can expect at least one mystery “celebrity” cast member when Seussical the Musical opens the first weekend in June.

For the rest of this story, please see this week's edition of The Cadiz Record.