Review: Seckman High School's Li'l Abner

By: Autumn Hill

Seckman High School’s Jaguar Theater recently put on the play Li’l Abner.

As Sadie Hawkins Day approaches, Daisy Mae hopes to win the hand of Li'l Abner by catching him in the traditional race. Meanwhile, a senator comes to visit to tell the residents of Dogpatch that their town is to be used as an atomic bomb testing ground, unless they can find something “necessary” about the town. Could Mammy Yokum's Yokumberry tonic (which Abner has taken every day since he was a baby) be the key?

The theatre members worked on putting this play together for months. “It was a blast having a part in the Li’l Abner cast. We truly are a family and I’m so proud of everyone in the production,” Katelyn Brannan said about her great experience with the cast. Wesley Killbern added, “You know, I just expected to be working backstage, but then I became an understudy for one of the lead roles. Then, that lead ended up not being able to follow through with his character, so I ended up playing a lead part my freshmen year. It was a blast, I’m so proud of the cast.” Mollie Kurtz agreed, saying, “People don’t understand how hard the cast works to perfect this production and how far we’ve come. It’s  really awesome and the people in the cast all really get along great.”

The 2014 production of Seckman’s Li’l Abner had audience members surprised left and right as well as in awe. Thursday’s production was a bit rocky near the beginning the ending came together very well. The stars of the cast were Katarina Kutilek (Mammy), Cole Wright (Pappy), Tommy Heaney and Kameron McClinton (Li’l Abner), Alyssa Byerly and Zoei Tyler (Daisy), Scott Lunte (Marryin Sam), Wesley Killbern (Earthquake McGoon), Jon Hanks (General Bullmoose), Maranda Melton and Melissa Nyga (Appassionata), Drew Pinson (Senator Phogbound), and Autumn Hill (Dr. Ramona T. Finsdale).

Everyone in the crowd seemed very interested in the music and many came back to see it more than once. The cast put on the play from February 5-9 at Rickman Auditorium. The audience was delighted with the characters of Pappy and Marryin Sam, who kept the audience truly interested.

On the last day of the play, the senior cast members had a moment to talk about the memories they had and how great of a time they had while doing it. Though many of the seniors were new to the musicals, they had a blast in the end; what great memories. The director, Mrs. Julie Norris, sat proudly in the audience while watching the cast perform.

In the end, the play came together splendidly and everyone truly acted as if they were a family off stage.