It takes a pretty whimsical individual to immerse herself in the world of Dr. Seuss for weeks on end, but that’s just what Communication senior Madeline Scheffler, the director of Seussical: The Musical, has done. “You can’t put on Seussical if you come at it from this academic perspective,” Scheffler said, as she sat down to talk more about everything else from Michael Phelps to romance.
Why did JTE [Jewish Theater Ensemble] decide to produce Seussical?
Last year I petitioned a bunch of shows to them and this is the show that made the most sense for a lot of reasons. JTE is really interested in telling stories that have universal themes. It’s a great show to put on for a theater company.
The show runs Valentine’s Day weekend — what’s the most romantic thing about Seussical?
It’s definitely not the kind of thing you go to [when you] take your date out to a romantic night. It’s ultimately about love and maintaining the spirit of human connection or, in this case, animal connections. The story is really written just to try to get the audience to let loose and have fun. If you’re looking for a fun night, it’s a good show for everybody. We’re trying to do something fun for the Valentine’s Day performance.
If you had to go on a Valentine’s date with one Dr. Seuss character, which would you choose?
The first one that comes to mind is Horton the Elephant because I know I’d be well taken care of. He’d pay the bill. I’d say Tweet McFirth, though, if you’re looking for a sexier night out.
What do you hate about Northwestern?
Oh boy. Speaking from a theater perspective, I hate the fact that there always seems to be a lack of space for storage and performance. What I really hate though is that during spring quarter we only get nice weather the last two weeks. So if they could do something about that and make the nice weather start at the beginning of spring quarter, that’d be great.
If you were a superhero, what would your power be?
Sometimes I feel like I need to be a superhero with all the stuff that’s going on. I wish I could run around all day and not sleep or eat and not get tired or hungry. Maybe like the Energizer Bunny superhero.
What’s your hidden talent?
There’s so many talents … I am a pretty good cook and really like to cook a lot and that’s hidden most of the time because I don’t have time to cook. Some days, when I can cook, my roommates really enjoy it.
What’s the worst pickup line you’ve ever heard?
It was the other day, and it was, “My inbox is full, can I have your e-mail address instead?” It sort of didn’t make sense. But I bet if Horton the Elephant said that to me … I wouldn’t be so quick to write it off.
What’s your favorite place to eat in Evanston?
I’m a huge food person, so lots of places. Trattoria Demi next to Pita Pete’s is really good.
If you hadn’t gone to college, what would you be doing right now?
Well, explaining to my parents why I wasn’t in college. If I could do anything it would probably be what I’m doing — a lot of theater. Or opening up my own bakery and sandwich shop and taking a lot of vacations.
What’s the most childish thing you still do?
Oh, I mean everyday, rehearsal putting on Seussical. You can’t put on Seussical if you come at it from this academic perspective, so I would say rehearsals the last couple of weeks.
If there was a Northwestern Civil War, who would win: North Campus or South Campus?
I’m biased because I’ve only ever lived on South Campus. So, I’d say South Campus, not maybe because of strength, but because of the creativity. But we’ve never tried it so maybe North Campus would surprise us.
What’s your favorite board game?
I love board games. I love Cranium but I actually love games where you don’t need a board like Charades or Catch Phrase.
What reality show could you definitely win?
I’d like to think I could win Top Chef, but I think I’d need more training. I would most love to be on Project Runway, but I definitely wouldn’t win.
What makes you an awesome director?
I guess we’d have to ask the cast if I actually was an awesome director, but assuming that I was, what I really value in a director and hopefully bring to the table is being a leader and listener, someone who understands stories and can guide the story overall.
Is it a big deal that Michael Phelps smoked pot?
[Laughs] No, no it’s not a big deal. What is a big deal is that he’s growing his hair out now and he looks better. Not as a plug for drugs or anything, but it’s got to be really stressful to do what he does. If he needs to relax … he’s so fast, [so] who really cares?
How do you feel about nudity?
I’d say in the shower, it’s a definite must. On stage it can be fun. There are people and places and times where it’s definitely a must.
If you could move Northwestern’s campus to any other city in the U.S., where would it be?
I love Chicago so I would say I would move it to Chicago, but to the parallel universe of Chicago where there is no harsh winter. Like Hawaii-Chicago.
What do you never have enough time to do?
Laundry, sleeping, eating, relaxing, socializing with people not in the shows I’m doing. But that’s also sort of how I love it.
Which Dr. Seuss book best sums up NU?
I would say what’s so amazing about Dr. Seuss is that his stories are so specific. So I think everyone on this campus probably has a story that’s specific to them. I would say Solla Sollew — often times we work, work, work with hope that next quarter we’ll be more fun and easy.
In a rhyming couplet, why should people see Seussical?
Come see Seussical, you’ll have so much fun,
Our elephant does not weigh nearly a ton.