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MARSHALL - For the last four years, Marshall High School senior Allison VanDenBroeke has created many of the costumes seen onstage for the school's musicals.

The musical's director, Dan Smith, wanted to choose a fun costume show for her senior year.

So he selected "Seussical," a show with colorful, unusual costumes.

VanDenBroeke received the script in July from Smith, she said.

"I was like, 'Mr. Smith, what are you doing to me, you're making me go crazy,'" VanDenBroeke said. VanDenBroeke had to find or make costumes for 28 actors.

Last year for "Jekyl and Hyde," VanDenBroeke had the same number of costumes, but she was able to borrow items from Southwest Minnesota State University's theater department.

This year, she didn't really have that option.

"It's not like you can run to Goodwill and buy some shirts and buy some pants," VanDenBroeke said. "I've made like 90 percent of the costumes."

She began planning and sewing right away, Smith said.

"She started working as soon as the school year began," Smith said.

VanDenBroeke said she started making the costumes in mid-September.

VanDenBroeke said she created all of the costumes for the actors who play Whos, which are rounded and filled with five pounds of fiberfil.

"It's the shape of the original Whos in the book," VanDenBroeke said.

The "jungle people" in the show are wearing costumes that are leafy and shaped differently from the Whos, VanDenBroeke said.

The school is renting the Horton costume from a company, Smith said, and VanDenBroeke said it wasn't too difficult to make a costume for the Sour Kangaroo. She just bought a pattern and sewed it together.

But one costume in particular may be tough, VanDenBroeke said.

"I'm assuming the tail for Gertrude (McFuzz from "Horton Hears a Who") will be a challenge because it has to get longer while onstage," VanDenBroeke said. "I have to figure out a way to do it."

Not only is VanDenBroeke the main costumer, she's also the stage manager for "Seussical," and was building set pieces.

VanDenBroeke said she's pretty much done with the costumes, with the exception of Gertrude's tail.

"It would be a weight off my shoulders," VanDenBroeke said.