STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK
It’s a good thing garden season’s over. Once you’ve seen “Little Shop of Horrors,” it’ll take a few months before you’ll want to feed your tomatoes again.
The Community School Players are staging this once-cult-classic-turned-plain-ol’-classic at 7 tonight through Saturday, Nov. 4, at the Community School Theatre in Sun Valley.
It’s an ambitious musical blending pop, rock, doo-wop and Motown. And the kids handle it like pros under the direction of the school’s new upper school theater director Kevin Wade.
Wade, co-director of the school’s Creative Arts Academy, said he was fortunate to have a cast capable of pulling the play off.
“I chose this show for a lot of reasons but chief among them is its accessibility. It’s a show with fantastic music, name recognition, broad slapstick comedy—something for everyone,” he said.
“Underneath all that, it’s a cautionary tale. Seymour’s rags-to-riches journey takes him to some pretty dark places. I think it serves as a reminder to all of us to stay humble and grounded and to check our worst impulses. The message that underlies the awesome B-movie-parody tone of this piece is: Always be kind.”
The hilarious sci-fi smash musical about a man-eating plant was brought to the stage by composer Alan Menken and writer Howard Ashman after it debuted as a 1960 B movie of the same name.
It revolves around a good-hearted but rather socially backwards boy named Seymour who works at a flower shop owned by Gravis Mushnick.
An aspiring botanist, Seymour cultivates a plant which he names Audrey II after a co-worker he has feelings for. But this plant doesn’t relish Miracle-Gro. It likes human blood. And, when Seymour can’t keep its appetite satisfied with his blood, he’s forced to look elsewhere.
“The play is big and creepy, over the top and the characters are cool. Even the plant in itself is a major character,” said Joe Hall, who plays the floral shop owner. “It’s part murder mystery and it doesn’t exactly have a happy ending. But that works in this play.”
“It’s a very unique, humorous play—great for everyone,” added Nicholas Smith, who is taking part in his first Community School production after appearing in “Christmas Carol” The Musical” and other productions under Keith Moore and Patsy Wygle.
More than 25 Upper School students are involved with the production on stage and behind the curtain.
Jasper Mott stars as Seymour and Annabel Webster as his secret crush. Joe Hall is the floral shop owner and Nicholas Smith, the sadistic dentist boyfriend who struts around wearing a leather biker’s jacket over his lab coat
Rye Fruehling gets to be the rather foul-mouthed voice of the flesh-eating plant who costume designer Alison Higdon created in three sizes from a little plant that looks like a hamburger to—gulp—an over-the-top monster.
Chloe Khosrowshahi, Sofia Lodato and Anik Zarko get a major workout as three high school dropouts named Chiffon, Crystal and Ronette who croon and posture the sounds and looks of ‘60s girls groups.
Others involved with the production are M Clayton, Camille Cookston, Caroline Corker, Norah Dowdle, Christine duFur, Sophie Harder, Grace Hoffman, Ethan Hunt, Libby Lindstrom, Warren Loving, Lucy More, Julia Ott, Shea Slanetz, Sophia Sturgeon and Kai Younger.
Upper School Music Teacher Brad Hershey provides musical direction and bass guitar, with Dorinda Rendahl playing piano and R.L. Rowsey, keyboard. Megan Mahoney, the Middle School music and Elementary School performing arts teacher, is the choreographer.
Jamey Reynolds designed the set and Upper Schools students Gabe Delgado, Oliver Guy and Keegan Webber comprise the tech, sound and lighting crew.
The two-hour show is family friendly, although a few moments might be scary for young children.
Tickets are $8 for students and $15 for adults and can be purchased at the door or in advance in Community School’s Upper School office.