After months of preparation, Little Shop of Horrors was finally staged for the weekend of November 14-17.
“It’s always this huge hurry-up process. We finally get here, and we can’t believe we’re here. We’ve worked so hard since August and before then,” choir teacher and musical director Casey Allen said. “Now that we’re here, it’s a big exclamation point at the end of a long process.”
The Little Shop of Horrors is an American horror comedy film from 1960 directed by Roger Corman. Alan Menken and Howard Ashman adapted the story into a musical, dropping “The” from the title. It premiered off-broadway in 1982. In 1986, Little Shop of Horrors returned to the big screen with Frank Oz’s musical movie.
In the Directors’ Notes, Allen and Brenda Honliasso note how their production was reimagined for the 1990s. They believe the grungy punk-rock era suited the story’s campy and satirical humor with a cynical edge of honest realism.
“This show, in particular, is one of our favorites. We just love it,” Allen said. “It’s a weirder show than we’ve ever done before. But we saw the kids we had last year, and thought they could really nail it.”
Little Shop of Horrors stars Seymour Krelborn (Sophomore Xavier Johnson), a nerdy flower shop assistant, as he cares for a “strange and unusual plant” named Audrey II (voiced by Senior Mason Miller) after his co-worker and love interest Audrey (Junior Sophia Sweeney). The plant brings the grouchy shop owner Mr. Musnik (Junior Bailey Wilkins) some long-awaited business. Seymour discovers that Audrey II has an insatiable taste for human flesh and blood.
As Audrey II grows larger from Seymour’s blood, the plant brings fame and fortune to Seymour and Mr. Mushnik. When Seymour has given as much blood as he could, he’s forced to turn elsewhere to mollify the ravenous plant. He starts with Audrey’s abusive dentist boyfriend Orin Scrivello (Junior Ronan Clements). Eventually, the entire main cast has been eaten. After witnessing his now lover get eaten by the plant he named after her, Seymour attempts to kill Audrey II, only to die trying.
On Saturday, November 19, I was fortunate to see this main cast, along with the other 90 students in the production put on an outstanding performance. The number “Prologue/Little Shop of Horrors” was an appropriate opener for the musical, showcasing the ensemble’s choreography and singing, as well as the production’s large scale. Throughout the show, the ensemble and band gave the musical a necessary grandeur.
Anytime the Street Urchins (Freshman Autumn Allen, Freshman Andy Nengsu Kenfack, Senior Chloe Reinhart, Freshman Stella Sortino, Senior Maddy Tillman, and Senior Amina Teri) were on stage, I knew it was going to be a good time. Their jokes landed, and their singing and dancing were beautiful. The seniors were especially polished.
Mason Miller was the perfectly hilarious and disturbing voice of the bloodthirsty Audrey II.
“I would be Audrey II,” Principal Dan Radicia said.” I feel like Mason did it way better than I could have ever, but that’s who I would want to be.”
Sophia Sweeney as Audrey was a vocal and acting standout. Despite Sweeney being the one doing a New York accent, she was the glue that connected every scene she was in. Sweeney can portray both a humorous, awkward girl with a crush and a heartbreaking domestic violence victim at the same time. Her solo “Somewhere That’s Green” was the emotional peak of the production.
Playing the abusive dentist boyfriend and earning a November Wolf of the Week, Ronan Clements as Orin Scrivello was incredible. His command of the stage resulted in a perfect balance of threatening intensity and comedy.
“The dentist sometimes stole the show,” Radicias said. “We didn’t appreciate his violence, but he did a nice job. We were so pleased.”
The song “Dentist” had some of the best choreography and comedic timing of the show. Clement’s 1950s portrayal of a jerk motorcyclist got the most laughs of the night.
“I was like, this is Grease,” Kathy Radicia said.
The very next number was another humourous banger. “Mushnik & Son” showcased Wilkins and Johnson’s vocal talents and comedic acting.
Wilkins was perfectly cast as the crotchety boss, so seeing the contrast of him throwing his body around with masterful comedic timing was hilarious, and especially impressive given his limited experience.
“I only started doing stuff last year, so this was my first time fully committing,” Wilkins said. “I was raised by my grandma, who was a professional singer, and she is my biggest inspiration.”
He was able to give a stunning performance despite his unfortunate circumstances.
“I’ve had severe pneumonia in both lungs and bronchitis,” Wilkins said. “I haven’t been able to sing at my peak for months, but I worked through it.”
Staring in the production as Seymour Krelborn was Xavier Johnson. Among the main cast of talented and experienced upperclassmen, the sophomore was still able to stand out.
“I haven’t really had any other acting experience before this,” Johnson said. “I’ve never had to memorize a lot of lines or anything.”
Learning lines, songs, and choreography was a challenge for the whole cast, but that comes with the territory of putting on a musical.
“It’s a lot of time and effort. I’ve put so much time into the show,” Sweeney said. “I’ve stayed up to one doing homework because I’m here so late.”
Despite the struggles, everyone’s hard work paid off in the end.
“Watching everyone grow so much during the process is amazing every time,” Allen said. “Then the euphoria of the after-show, the kids themselves have this euphoria of ‘we did the thing, we nailed it,’ and they have this pride in the production.”
More than just the people who put on the show were able to appreciate it. Little Shop of Horrors was enjoyed by Elkhorn students, friends, and families.
“It was outstanding,” Dan Radicia said. “I appreciated the musicality of all the kids. It was wonderful.”
