MLHS Drama Department lifts the veil on a ‘Little Shop of Horrors’
It was all deviously delicious – this sci-fi smash about a man-eating plant.
The Mountain Lake Public High School (MLHS) Drama Department lifts the veil on a Little Shop of Horrors – providing audiences the opportunity to visit with the unique Venus flytrap, Audrey II – if they dared!
Performances were held in the school’s auditorium on Saturday, November 11, including an afternoon matinee and an evening show.
Little Shop of Horrors is a 1982 horror/comedy/rock musical by composer Alan Menken and writer Howard Ashman. The musical is based on the low-budget 1960 black comedy film, The Little Shop of Horrors.
The music by Menken is in the style of early 1960s rock-and-roll, doo-wop and early Motown and includes the title song, “Skid Row (Downtown),” “Somewhere That’s Green” and “Suddenly, Seymour.”
The Doo-Wop Girls (Amy Bartsch, Jae Faber, Kyla Perkins, and Kayla Vonk) lead audiences through this story about nerdy and meek floral assistant Seymour Krelborn (David Hall), who pines for his co-worker, Audrey (Chloe Klassen). They both work in a down-and-out flower shop on Skid Row owned by Mr. Mushnik (Paton Buller). During a total eclipse, Seymour finds an unusual plant he decides to call Audrey II (the voice of Audrey II is played by Joey Baldone) But . . . the rock-and-blues-singing carnivore promises unending fame and fortune to Seymour – as long as he keeps feeding it blood. The plant attracts a lot of business for the Flower Shop. After the accidental death of Audrey’s boyfriend, Orin Scrivello, D. D. S. (Regan Syverson), Seymour feeds him to the plant (plant puppeteers are Taylor Hudson, Seth Klassen, Michael Watkins and Maleek Stewart) and must continue to come up with similar meals for this bloodthirsty plant. Over time, though, Seymour discovers Audrey II’s out of this world origins and intent towards global domination
The lesson from the production to be learned is in the plant itself. That lesson: Don’t give in to that tempting evil – it will only grow and grow. Don’t feed the plants!
Remaining cast members included:
Radio Interviewer – Taylor Hudson.
Mr. Berstein – Brody Kleven.
Mrs. Luce – Olivia Klassen.
Skip Snip – Eli Karschnik.
Mr. Patrick Martin – Isaac Grev.
Customers – Ethan Klassen and Anika Fast.
Chorus of Skid Row Occupants – Laura Dalton, Peyton Banks, Cole Kleven, Joey Baldone, Taylor Hudson, Brody Kleven, Olivia Klassen, Eli Karschnik, Isaac Grev, Ethan Klassen and Anika Fast.
Crew members are:
Braden Rempel, Jareya Harder, Michael Watkins, Daniel Gardiner, Seth Klassen, Maleek Stewart and Ryan Pedersen.
Co-Directors for the production are Sarah Tailowright and Kelli Tucholke.
Costumer Designer is Jennifer Shouse-Klassen and Set Design/Construction is by Justin Klassen.
Following is a photo gallery from the a dress rehearsal of the production:
THIS TRIO OF 1960s street urchins- the Doo-Wops – from left, Kyla Perkins, Jae Faber, Kayla Vonk and Amy Bartsch, set the scene for the sci-fi musical at the opening through the song, “Little Shop of Horrors.”
CRANKY FLOWER SHOP owner Mr. Mushkin (Paton Buller), left, attempts to “shoo away” the vagrants hanging about the doorway to Skid Row Florists – including the Doo-Wops, at right; from left, Jae Faber, Amy Bartsch, Kayla Vonk and Kyla Perki
IN THE SONG, “Skid Row (Downtown),” Seymour (David Hall) leads Mr. Mushkin, Audrey (a pretty girl with a fashion sense that leans towards the tacky), the Doo-Wops and the rest of the Skid Row residents as they lament their stations in life and the urban blight in their neighborhood.
SEYMOUR (David Hall), right, shows a mysterious plant that looks like a large Venus flytrap to Mr. Mushkin (Paton Buller), left and Audrey (Chloe Klassen), center. He discovered the plant while browsing the wholesale flower district. A sudden eclipse of the sun occurred, and when the light returned, the weird plant had appeared. Seymour is secretly in love with Audrey and names the plant Audrey II in her honor.
WITH THE SELECTION “Da-Doo,” Seymour (David Hall), front center, explains through song his tale of finding Audrey II following a sudden eclipse of the sun to a customer at the store (Ethan Klassen), front left – backed up by the Doo-Wops, from left, Amy Bartsch, Kayla Vonk, Jae Faber and Kyla Perkins.
AND, IN A masterful promotion move, Audrey II takes her place in the florist shop’s front window in order to continue to pull in the interested.
HOWEVER, THE PLANT does not thrive in its new environment and appears to be dying. Seymour (David Hall), right, questions why it should be doing poorly, since he takes such good care of it. He accidentally pricks his finger on a rose thorn, which draws blood, and Audrey II’s pod opens with an apparent thirst for the plasma. Seymour realizes that Audrey II requires blood to survive and allows the plant to suckle from his finger. This is all told through the number, “Grow For Me.”
SEYMOUR (DAVID HALL) even goes on a radio interview tour – along with Audrey II.
AS AUDREY II grows, it becomes an attraction and starts generating brisk business for Mushnik. As the caretaker of the plant, the Seymour (David Hall), seated, is suddenly regarded as a hero in the song, “Ya Never Know,” led by the Doo-Wops, from left, Kayla Vonk, Amy Bartsch, Jae Faber and Kyla Perkins.
AT THE SAME time, Audrey (Chloe Klassen), seated center – as persuaded by the Doo-Wops, Jae Faber, seated left and Kyla Perkins, seated right, as well as Kayla Vonk, standing left and Amy Bartsch, standing right – secretly longs to leave her abusive boyfriend, Orin Scrivello, D. D. S. Her dream is to lead an ideal suburban life with Seymour, complete with a tract home, frozen dinners and plastic on the furniture as shared in the song, “Somewhere That’s Green.”
MUSHNIK AND HIS employees are sprucing up the flower shop because of the popularity of the rapidly-growing Audrey II, at left – and the revenue that it is bringing in, with Audrey (Chloe Klassen), left; Seymour (David Hall), center and Mr. Mushkin (Paton Buller), right, coming together to sing, “Closed for Renovation.”
TELLING HIS PERSONAL tale in the number, “Dentist!,” is Orin Scrivello, D. D. S. (Regan Syverson), front right, along with the Doo-Wops (from left, Kayla Vonk, Jae Faber, Kyla Perkins and Amy Bartsch). Scrivello, modeled after the “Leader of the pack” characters of the 1950s, drives a motorcycle, wears leather – and enjoys bringing other people pain!
SCRIVELLO (REGAN SYVERSON), left, encourages Seymour (David Hall), right, to take the plant and get out of Skid Row – in order to make it big!
OVERHEARING THE DENTIST’S advice to his employee, Mr. Mushkin (Paton Buller), right, realizes that his store’s sudden profitability is completely dependent on the plant – and therefore on Seymour (David Hall), left. Mushnik takes advantage of Seymour’s innocence by offering to adopt him and make him a full partner in the business.
HAVING ALWAYS WANTED a family, Seymour accepts, even though Mr. Mushnik has always yelled at him and treated him poorly – but does so only when Mushnik (Paton Buller) threatens to hold his breath until he turns blue.
THE TWO CELEBRATE their new bond with the song, “Mushnik and Song” – and a dance. At left, Mr. Mushkin (Paton Buller) and at right, Seymour (David Hall).
WITH THE father-and-son bond complete, Seymour (David Hall), jumps into the arms of his new “dad,” Mr. Mushkin (Paton Buller).
SEYMOUR BEINGS TO have difficulty personally providing enough blood to keep Audrey II healthy. When Seymour (David Hall), right, stops feeding the plant, Audrey II reveals that it can speak. It demands blood (and more) and promises that, if fed, it will make sure that all of Seymour’s dreams come true. Seymour initially refuses, but, then witnesses Scrivello abusing Audrey. The plant presents this as a justification for killing the dentist and feeding him to the plant. Not realizing that he is being manipulated again, Seymour gives in to his baser instincts and agrees with the plant in “Feed me (Git It).”
THE GOOD DENTIST – Orin Scrivello D. D. S. (Regan Syverson), left – loves to test his patients’ pain threshold, often making them run with fear from the chair and his office, as does this young patient (Peyton Banks), right.
SEYMOUR (DAVID HALL), left, arranges a visit with Orin Scrivello, D. D. S. (Regan Syverson), right, intending to kill him. However, Seymour loses his nerve and decides not to commit the crime.
SEYMOUR (DAVID HALL), seated right, becomes quite nervous over the antique drill that Orin Scrivello, D. D. S. (Regan Syverson), standing left, muses about using.
UNFORTUNATELY FOR SCRIVELLO (Regan Syverson), left, – who is getting high on nitrous oxide – as he confronts Seymour (David Hall), right, the gas device gets stuck in the “on” position.
AND THE DENTIST (Regan Syverson) overdoses while asking Seymour to save him from dying of asphyxiation.
SEYMOUR (DAVID HALL), right, then feeds Scrivello’s body to the now huge Audrey II, and the plant consumes it with ravenous glee.
THE FLOWER SHOP is much busier, and Seymour and Audrey have trouble keeping up with the onslaught of orders. Audrey (Chloe Klassen), left, confides to Seymour (David Hall), right, that she feels guilty about Scrivello’s disappearance, because she secretly wished it. The two admit their feelings for one another, and Seymour promises that he will protect and care for Audrey from now on with the selection, “Suddenly, Seymour.”
“SUDDENLY, SEYMOUR IS standing beside me. He don’t give me orders; he don’t condescend. Suddenly, Seymour is here to provide me sweet understanding. Seymour’s my friend!” Audrey (Chloe Klassen), left and Seymour (David Hall), right, find they are right for each other.
THE TWO PLAN to leave together and start a new life, although Seymour (David Hall), right, mistakenly attributes Audrey’s (Chloe Klassen), left, feelings to his newfound fame – not realizing that she loved him even before he found the plant.
BEFORE THEY CAN go, Mr. Mushnik (Paton Buller) confronts Seymour about Scrivello’s death. Mushnik has put two and two together – the drops of blood on the floor . . .
. . . AND THE BLOODY dentist’s jacket in the garbage can – and that he has seen Seymour and Audrey kissing. Above, Mr. Mushnik (Paton Buller), right, has an “Aha!” moment with Seymour (David Hall), left. Seymour denies killing Scrivello, but Mushnik wants him to give a statement to the police, who have begun investigating. Audrey II tells Seymour that he has to be rid of Mushnik or he will lose everything, including Audrey in “Suppertime.”
SEYMOUR TELLS MR. Mushnik (Paton Buller) that he put the days’ receipts inside Audrey II for safekeeping.
Mushnik climbs inside the plant’s gaping maw to search for the money, realizing the deception too late – and is devoured.
SEYMOUR (DAVID HALL), center front, now owns the flower shop and reporters, salesman, lawyers and agents approach him, promising him fame and fortune, including Mrs. Luce (Olivia Klassen), right front, and together with the Doo Wops (middle, from left, Jae Faber, Kayla Vonk and Amy Bartsch) and Skid Row folks at back, including Ethan Klassen, left and Joey Baldone, right, present “The Meek Shall Inherit.”
ALTHOUGH TEMPTED BY fast-talkers like Skip Snip (Eli Karschnik), left – as well as by the trappings of success – Seymour (David Hall), right, realizes that it is only a matter of time before Audrey II will kill again and that he is morally responsible. He considers destroying the plant but believing that his fame is the only thing that is earning him Audrey’s love, he is unable to do so.
As Seymour works on his speech for a lecture tour, Audrey II again squalls for blood. Seymour threatens to kill it just as Audrey walks in asking when Mushnik will return from visiting his “sick sister.” Seymour learns that Audrey would still love him without the fame and decides that Audrey II must die after the interview. Audrey is confused and frightened by Seymour’s ramblings, but she runs home by his order. That night, unable to sleep and distressed by Seymour’s strange behavior, Audrey goes to the flower shop to talk with him. He is not there, and Audrey II begs her to water him. Not sensing the mortal danger, she approaches to water it, and a vine wraps around her and pulls her into the plant’s gaping mouth Seymour arrives and attacks the plant in an attempt to save Audrey. He pulls her out, but Audrey is mortally wounded and tells him to feed her to the plant after she dies so that they can always be together. She dies in his arms, and he reluctantly honors her request. Seymour falls asleep as Audrey II grows small red flower buds.
The next day, Patrick Martin from the World Botanical Enterprises tells Seymour that his company wishes to take leaf cuttings of Audrey II and sell them across America. Seymour realizes the plant’s evil plan: during the solar eclipse, Audrey II came from an unknown planet to conquer Earth. He tries shooting, cutting and poisoning the plant, but it has grown too hardy to kill. Seymour, in desperation, runs into its open jaws with a machete planning to kill it from the inside, but is quickly eaten.
MARTIN AND THE Doo-Wops search for Seymour, but, not finding him, they begin to take cuttings from the plant. Taking cuttings above are Doo-Wops Amy Bartsch, standing and Jae Faber, kneeling.
FOLLOWING THESE EVENTS, other plants appeared across America, tricking innocent people into feeding them blood in exchange for fame and fortune. The entire cast then pleads “Don’t Feed the Plants.”
CAST, CREW AND Directors for the MLHS production, Little Shop of Horrors. Front, from left Ryan Pedersen, Maleek Stewart, Daniel Gardiner, Seth Klassen, Peyton Banks, Laura Dalton, Cole Kleven, Braden Rempel, Jareya Harder and Michael Watkins. Middle from right, Director Kelli Tucholke, Director Sarah Tailowright, Isaac Grev, Joey Baldone, Kayla Vonk, Jae Faber, Kyla Stewart, Amy Bartsch and Ethan Klassen. Back, from left, Anika Fast, Eli Karschnik, Regan Syverson, Chloe Klassen, David Hall with Audrey II, Paton Buller, Brody Kleven and Olivia Klassen. Not pictured is Taylor Hudson.
