MLHS set to raise the curtain on ‘Little Shop of Horrors;’ In change, two performances scheduled on Saturday due to football state playoff game
The Mountain Lake Public High School (MLHS) Drama Department is set to raise the curtain on Little Shop of Horrors – providing audiences the opportunity to visit with the unique Venus flytrap, Audrey II – if they dare!
Show dates had been set for the evenings of Friday, November 10 and Saturday, November 11. However, with the Mountain Lake Area Wolverine football team advancing a state playoff game on Friday, November 10 (a trio of players also appear in the fall musical), changes have been made to the production schedule. Two performances will now be held in the school’s auditorium on Saturday, November 11, including a 2 p.m. matinee and the originally-scheduled 7 p.m. curtain time. Tickets, available only at the door, are $4 for kids and $6 for adults.
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 shy Seymour (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 discovers the plant can only survive on human 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 Watson and Maleek Stewart) and must continue to come up with similar meals for this bloodthirsty plant.
The ending comes as a surprise to many, but the lesson to be learned is in the plant itself. That lesson is – Don’t give in to that tempting evil – it will only grow and grow. Don’t feed the plants!
Remaining cast members include:
- Radio Interviewer – Taylor Hudson.
- Mr. Berstein – Brody Kleven.
- Mrs. Luce – Olivia Klassen.
- Skip Snip – Eli Karschnik.
- Mr. 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 are some rehearsal photos from the play’s opening scenes:
