Little Shop of Horrors takes over Lambert

Allie Tatoy, Staff Writer|March 30, 2017

Drew Davison stars as Seymour alongside the iconic plant, Audrey II.

Behind the scenes of Little Shop

By Nick Schwarzmann, Staff Writer

Being a part of Little Shop of Horrors is a totally new experience for me. This is my first time being in the cast of a musical, and I’m learning so much about myself as a person and an actor, as well as the process behind producing a show. We were given our scripts before Winter Break, and we’ve been working almost constantly on the show since then, albeit often times not in the auditorium. One of my favorite aspects of this show is that we have a relatively small cast, which allows us to be closer and more intimate than a cast of 40, 50, or 60+ might be. I also appreciate the amount of underclassmen that are in this show. They are so talented and they’re getting such valuable experience; I can only imagine how talented and accomplished they will be by the time they’re seniors. Everyone in this cast and crew is so talented and lovely, and I know we will create a show that will be thoroughly entertaining.

On Tuesday night, the Acting Troupe of Lambert performed their opening-night performance of Little Shop of Horrors. The group has been working since the end of winter break to put together the show, putting hours upon hours into bringing it together. The musical is a macabre contrast to the previous semester’s show, James and the Giant Peach. Morgan Sauer, a member of the ensemble, said, “I think it’s more of a dark show and less frilly than some of the other shows.”

One of the most interesting parts of the show, according to various cast members, is the use of puppetry. Throughout the musical, the iconic plant, Audrey II, is portrayed through various different puppets. Beginning with two hand-controlled puppets, the plant grows big enough that a person must go inside to control it. The show utilizes four plant puppets in all.

Aside from the iconic plant, lively characters keep the show going. These include the optimistic Audrey, the confident, Greaser-esque Orin, and the main character, the dorky Seymour. Drew Davison, who plays Seymour, said that his favorite part of the role was, “probably the fact that I get to be a little bit of a geek or a dork…. because my character is a little bit clumsy, he’s a little bit awkward. It’s one of those things where I can kind of step out of my comfort zone a little more because instead of being over the top, I can actually be a little more reserved without being too flamboyant.”

After rehearsing for two months and working on one week of tech, the show came together this Tuesday on their opening night. With styles such as R&B, doo-wop, rock and roll, and early Motown, quirky characters with big dreams, extravagant props and puppetry, and a marvelous cast and crew, the performance is certainly a memorable one.

“It’s a lot different than anything we’ve done recently, especially because it’s complete contrasting to James,” Kevin Walsh, a junior playing the sadistic character Orin, said, “It’s just something that we’ve never done here before and we put a lot of work into the set and props and everything and I feel like it’ll be a great experience for everyone.”