AHS has put on many shows in the past, whether it be a musical or a play; many of their shows were entertaining and creative, and this show is the exact same but with more laughs and more fun. Little Shops of Horrors follows a guy named Audrey who befriends a plant, but the plant’s appetite is less than appealing. Audrey has to feed the appetite of a man-eating plant monster named Audrey II while juggling the other aspects of his life.
With the show coming up soon, theatre teacher and director Kylie Murray has been working hard to make sure the show is perfect and represents the story being told on stage. There are many lovely things that Murray, the actors, and the crew have in store for the show. The main visionary for the musical mentioned before is Murray. She has a variety of fun, interesting ideas for the show.
One of the choices she made was having Audrey II, the plant character, become human as he grows in size. “I’m excited because we are using people to create the Audrey II plant. So Gabby Fuentes Quinos, who plays the voice of Audrey II, was originally going to be the voice of the plant when we were having a puppet, but now Gabby is very much on stage and acting,” Murray said. “Then, as the plant gets bigger, there are other actors playing the leaves of Audrey II kind of surrounding Gabby. The first two interpretations of this character are hand puppets, and then the third is Gabby plus three ensemble members, and then the last one is Gabby plus five ensemble members,” Murray said.
Murray wanted to go with this approach both to overcome possible challenges in making an Audrey II puppet from scratch and to give students a chance to shine. Of course, Murray had a lot to think about when making casting decisions for the show. She wanted to make sure to pick the right student who could bring life to the characters. “Generally speaking, as a director, there are many variables that go into casting. Part of it is what vision in my head [and] also what kids or performers bring to the audition,” Murray said. “There are some performers who audition, you’re like, ‘Oh, that person is this character.’ And it’s like, ‘I can cast it right off the first audition,’ whereas there are some characters where it’s like, ‘Oh man, no one is jumping out at me for this character,’ so I need to callback.” Murray isn’t the only person making important decisions for the show.
Actors also have a lot of things to contemplate for their roles along with how they’ll bring them to life. Many actors are putting on different hats and learning how to maneuver through different roles. Even though they have a lot to think about, they’re still finding ways to have fun with their roles. Junior and actor Eshan Van Heerdan said, “In terms of acting, I play a character that is rich, and I’m having fun with that acting. In addition, I play as a part of the plant, and it is an interesting experience because it’s a lot of unique movements.”
As difficult as juggling roles and responsibilities will be for actors, they’ll still be able to bring life to the characters they’re playing. Crew members also have a lot to consider for the show. Even though they don’t have to create a giant plant puppet, figuring out how to make a group of people look like a plant without it looking goofy is a challenge. They do have methods of avoiding this problem. Junior Fiona Raymer, props manager for the musical, said, “We collaborate in production meetings when needed, sharing files and ideas, and emailing relevant information to others. We are working on growing our communication skills as a whole.”
Even with many things to evaluate, crew members will be able to overcome technical challenges. As you can see, the cast and crew are prepared to deliver a fun, impactful show for anyone willing to watch it. The show will deliver stunning visuals, interesting and complex costume choices, and near-perfect casting. If you have free time, come see the show on May 1st, 2nd, and 3rd at 7 p.m. You’ll be guaranteed a good time!
