The plant in Mansfield Senior High’s production of Little Shop of Horrors has a taste for Audrey (Keeley Weese) as Seymour (Martin Rawls) and director Dirk Eachus react in terror. Director Dirk Eachus describes next week’s all-school stage production at Mansfield Senior High School as “a science fiction dark comedy musical” and cautions in advance about the ending.
A cast of 15 plus a 12-member ensemble will present Little Shop of Horrors, one of Off Broadway’s longest running shows and a 1986 Hollywood cult-favorite movie.
Show times are 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, March 16 and 17, and 3 p.m. on Sunday, March 18. All seats are $5. Tickets will be available at the door one hour before show time.
Martin Rawls has the role of meek floral shop assistant Seymour Krelborn while Keeley Weese is Audrey, Seymour’s co-worker and love interest. Jabre Jones will provide the voice of the alien bloodthirsty plant which promises Seymour success if he will feed it human flesh and blood. As the plant grows, curiosity about it brings more customers into the store.
“The plant makes this production more challenging,” said Eachus, Senior High’s vocal music director. “Jabre couldn’t be inside the plant so all of his lines are pre-recorded and have to be timed to Seymour’s lines.
“We started rehearsals late in January. Putting this together has been a lot of work for everyone but also a lot of fun. I will caution audiences in advance that the ending won’t necessarily be a happy one.”
Seniors Rawls and Weese are veteran stage performers. They had lead roles last year in Senior High’s production of “Annie.”
“Seymour is very nerdish and clumsy, but smart. He really has a crush on Audrey,” said Rawls.
Weese describes Audrey as “ditsy.”
“She does not have a good image of herself. She has an abusive boyfriend,” Weese said.
Other cast
members include:
Crystal – Calio Snyder
Karen – Emberly Schaub-Hurt
Chiffon – ESaelynn Cameron
Brenda – Ayson Lookabaugh
Ronnette – Cassidy Williams
Precious – Clover France
Mr. Mushnik – Micah Gillum
Orin – James Bolden
Ms. Bernstein – Olivia Kidd
Mrs. Luce – Olivia Snyder
Skip Snip – Owyn Langston
Patricia Martin – Brookelynn Brown
Musical
numbers will be sung by an ensemble of Brandon Dixon, Savanna Hammons, Skylar
McKinney, Zoey Reip, Karmen Peterson, Brianne Blevins, Lauren Whitson, Mikaeli
Maddox, Daisjah Brown, Maggie Allred, Desiree Skaggs and Kimara Wilson.