The show orchestra opens with a thundering roar of sound. A booming voice, credited to Mr. Joshua Hunnex of the music department, echoes throughout the theater: “On the twenty-first day of the month of September, in an early year of a decade not too far before our own, the human race suddenly encountered a deadly threat to its very existence…” As the curtains open, there is a contagious energy of excitement, punctuated by the Motown sounds of the opening number of Little Shop of Horrors. “In a musical with such an interesting combination of styles and genres, the orchestra- or really in this case, band- brings a really unique element to the production,” says Isabella Gilligan ’26, Assistant Student Director of the show orchestra. Without knowing, the audience has just been whisked away from their seats in a high school in Ardmore to a flower shop in the downtown slums of Skid Row.
The musical follows a poor man named Seymour, played by Asher Rosenfeld ’24. He works in a run-down flower shop alongside the old owner, Mr. Mushnik (Caleb Rosenfeld ’27), and the pretty coworker Audrey (Sammie Grolnick ’25). It is narrated by three street urchins (Gwen O’Bannon ’25, Damini Babu ’24, Emoni McQueen ’24) who serve as somewhat omniscient commentators on the story. The story begins as Seymour discovers an odd plant in the flower district and brings it home, thinking that it will drum up business for the struggling store. He decides to name it Audrey II in hopes that it will attract attention from Audrey, who is caught up with her abusive boyfriend, the dentist (Elliott Boldin ’27). Rosenfeld plays Seymour with a timid naivete, and his feelings for Audrey immediately convince the audience to root for him. The plant begins to draw curiosity from the public, and Mr. Mushnik tells Seymour that he must find what the plant needs to grow. Unfortunately, Seymour realizes through a cut on his finger that the plant only longs for one ingredient: human blood.
The story continues to unfold as Seymour grapples with the bloodthirsty nature of Audrey II and the moral decisions he must make. He feeds the plant his own blood until it grows to a huge size. The plant is a hit and the shop and Seymour have become famous, but Audrey II’s appetite has grown too large for him to control. It starts speaking to him, demanding him to “feed me.” The raspy evil voice of the plant sends an unnerving chill throughout the theater, as it echoes from a couch-sized flytrap puppet onstage. The skill level of puppetry is impressive and really brings the plant to life, which is frightening to see. The plant puppet, controlled by Charlie Maccauley ’25, is aided by ensemble dancers, whose grim and threatening movements expose just how dangerous Audrey II is.
Worried about Audrey (and pining for her), Seymour decides that the plant’s first victim will be her sadistic boyfriend Orin. He makes an appointment and plans to shoot him but chickens out, only for the insane dentist to become trapped inside his own gas mask and suffocate. Seymour feeds him to Audrey II. After his disappearance, Audrey admits her feelings to Seymour and they kiss. Grolnick does a fantastic job of highlighting Audrey’s humanity. The character stayed with Orin so long out of fear, but has always longed for an idyllic suburban life with Seymour. She sings multiple songs that tug at the audience’s heartstrings. This is a happy moment for all– the last one they will have for the rest of the show.
At last, Seymour’s facade comes crashing down. Mr. Mushnik becomes suspicious of Seymour’s relationship with Audrey plus the disappearance of Orin. The plant convinces Seymour that Mr. Mushnik will rat him out to the police. Seymour, not wanting to lose Audrey, tricks the old man into getting into the plant. He is devoured. Seymour begins to receive offers from the media and agencies who want a piece of Audrey II’s fame, but he knows that the plant is still hungry for blood and is not planning to stop. He is torn between his morals and begins to lose his sanity, rambling angrily to the hungry plant. Rosenfeld captures the audience with Seymour’s inner conflict; people are desperate to know what he will choose and how the story will end. Seymour intends to do nothing in fear of losing Audrey, but she tells him that she would love him even without the fame and fortune Audrey II has caused. This makes his mission clear: he must kill the bloodthirsty plant before it can harm anyone else.
However, everything unravels before Seymour’s and the audience’s eyes. Audrey comes to talk to Seymour at night but is attacked by Audrey II. Seymour rescues her, but she is fatally wounded. She tells Seymour to feed her to the plant so they will always be together, and he does. This is a heartbreaking moment to see onstage, after the two had been so happy not too long ago. This is also the breaking point for Seymour. Now that Audrey is gone, he tries everything he can to kill the plant, charging into its mouth as a final effort but gets devoured. This marks the end of the plot, a devastating ending for its viewers. The final number reunites all the characters as we learn that the plant was marketed and sold all over the world, on the way to achieving its evil goal for world domination. The musical leaves the audience with a jarring message: whatever they offer you, don’t feed the plants!
LM Players’ fall musicals are always a success, but Little Shop of Horrors is a cut above the rest. The puppet technology behind Audrey II was very impressive and unlike anything we’ve seen before in a Players production. The small cast of the show allowed for a close-knit, talented group. Rosenfeld and Grolnick were especially exceptional in their roles as Seymour and Audrey, and definitely left a lasting impression on their audience. As Players head into their winter play, The Play That Goes Wrong, it will be interesting to see if it will match the new standard that Little Shop of Horrors has set for LMHS theater.
