University of Mississippi Theatre and Film will debut its spring musical, “Little Shop of Horrors,” at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 18, in Fulton Chapel with additional performances to follow April 19-21.
One of off-Broadway’s longest running shows, “Little Shop of Horrors” follows Seymour Krelborn, a florist employee, as he discovers an exotic plant species he affectionately names “Audrey II” after his coworker crush. The foul-mouthed, R&B-singing carnivore promises unending fame and fortune to Krelborn as long as he continues feeding the plant blood, leading to a series of misadventures.
Created by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken, the artistic minds behind Disney’s “The Little Mermaid,” “Aladdin” and “Beauty and the Beast,” the sci-fi musical has delighted audiences for more than 30 years.
UM Theatre’s adaptation of “Little Shop of Horrors” seeks to step away from the stereotypical story and its creative bounds. One way in which the production accomplishes this is by diversifying the traditional trio into a septet that guides the audience through the musical.
“Our production is special because instead of the normal three-person Urchins, we have seven strong and beautiful Black women as a Greek chorus,” Kayla Mariah Fifer, a freshman in the B.F.A. program for Acting for the Stage and Screen, said. “Along with that, we have a Black woman voicing Audrey II, the plant, and myself, a Black woman playing Audrey.”
Fifer’s favorite part of portraying Audrey has been her ability to play into an intentional melodramatic style.
“Our production isn’t afraid to take risks and change things up,” Fifer said.
Playing the role of Seymour Krelborn is Maxwell Glasser, a sophomore in the B.F.A. program for Acting for the Stage and Screen.
Glasser described the role of Seymour as a childhood dream, particularly at the end of the “Suddenly Seymour” number, where Seymour grows into a full bloom hero.
“We had an incredibly short rehearsal process that did produce some challenges,” Glasser said, “However, everyone in the cast and on the creative team have really put their blood, sweat and tears into bringing this show to life.”
John R.C. Carden, director and assistant professor of Musical Theatre, shared insights into the actors’ creative inputs and the show’s heartfelt and comedic tone.
“All our actors arrived at the first rehearsal off-book, word and note perfect. This allowed a greater sense of security and allowed us to go deeper into the process,” Carden said. “Our wonderful choreographer Joe Jackson has incorporated dance and movement to become a bigger part of the story telling mechanism.
Carden noted the pride he has in this production.
“I am inspired daily by our actors. It has been an absolute joy to work with them and watch them grow,” Carden said. “It truly takes a village and our production team has worked endless hours to bring this show to life. I am filled with such joy and pride in their achievements.”
To purchase tickets for UM Theatre’s “Little Shop of Horrors,” you can visit their website or the UM Box Office.
