The opening performance of Suitland High School’s production of The Little Shop of Horrors brought a group of students who may not have gotten the “campiness” of the production, but seemed to enjoy the singing and the storyline, (not to mention a six-foot plant who takes over the world!)

The core group of players, Mr. Mushnik, the florist shop owner, Audrey and Seymour, Mr. Mushnik’s employees all seemed to get along and their characters felt real. There was real emotion in Audrey and Seymour’s love song “Suddenly Seymour,” and Audrey’s wistful song about getting away from her abusive dentist boyfriend and loving a man like Seymour (“Somewhere That’s Green”). The Dentist was also able to draw a reaction from the crowd from his entrance to his “untimely disappearance.” His black leather jacket and slicked back hair gave him a real rough look that he personified in his treatment of, well, everybody. Listening to the crowd’s reaction was fun and his laughing gas helmet was one of the best designs I’ve seen in Little Shop of Horrors!

Also well cast were the Do-Wop Girls, Ronnette, Chiffon, and Crystal. They had some fun lines which they delivered well and their costumes were Skid Row appropriate and sparkly when called for a more uptown approach. The Audrey II puppets were amazing, and listening to the howls and reactions of the audience to the plant’s movement was refreshing. It’s easy to become unimpressed about something you’ve seen done many times before, but the fresh eyes of the high school audience was quite rewarding, especially during the Audrey II’s first song “Feed Me (Git It).”

All of the cast stayed in character. One thing that will develop through out the run was some blocking issues. There needed to be more cheating out at times as well as learning to use upstage hands as audience members want to see people’s faces. Sound is always an issue. The auditorium was huge and mixing the sound was difficult. Hopefully this will come together as well. Set changes were generally executed quickly.

All in all, the opening morning performance had a few bumps, but Little Shop of Horrors was still a fun show to experience.

Photo Gallery

Photos provided by Suitland High School

Disclaimer: Suitland High School provided two complimentary media tickets to ShowBizRadio for this article. SHS also purchased advertising on the ShowBizRadio web site, which did not influence this article.