Darlington’s fine arts department will present "Little Shop of Horrors" Feb. 5-7 at the Rome City Auditorium. Doors will open Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m., with showtime at 7:30 p.m. The Sunday matinee begins at 2:30 p.m., after doors open at 2 p.m.
The show is based on the 1980s hit comedy sci-fi horror Off-Broadway rock musical of the same name, and features a story by Howard Ashman and music by Alan Menken.
Seymour and Audrey hope for better days beyond the slummy, fading early 1960s New York City florist shop where they both work; but one day, everything begins to change. The general public becomes captivated with Seymour’s latest acquisition, now on display at the little shop, but things quickly turn dark when he figures out what "Audrey II" needs to survive. Eventually, Seymour discovers that the mutant botanical craves more than just the next meal—something much, much bigger and more sinister.
"Coming out of the fall play, which was a more serious, heavy period piece, we wanted to produce a musical that was really upbeat, loud and funny," said Shelley Daniel, Darlington's theatre director. "The show makes a lot of fun of the horror B movies from the 1950s, and is very tongue in cheek. It's one of the most popular musicals, and is a real crowd-pleaser!"
The cast of "Little Shop of Horrors" includes senior Lyons Nida in the lead role of nerdy florist Seymour, opposite senior Julia Warren, who will portray his love interest and fellow shop associate, Audrey. Senior Chase Brooks will play Mr. Mushnik, the shop’s owner, and senior Adam Tarrant will portray Orin the deranged dentist, another of Audrey's beaus. The main character of the time-honored classic, the out-of-this-world plant Audrey II, will be voiced by senior Winston Gammon and manipulated by junior Ian Kinney.
Those in attendance will recognize familiar tunes from the show's original score, like "Skid Row (Downtown)," "Somewhere That's Green," and "Suddenly, Seymour."
This year's crew will be led by seniors Sarah Jane Prusakowski, assistant director, and stage managers Harlan Dulaney and Savannah Sands. The vivacious company of 48 encompasses grades 9-12 and includes students from the Cayman Islands, China, Germany, Italy, Nigeria, Spain and Vietnam.
"The biggest thing that I have noticed being in rehearsals is the student direction. The kids are doing everything. They are building sets, making costumes, acting, performing—they are very much invested in the project,” said Kim Tunnell, Darlington’s director of fine arts. “You pull all of these kids together and see them in a different light from past productions and even classroom instruction—and it’s just amazing.”
Live music for the show will be performed by a trio of Darlington students with junior Zane Anderson on bass guitar, junior Sam Kim on drums, and senior Mary Margaret Wright on the keyboard.
Tickets for the event can be purchased in advance online at www.darlingtonschool.org/musical, or at the door on the day of the show. General admission tickets are $10. Tiger Booster Club members and current Darlington families may request reserved seating for no additional cost. The general public can purchase tickets in the reserved section for $15 each. All reserved tickets are offered online only and are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
For more information about Darlington's production of "Little Shop of Horrors," contact the box office at 706-368-5256, or by email at boxoffice@darlingtonschool.org.
