FARMINGTON – Alan Mencken and Howard Ashman’s satirical musical Little Shop of Horrors will be staged on May 11, 12, and 13 in the Bjorn Auditorium on Mt Blue Campus at 7 p.m.
Tickets are $10 and $7 available at the door or by calling to reserve at (207) 779-7884. This is the Sandy River Players Reservation line, and they have graciously allowed MBTC to use it. By arrangement with the publishing company, we are allowed to sell only 300 tickets per night.
For those who haven’t seen the original 1960 film, or the musical based on that movie, or the movie based on the musical, or the revival of the original musical, here’s a bit about the plot. Seymour (played by exchange student, Gian Mendez), a naive, down-on-his-luck orphan infatuated with Audrey (Jill Conant), has recently acquired a strange and interesting new plant which promises to bring his employer, a grumpy florist shop owner, Mr. Mushnik (Ben Marcotte), some much needed business.
With the help of Audrey, the plant is displayed, and starts bringing in the customers. Unfortunately, the plant, “Audrey II,” doesn’t seem to be very healthy until a strange and interesting occurrence causes the plant to come alive! The show is an unabashed spoof of Science Fiction movies of the 50s and 60s; its humor is sophisticated and at times dark with an ending that twists the 1986 cult classic movies. Other featured roles in the play include Julia Ramsey, Caitlin Zamboni, and Molly Gurney as the do-wop Greek Chorus girls, as well as Aidan Underwood as a sadistic dentist boyfriend, and Tommy Eng as the voice of Audrey II, with Ike Libby as the puppeteer. Chorus roles are played by Julianna Labul, Azayja Lamb, and MacKenzie Wells.
This is the first musical to be presented at Mt. Blue for three years, and the first to be directed by Stage Director, Deborah Muise, in nine years. This time, Muise has partnered with music teachers Adrian St. Pierre (Music Director) and Krista Lyman (Accompanist). The show’s rock style and zany subject matter has long been a favorite of both directors, and when they were deliberating which show to produce, this was the top of both their lists. They each first saw it when their sisters’ high school theater departments produced it, and MBTC has even borrowed the plant puppets from St. Pierre’s alma mater, Brunswick High School.
The show will feature a rock band composed of area professionals and high school students, as well as scenery painted by artist, Deb Hiltz.
For more information about the show and the Mt. Blue Theater Company, please visit our new website: https://dmuise.wixsite.com/mbtc
