Riverwood Presents Classic 'Little Shop of Horrors'

Riverwood International Charter School presents their spring musical production of “Little Shop of Horrors”  at 7 p.m., Thursday-Saturday; 3 p.m., Sunday. 

In the story. a down-and-out skid row floral assistant, Seymour Krelborn (Jake Berne), working for shop owner, Mr. Mushnik (Joey Weiss), becomes an overnight sensation when he discovers an exotic plant with a mysterious craving for fresh human blood.

Trying to impress his secret crush Audrey (Alexandra Greenway), Seymour gets caught up trying to feed blood to his plant which he has named after her. Unfortunately Audrey is stuck in a bad relationship with the evil dentist Orin Scrivello (Ben Heller).

Soon "Audrey II" (Andrew Battle) grows into an ill-tempered, foul-mouthed, R&B-singing carnivore who offers Seymour fame and fortune in exchange for feeding its ever-growing appetite, finally revealing itself to be an alien creature poised for global domination!

“Little Shop of Horrors” is one of the longest-running Off-Broadway shows of all time. An affectionate spoof of 1950s black comedy, sci-fi movies, the musical has become a household name, thanks to a highly successful film version and a score with 1960’s rock and roll, doo-wop and early Motown, by the songwriting team of Howard Ashman and Alan Menken.

Favorite well-known tunes include the title song, "Skid Row (Downtown)", "Somewhere That's Green", and "Suddenly, Seymour". Riverwood’s cast includes an ensemble of 40 students, and is directed by RICS Theater teacher Mary Beth van der Hoek with musical direction by Mary Hoffman, choreography by Beth Sibert, and pit band direction by RICS Band Director Patrick Denney.

The production will be presented in the Riverwood auditorium. Tickets are $8 for students; $12 for adults and may be purchased at the school from11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and at the box office 45 minutes before curtain.