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Little Shop of Horrors
Music by Alan Menken Lyrics and book by Howard Ashman Thingamajig Theatre Company, 2018 Director: Ali Whitman Choreographer: Pia Wyatt Music Director: Boni McIntyre Set Designer: John Santangelo Costume Designer: Adrienne Young Sound Designer: Hannah Shutt Props Designer: Tanya Quinn Lighting Designer: Elaine Wong Scenic Artist: Jill Fives Prod. Stage Manager: Samantha Rohr Asst. Stage Manager: Jazlynne Williams Photography by Elaine Wong. This production was performed in repertory with a shared lighting plot with three other productions, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Legally Blonde, and Pinkalicious. A cult classic dark comedy based on the 1960s film of the same name, Little Shop of Horrors follows the life of Seymour Krelborn, a down-on-his-luck orphan living on Skid Row. He sleeps under the counter of Mushnik's Flower Shop, where he cares for the plants and dreams of escaping his life of poverty. Upon Seymour's discovery of a mysterious, never-before-seen plant, business for Seymour, Mushnik, and Audrey magically skyrockets them into celebrity. The true cost of their success is revealed later as the Plant (dubbed affectionately 'Audrey 2' after Seymour's crush on his coworker), demands fresh human blood as a price for Seymour's fame. Three local girls, the Urchins, function similarly to a Greek Chorus, moving throughout the world and the plot as instigators, prophetic Fates, and backup singers.
In order to evoke that B-movie charm, the lighting design of the show tapped specifically into a vintage 60s colour scheme, heavily prevalent in the initial book scenes of the musical. As the plot of the show takes a more horrific turn, the colours shift to match those dramatic, campy horror tropes of the era, using dark shadows, starker angles, and clashing colours to build tension and unease. |
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