Drama department to present a sci-fi, floral love story in ‘Little Shop of Horrors’

UPDATED: May 1, 2018 at 12:13 p.m.

A flesh-eating plant, a nerdy florist and an eccentric love story will band together under a rock music score in “Little Shop of Horrors” at Syracuse Stage/SU Drama Complex this weekend, presented by Syracuse University’s Department of Drama.

The musical tells the story of a timid floral shop assistant, Seymour Krelborn, who names a singing, flesh-hungry plant after his coworker-crush, Audrey. The shop’s owner, Mr. Mushnik, transforms from grouchy to greedy in an effort to achieve wealth and fame, which brings the darker sides out of him and the other characters.

The show is detail-oriented and relies heavily on visuals, said Amber Gatlin, a junior musical theater major starring as Audrey. Gatlin said Audrey is unlike any character she has played before.

“She sees the beauty in everyone around her, but she can’t see it in herself. She lives with a lot of psychological pain, but does all she can to hide it from everyone,” Gatlin said.

Mr. Mushnik is played by Jacob Rosen, a sophomore acting major. He said the musical has been a different experience for him as it embodies a style more complex than playing your average-Joe-off-the-street. The cast was inspired by sci-fi movies and comic books of the 1960s, which required a lot of research on the style, Rosen said.

Crawford Horton, a junior musical theater major, plays Orin Scrivello, a sadistic dentist and Audrey’s abusive boyfriend. Horton, whose acting experience is rooted in comedy, said playing the villain is fun. He grew up watching and loving the film.

“It’s bloody and weird and everything I loved when I was nine years old,” he said. “The show is so exciting because the emotion is real and relatable, but the audience gets to abandon their reality. I mean come on; it’s about a talking plant. How fun is that?”

Many cast members said the script is high quality. Gatlin cited the well-paced rising action, noting that every line serves a purpose. Rosen, too, said every moment of the show is used to the best of its ability.

When describing the atmosphere in rehearsals, the word “fun” was consistently used — cast members are often classmates and see each other on a daily basis. Sophomore musical theater major Anju Cloud, an ensemble member, said the environment is relaxing.

“Because we are a quirky group of people, we have games and competitions that we hold in rehearsals just for the kick of it,” Cloud said.

One of the rehearsal traditions is to create a wall of pictures serving as their lost and found. When someone leaves a belonging in the rehearsal room, the stage management team takes a picture of it and posts it on the wall. In another game, a tally is kept to see how many times each of the cast and crew members trips over a curb serving as a part of the set, said Horton.

Rosen said the rehearsal room environment is open and collaborative. Since students in the musical theater major can’t perform during their first year, they sit in on rehearsals for productions to see how the process works.

“It is a really lively, fearless and shameless atmosphere. Everyone has a lot of ideas, constantly throwing them out, and trying new things,” Rosen said. “Shameless in the way there is no fear of judgment.”

The show runs May 4 through May 12 at the Syracuse Stage/SU Drama Complex at 820 E. Genesee St. Tickets can be purchased online or at the Syracuse Stage Box Office.

The musical is both humorous and dark at times, but Horton said themes in the show are relevant today.

“It’s wild, scary and goofy, and speaks to greed and corruption on a level that is so perfectly relevant in our current political climate. Get your tickets ASAP to experience it for yourself,” he said.

CLARIFICATION: In a previous version of this article, the play’s producing organization wasn’t clear. The Syracuse University Department of Drama is producing the play. The Daily Orange regrets this error. 

CORRECTION: In a previous version of this article, the Syracuse Stage/SU Drama Complex was missnamed. The Daily Orange regrets this error.