The songs and screams of Skid Row will soon fill Vanden's Little Theater when “Little Shop of Horrors” opens on April 25th.
Much like Skid Row's flower shop and its infamous plants, audiences will find this small theater to be an unexpected and larger-than-life musical spectacle.
Taking cues from off-Broadway productions, director Gerald Bolden wanted to take Skid Row from the stage to the aisles.
“It's important from the beginning of the show to convey this small store and Skid Row vibe to the audience,” Bolden said. “It’s about getting them into action.”
Actors dressed as various Skid Row residents roam the steps of a stage that doubles as the store's front steps and perform choreographed dance numbers in the audience.
Alan Menken's songs are brought to life by passionate young singers. Showcasing his singing talent as Audrey, his junior Lauren Brown fills the theater with a solo rendition of “Skid Row (Downtown).” Braxton Young commands the stage with both vocal and physical comedy as sadist Orin Scrivello, who sings “Dentist!”
“It's rock, it's Motown, it's campy,” Bolden said. “It's good for the whole family. Every number is shocking.”
The teenage cast includes a number of disciplined actors, all of whom have been participating in regular rehearsals over the past four months. For some, like stage veteran Brown, heading to the stage comes naturally, while for others, the 9 a.m. Saturday call time is completely new to them.
“I’m always thrilled and thrilled to be here creating, collaborating and working with my students,” she said, commuting from Sacramento to listen to show songs in preparation for rehearsals. Bolden said. From scene blocking to set design to managing an opinionated teenage cast, Bolden's role may be the biggest.
Bolden, who earned a master's degree in theater from Sacramento State University, continued to work on national and international tours with Sesame Street Live! It was there that he gained experience in puppetry. That experience informs the work, which features his four different puppet versions of Audrey II, a man-eating plant. The final piece is 6 feet tall and 5 feet wide and was delivered just a week before the show opened.
The puppets themselves intertwine comedy and horror themes in the show. But apart from the gore and upbeat songs, many of the members of the cast discovered other underlying themes in the four months since he penned the script.
“It's such a lovely story about resilience. And it's told in such a fun way that you don't realize you're being told a sad story with really dark themes,” Brown said. . “It’s a fun way to convey to the audience a serious message of hope and of moving forward without even realizing it.”
Sure, storytelling is one aspect for teens, but stage experiences and community are also appealing.
“I see theater as a place to escape stress, and to be someone who isn't necessarily in my place in life,” Marcel Beasley said.
Beasley has been on stage for six years, but playing the timid clerk Seymour will be his breakout role in Vanden.
“Little Shop'' is a nostalgic film for Beasley. It was one of his first shows he watched with his mother. When I saw the audition posted in December, that joy of discovery was reignited and I knew I had to give it a try.
While Beasley's Vanden journey has just begun, this production marks the finale for his graduating castmates.
“The theater is a second home and has always been there for me. It's my rock,” Brown said, explaining that any difficult times were made better by rehearsals. “I think this is a foundation for what I want to do in the future,” Brown said. “I want to become a lawyer, so I feel that public speaking is very important.''
“It's expression, it's freedom, it's life, it's love,” said Amar, who watched Vanden's drama through a Zoom production as a freshman. As she prepares for her graduation, Amar is moving on to the next chapter with her theater dreams. “I would love to be on Broadway one day and sing with the stars,” she said.
Liliana Galván, a complete novice to the world of puppetry, proved herself committed to the central role by twisting her body to express the attitude of a plant.
“If you want to see something new and unique and different, the actors are interacting with puppet plants that keep growing and growing and growing,” Bolden suggested.
If you go:
- what: “Little Shop of Horrors”
- when: April 25th to 27th
- where: Vanden Little Theatre, 2951 Markeley Lane, Fairfield.