A man-eating plant, musical harmonies and peculiar love story continue to make the horror musical \u201cLittle Shop of Horrors\u201d a cult classic. The show, written by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, was inspired by a 1960 film. Many fans have also been exposed to the title through a 1986 film version starring Rick Moranis, Steve Martin, Ellen Greene and Vincent Gardenia.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Valley Youth Theatre will put on the musical from Saturday, Nov. 1, to Sunday, Nov. 16, at the Herberger Theater Center.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The show tells the story of Seymour Krelborn, a flower shop worker who discovers a strange and mysterious plant. The plant, which he names Audrey II after his crush, brings Seymour fame but also has a thirst for blood.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The musical features doowop and 1960s-style music, including the popular songs \u201cFeed Me (Git It),\u201d \u201cSomewhere That\u2019s Green,\u201d \u201cSkid Row (Downtown)\u201d and \u201cSuddenly, Seymour.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The production stars two young adults from the West Valley, Morgan James from Avondale as one of the puppeteers for Audrey II and Valerie Winch as one of the street urchins\/\u201cdoo-wop girls\u201d Crystal.\u00a0<\/p>\n
James, 19, lives in Peoria and is a senior at ASU Prep.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
He will be puppeteering the two larger Audrey II pods. Beni Bermudez will also act as a puppeteer for the smaller version of Audrey II, and Ra\u2019jihya Givens will voice the character.\u00a0<\/p>\n
James recently played teacher Mr. Scary and Junie B.\u2019s father Daddy in \u201cJunie B.\u2019s Essential Survival Guide to School.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He has been working with Valley Youth since 2017, since he was10 years old. He has been in their productions of \u201cThe Wizard of Oz,\u201d \u201cThe Secret Garden,\u201d \u201cThe SpongeBob Musical,\u201d \u201cRoald Dahl\u2019s Willy Wonka\u201d and \u201cAnnie.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
James has previous puppeteering experience with TheaterWorks, where he operated hand puppets in shows such as \u201cSecret of the Rainforest.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He also did other shows, including \u201cFrankenstein\u201d and \u201cMatilda,\u201d with TheaterWorks. In their production of \u201cDisney\u2019s Frozen JR.,\u201d he played the villain Hans.\u00a0<\/p>\n
James did general auditions for \u201cLittle Shop of Horrors\u201d and was asked to play Audrey II because of his previous puppeteering experience.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI definitely remember being a little kid and watching \u2018Little Shop of Horrors\u2019 for the first time. I watched the one with Rick Moranis. When I got cast, I did watch the older one from the \u201960s as part of my research,\u201d James said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He said that playing Audrey II is different from the puppetry work he did with TheaterWorks because he will be inside the puppet.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI had only worked with the hand puppets that go over your hand or cover most of your forearm. I was just reaching my arms up, and I was dressed in black performing. For these puppets in \u2018Little Shop,\u2019 I\u2019m going to be on stage for much of the show and inside of the puppets. Even pod three, I\u2019m operating not only the mouth, but I\u2019m wearing leggings that look like roots. At one point during \u2018Feed Me,\u2019 I kick my legs out because the plant is able to move its roots around,\u201d James said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
James said that he will be controlling the puppets through levers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cPod three, which is my first puppet, I\u2019m sitting on a stool and covered in the puppet. They have two horizontal levers. I assume it\u2019s a scissor action where I\u2019m operating the mouth.\u00a0There\u2019s also a tongue that I can stick my arm in and flick the tongue,\u201d James said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bermudez will be operating a smaller version of Audrey II by reaching his hand out from under a table.\u00a0<\/p>\n
James will start working with the puppet the week before tech. Until then, he has to pretend he is handling the puppet.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are preparing me by having me mime the motions that it would be for the puppet\u2026.It is a little strange, but I think it\u2019s going to be a nice, seamless transition to having the puppet. I\u2019m going to get a little while to practice with the puppet before the show,\u201d James said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
James said not having the puppet has allowed him to become more familiar with the scenes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It has been a challenge to have the voice of his character be played by someone else.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause the voice is separate from the puppet, I\u2019m having to predict how Ra\u2019jihya is going to say lines or sing. Especially when there are a few parts where she\u2019s supposed to riff or adlib, I\u2019m supposed to predict that,\u201d James said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Along with Valley Youth, James has had the chance to work with Arizona Broadway Theatre, Desert Foothills Theater, Almost Famous Theatre Company and Phoenix Theatre Company.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He became interested in theater after doing a workshop as a kid. From a young age, he focused on singing, dancing and acting. He also plays the piano and guitar.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Theater runs in his family. His mom has done shows as TheaterWorks and Fountain Hills Theater, and his younger brother recently became interesting in acting.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
James has gotten a chance to play a variety of different parts, including more serious roles and dance-heavy parts. One of his favorite parts was being in the ensemble in \u201cSpongeBob the Musical.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIn one of the songs, Squidward\u2019s main song, Squidward was tap dancing with a chorus of sea anemones, and I was one of them,\u201d James said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Winch will be playing opposite two other street urchins, Isabella Penza as Ronnette and Alyssa Morrison as Chiffon.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Winch, 14, hails from Glendale and is in 10th grade at Apollo High School.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This is her first show with Valley Youth.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She said thus far, she has had a positive experience working with Valley Youth because of the relationships she has formed with others.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m honestly really glad that the first show I\u2019m doing with them is a small cast. I get to connect a lot more with people,\u201d Winch said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
During the height of COVID, she was part of a live performance troop for tweens offered through the company.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I was in it, all the rehearsals were on Zoom. You would record yourself alone, and they would put it all together to make a video,\u201d Winch said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Winch auditioned because she likes the musical.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first time I saw the \u2018Little Shop of Horrors,\u2019 it wasn\u2019t the musical. It freaked me out really bad, and it was very sad. I vowed that I would never be a part of the show because it\u2019s just so dark. I think especially now that I\u2019ve seen the musical twice, the music just brings it so much more to life. It\u2019s a really fun show, and it takes away from how dark it is. It\u2019s so fun to be contrasting, with the music being so bright and cheery and then the plot being really dark,\u201d Winch said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Winch said when she auditioned for the show, she was interested in being one of the street urchins, who act as narrators and a Greek chorus in the show.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re not really a part of the story, but they are omniscient. They\u2019re in a lot of songs. It\u2019s definitely one of the most challenging roles I\u2019ve been in, just because there\u2019s so much singing and dancing. And we\u2019re still acting\u2026.We have moments where it\u2019s more Greek chorus and then more like \u2018Dreamgirls\u2019 or Beyonc\u00e9,\u201d Winch said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The show is set in the \u201960s, which is reflected in the costumes that Winch and other characters wear.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Winch said in the show, it\u2019s important that she, Penza and Morrison are in sync.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s the first time I\u2019ve had this much harmony. The urchins are definitely always in three-part harmony. The singing is a beast, obviously, and the dancing too\u2026. I think just as a whole, it\u2019s definitely one of the hardest roles I\u2019ve had to tackle,\u201d Winch said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Winch had worked with Penza before through Spotlight. This is her first time working with Morrison. She said the three of them have quickly become a tight-knit group.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Winch started out doing theater with Spotlight Youth Theatre at 8 years old. Over the years, she has done more than a dozen productions with the company, including \u201cSchool Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play,\u201d \u201c13 the Musical,\u201d \u201cAnnie\u201d and \u201cSIX The Musical: Teen Edition.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She has also worked with Arizona Broadway Theatre, Desert Stages Theatre and TheaterWorks. One of her first leading roles was as Nala in TheaterWorks\u2019 production of \u201cDisney\u2019s The Lion King JR.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She took an interest in theater after doing summer camps with Spotlight and Phoenix Theatre Company.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Over the years, she has gotten to do different types of roles. She tends to do shows because she is drawn to the characters or music.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She has played a number of villainous roles, including Dragon in \u201cShrek the Musical JR.\u201d and Tamatoa in \u201cDisney\u2019s Moana JR.\u201d She said she enjoys these parts because of their show-stopping musical numbers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Along with acting, Winch has also gotten to act as a stagehand and do sound in a few shows.\u00a0<\/p>\n
At her high school, she is part of choir and does musical theater.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the last few years, she has done training programs in New York through the Broadway Artists Alliance and the New York Performing Arts Academy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For the Broadway Artists Alliance, she has performed in showcases for panels of agents, managers and casting agents.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter you perform, you get your showcase video. That\u2019s really good audition material\u2026.You get some notes from the people on the panel, so that\u2019s really helpful. They have workshops throughout the week too where you can also get notes,\u201d Winch said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Valley Youth Theatre\u2019s Production of \u201cLittle Shop of Horrors\u201d <\/p>\n
WHEN: Saturday, Nov. 1-Sunday, Nov. 16.<\/p>\n
ASL-interpreted performance on Sunday, Nov. 9.<\/p>\n
WHERE: Herberger Theater Center, 222 E. Monroe St., Phoenix\u00a0<\/p>\n
cost: Tickets start at $17.50<\/p>\n