After months of preparation, practice and patience, Elizabeth
High School’s musical production of “Little Shop of Horrors”
brought laughs and gasps to the high school’s cafetorium.
The trio of performances March 5-7 was packed each nights with
parents, students and community members ready for an evening of
dark comedy and rock ‘n’ roll music.
With more than 60 students involved, the musical was a type of
performance high school students had never done before, and many
who attended had never seen such a production either — which was
exactly what director Abby Cate was going for.
“This musical is funny, short and a little dark,” said the
Elizabeth High School choir teacher. “There is nothing bad about
this musical, but in the end good does not win.”
The musical is based around a clumsy employee Seymour Krelborn
who works at a dying flower shop in need of desperate business. As
the shop is about to close Seymour brings in a mysterious plant,
Audrey II to bring in some attention. The plant immediately
attracts business but begins to wilt.
To keep it alive, Seymour discovers that the plant feeds off
human blood and it is his responsibility to provide the food.
Audrey II urges Seymour to kill people and feed them to him. But
soon Seymour becomes unable to feed the plant and he too is
eaten.
As other plants begin to grow all over the world, more and more
people are killed, which was Audrey II’s sole purpose in the
beginning — the complete consumption of the human race.
Throughout the production, live music from the orchestra pit
accompanies the performers’ voices in a variety of songs.
The students’ performances are both dramatic, yet comical, and
capture the audience’s attention from the beginning. Cate said she
considers Elizabeth’s productions larger and more professional
compared to other school districts. She said students have the
opportunity to immerse themselves into a project they can be proud
of.
“Theater teaches the kids life lessons that can’t be taught
anywhere else,” she said. “It teaches them to work as a group and
in the end they have something tangible to show for it.”
Musical
