Venice Little Theatre www.venicestage.com
CONTACT PERSON [NOT FOR RELEASE] : Maureen Holland, 484-4033 x 221
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 15, 2007
Movie classic and stage classic
VLT’s MainStage travels from New Orleans to Skid Row in New York - and into an odd world indeed
When A Streetcar Named Desire closes on the MainStage at Venice Little Theatre, its seductive and evocative set will be ‘struck’ to make way for something quite different – moving the mood from the New Orleans of 1947 to New York’s Skid Row. To a florist shop, to be precise. A very odd shop indeed. To a Little Shop of Horrors.
The campy and very funny musical opens on Venice Little Theatre’s MainStage on November 6 and runs through November 25, 2007. Performances are Tuesday through Saturday evenings at 8:00 p.m. and Sundays at 2:00 p.m. Tickets are $23.00 and are onsale now at the theatre’s box office, by phone at 941-488-1115 or online at www.venicestage.com.
A hilarious and macabre spoof of 1950's sci-fi movies, this off-Broadway classic is one of the most popular American musicals of the past 30 years. It comes from the creators of Disney’s Beauty & The Beast and Aladdin. The stage machinations involved should delight audiences (especially those who have a dim view of New York City). The opening song, sung in the style of the girl groups of the 1960's, warns the audience that this is not a My Fair Lady style musical.
Skid Row flower shop worker Seymour Krelborn becomes an overnight sensation when he discovers an alien plant form (after he witnesses a total eclipse of the sun). He names the plant Audrey II, after his true love. But what keeps this remarkable plant alive and growing? And what does Mushnik know?
The reviewers loved the show when it opened in New York in the early 1980's. The NY Times said "leaves the audience ravenous for more". The NY Post said "will have you screaming with laughter".
Directing is VLT’s Brad Wages, who also choreographs. Wages’ previous credits include direction of Fools and Cabaret and choreography of Grease, Nunsense, Beauty & The Beast, and last season’s The Full Monty and The Rocky Horror Show (as well, Wages played the role of Frankenfurter in that production).
Musical Director is Jason Brenner, whose VLT credits include Disney’s Beauty & The Beast, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and this summer’s cabaret, The Big Bang.
Jason Kimble plays the hapless clerk, Seymour. He appeared here last season in Godspell, The Full Monty and The Rocky Horror Show. Renee Cordonnier is Audrey. Cordonnier also has numerous credit at the theatre, including Jekyll & Hyde, Grease, Blue Plate Special and a number of cabarets and concerts. The alien plant, Audrey II, is a very talkative plant, and its voice is channeled by Dorian Boyd and 'operated' by jeremy Stone. Steve Credeur, a VLT favorite, is the curious Mushkin.
Boyd also designed the sound for this production. Lighting designer is Chris McVicker. Stage Manager is Sue Brennan, who has numerous VLT stage management credits, including this summer’s Grand Night for Singing with director Michael Sebastien and which Wages choreographed.
The theatre is located at 140 W. Tampa Ave on the island in Venice. The Box Office is open 10:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday through Saturday and opens one hour before all performances.
CAPTION: Renee Cordonnier and Jason Kimble
Little Shop of Horrors
Book and Lyrics by Howard Ashman
Music by Alan Menken
Based on the film by Roger Corman, Screenplay by Charles Griffith
DIRECTOR and CHOREOGRAPHER: Brad Wages
MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Jason Brenner
STAGE MANAGER: Sue Brennan
SCENIC DESIGN: Allan Kollar
LIGHTING DESIGN: Chris McVicker
SOUND DESIGN: Dorian Boyd
COSTUME DESIGN: Nicholas Hartman
The Cast
Seymour - Jason Kimble
Audrey - Renee Cordonnier
Mushnik - Steve Credeur
Orin - Mike Griffith
Audrey II voice - Dorian Boyd
Audrey II operator - Jeremy Stone
The Urchins: Lainie Kates, Lauren Kelly, Ela Kitapci
Ensemble: Emily Mounce, Will Betterton, Lauren Smith, Nyck Rodriguez, Hayley Balliet, Shawn Watkins