Audrey II comes alive at VHHS
Little Shop of Horrors, based off of the 1986 film, is a musical unlike anything VHHS has ever done before. Seymour, played by Adam Hamer (11), discovers a plant that he names Audrey II, voiced by Dylan Cohen (11) and puppeted by Cole Otto (12). What makes this plant strange is that it feeds off of blood and human flesh. Throughout the show, Seymour must continue to find bodies to feed the plant as well as woo and protect his co-worker Audrey, played by Aubrey Black (12), from her boyfriend Orin, played by Tom Tinetti (12).
“[Audrey II is] full of life, literally. She’s probably one of the most interesting characters I’ve ever seen and Dylan does an amazing job bringing her to life. Audrey II is equally as funny as she is scary. She makes the show what it is” said Stephie Benito (12). Benito plays one of the street urchins (Crystal), who she describes as a sassy character who isn’t afraid to speak her mind.
“The characters are just so fun to portray,” Benito said. “Each character in this show has so much personality that we get to bring to life on stage.”
Her favorite scene is Seymour trying to kill Orin because of its humor and great music accompaniment, while her favorite song is “Skid Row” because she said it sets the scene for the rest of the musical and it’s super catchy.
“The musical is different from others, mostly because of the genre,” Benito said. “The past two shows we have done here have been very realistic, but Little Shop of Horrors explores ideas that clearly couldn’t happen in real life. I mean, a giant plant that comes to life and eats people isn’t exactly realistic. It’s fun, though!”
Emily Fagel (12) plays Chiffon, who is a street urchin like Crystal.
“[What makes this musical different from past years is that] it has an unrealistic plot while covering very realistic issues, like greed and sacrifice,” Fagel said.
Besides the new style of musical, Fagel also enjoys the fact that she gets to do a lot more dancing than previously. “Meek Shall Inherit” rounds out to be her favorite scene due to “its fast pace and an awesome costume change”, while her favorite song is “Ya Never Know” because “the trio has worked really hard on it and the dance is really, really fun.”
“I love being a part of this show because I get to narrate different parts through song with Anna Polisky and Stephie Benito as the trio, and we have had an absolute blast,” Fagel said.
Anna Polisky (11) can describe Audrey II in one word as “creepy.” Polisky plays the third street urchin, Ronnette.
“I get to perform with two of my greatest friends by my side all the time,” Polisky said, referring to her co-urchins, Benito and Fagel.
Her favorite part of this year’s musical is the fact that it’s really energetic and fun, especially for her character, who dances and sings a lot throughout the show. Polisky’s favorite scene and song coincide in “Ya Never Know,” because she thought herself and the rest of the cast had the most fun with this scene and song.
Adam Hamer plays Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors. Differing from previous years Hamer said is the incorporation of a puppet (Audrey II) and the plot being very unique.
His favorite song is “Get It” because the audience gets to experience Seymour coming out of his shell and how manipulative Audrey II is.
“[My favorite scene is] “Suddenly Seymour because you see the inevitable come true,” Hamer said. “Seymour becomes confident and finds Audrey’s love and delivers what the audience have anticipated.” Finally he describes Audrey II as “clever, a lot smarter than Seymour. “ He also said Dylan and Cole did an excellent job bringing Audrey II to life.
The cast did a great job with the show and according to Hamer, “This musical was amazing for many reasons: The music is stellar, The characters have their own strange personalities that the audience can appreciate, and lastly the fact that this musical can make you laugh and cry simultaneously.”