`Little Shop of Horrors' sets up shop at Vanden High

The songs and screams of Skid Row will soon fill Vanden's Little Theatre with the opening of “Little Shop of Horrors” on April 25.

Much like the Skid Row flower shop and its infamous plant, audiences will find the small theater housing an unexpected, largerthan-life musical spectacle.

Taking cues from the offbroadway production, Director Jerald Bolden knew he wanted to bring Skid Row off the stage right into the aisles.

“From the top of the show, it's about getting this tiny shop and Skid Row feeling in the audience's face,” said Bolden. “To pull them into the action.”

Posing as various Skid Row citizens, actors will loiter on the stage's steps — also serving as the front steps of the shop — and perform their choreographed dance numbers in the audience.

The musical compositions by Alan Menken are enlivened by the impassioned young singers. Showing her vocal prowess as Audrey, junior Lauren Brown fills the theater with her solo in “Skid Row (Downtown).” Braxton Young commands the stage with both vocal and physical comedy as sadist Orin Scrivello when he sings “Dentist!”

“It's rock, it's Motown, it's campy,” said Bolden. “It's good for the whole family. Every number is a showstopper number.”

The cast of teens includes a host of disciplined actors, all of whom have shown up to regular rehearsals for the

last four months. For some, like stage veteran Brown, heading to the stage is second nature, while for others the 9 a.m. Saturday call time is a new thing entirely.

“I'm always excited and thrilled to come and create, collaborate and work with the students,” said Bolden, who uses his commute from Sacramento to listen to show tunes in preparation for rehearsal. From blocking scenes to set designing and managing a cast of teens who are prone to opinions, Bolden's role might be the biggest one.

Having received his M.A. in theater from Sacramento State University, Bolden went on to work on the national and international tour of Sesame Street Live! where he got his puppet experience. That experience has come in handy on a production featuring four different puppet versions of the man-eating plant, Audrey II. The last one, which will stand 6 feet tall and 5 feet wide, was delivered just one week prior to the show's opening.

The puppet itself intertwines themes of comedy and horror in the show. But aside from the gore and the upbeat songs, many of the cast members have discovered other underlying themes after four months with the script.

“It's such a lovely story of resilience. And it's told in such a fun way that you don't realize you're being told a sad story that has some really dark themes in it,” said Brown. “It's a fun way to communicate to the audience a serious message of hope and pushing through without them realizing it.”

Telling a story is certainly one aspect for the teens, but the stage experience and the community is another enticement.

“I see theater as a place where you can escape from stress and you can be someone who is not necessarily in your position in life,” said Marcel Beasley.

Although Beasley is no stranger to the stage with six years prior experience, playing Seymour, the timid shop assistant, will be his breakout role at Vanden.

“Little Shop” is a nostalgic production for Beasley. It was one of the first shows that he watched with his mom. That early joy of discovery was reignited when he saw the auditions posted in December and he knew he had to try out.

While Beasley's Vanden journey is just beginning, this production marks the finale for some of his graduating cast mates.

“Theater is a second home, it has always been there for me. It is my rock,” Brown said, explaining that any difficult time was made better by rehearsal. “I see it as a groundwork for what I want to do in the future,” said Brown. “I want to become a lawyer, so I feel like speaking in front of people is very vital.”

“It's expression, it's freedom, it's life, it's love,” said Amar, who saw Vanden drama through its zoom productions as a freshman. As she prepares to graduate, Amar is heading into the next chapter with theater dreams in place. “I hope to be on Broadway someday, singing it out with the stars,” she said.

Liliana Galvan, who is brand new to the world of puppeteering, has proven her dedication to the central role by performing contortions to portray the plant's attitude.

“If you want to see something new, unique and different, the actors are interacting with a puppet plant that grows and grows and grows,” offered Bolden.