Just in time for Halloween, a blood thirsty, blues-singing plant, a nerd who turns to the dark side and a trio of wise-cracking urban crooners take center stage at Nazareth Academy in La Grange Park.
The high school presents the quirky musical, “Little Shop of Horrors” Oct. 24-26. It features a slew of upbeat song and dance numbers taking the edge off a storyline laced with dark humor.
From a failing flower shop in a sleazy neighborhood, a man-eating alien plant mysteriously arrives, eventually takes over and chomps its way through the cast.“This should definitely put everyone in the mood for Halloween. It’s creepy,” said Darien junior Angela Calabria. As a flower shop customer, she comes under the plant’s spell, appears crazed and orders $100 worth of roses.
“All ages can appreciate the humor and premise of the show,” Calabria said. “It’s got catchy tunes. I wake up singing the show, and it’s with me all day long.”
Berwyn sophomore Katie Uphues has mastered just the right touch of an urban East Coast accent to portray Audrey, a pretty and kind, but dumb girl who settles for an abusive dentist boyfriend, convinced she can do no better.
“I like the fact that she is the love interest, but she’s not the typical princess-voiced, graceful ingenue,” Uphues said. “She’s quirky and a lot more fun to play than Cinderella.”
Sophomore Evan Sellas of Palos Heights relishes his role as Orin Scrivello, the sadistic dentist, who frequently takes hits of nitrous oxide and explodes in maniacal laughter.
“It’s definitely fun and a new experience. I’m not used to being the bad guy,” Sellas said. “I’m supposed to act like a jerk but be hilarious. Each of us contributes different characters, and when we’re put together, it’s just great.”
Audrey longs to escape Scrivello and run away to the suburbs with her co-worker, Seymour Krelborn, the quintessential nerd constantly ill at ease, yet able to deliver convincing solos about his secret love for Audrey. In fact, Seymour, played by LaGrange Highlands junior Kyle Norbut, names his strange new plant, Audrey II.
“If you think about a nerd and multiply it by 1,000 times, that’s Seymour,” Norbut said. “It’s a little hard to relate to the character, because I’m not naturally too socially awkward. To get into my character, I’ve got to change my voice and posture.”
LaGrange Park junior Jack Weyer won’t be seen on stage until he takes a bow, but the action hinges on his performance as Audrey II. Weyer said he’s eager to learn the mechanics of operating his costume by opening a pod to eat his fellow actors. The rented costume, complete with an interior slide, was scheduled to arrive Saturday (Oct. 18).
“I’ve got Febreze for the costume,” Weyer said, indicating he will be toasty inside.
Director Kim White, who is in her 25th year at Nazareth, said she selected the musical for a number of reasons.
“I’ve always liked it, and we haven’t done it before. It’s funny, it’s quirky,” White said. “I saw it again this summer in Sullivan, Ill., and that reconfirmed how much I liked it.”
White said she carefully cast the roles of the trio who provide a running musical commentary of the action and give the other characters a hard time as needed. Western Springs senior Bridget Adams-King, Oak Brook junior Camille Theriault and Hinsdael sophomore Meghan Rooney take full advantage of their big voices, yet blend and harmonize well.