Thespians’ ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ Consumes Your Attention

JACQUELYN LOI
JASON ZHU
Staff Writers

Three months of hard work and practice became apparent on April 14 as the Thespians Honors Society kicked off their annual spring production. This year, Thespians presented the horror comedy “Little Shop of Horrors” under the direction of adviser and drama teacher Rachel Snow-Fornari.

“Little Shop of Horrors” takes place during the 1960’s in poverty-stricken Skid Row. The musical is centered around a compliant flower shop assistant, Seymour Krelborn. Seymour discovers an unusual plant, which he names Audrey II after his long-lived crush, Audrey. As Audrey II continues to grow, the mysterious plant persistently demands a fresh supply of human flesh. By the end of the musical, Seymour finally realizes the plant’s true origins and its desire for world domination.

In this year’s musical, several Thespians are particularly noteworthy for their outstanding performances. Senior William Martinez, who took the role as the male lead, was unforgettable for his passionate delivery. His various solos kept the audience hooked throughout the entire musical. In addition, senior Elaizza Salazar, who played the female lead Audrey, also displayed exceptional showmanship. Her melodious vocals combined with her spirited acting truly touches the audience’s hearts.

The plant, voiced by junior Asha Lew and puppeteered by junior Adrian Martinez, represents the main anatagonist. Because the plant was a puppet, it would have been difficult to exhibit human chracteristics and emotions. Yet, Lew was able to showcase various emotions ranging from cynicism to frustration through her booming voice. Alongside Lew, Martinez was able to skillfully syncronize the plant’s movement to the voice.

Furthermore, each musical number within the play was extremely enticing and mellifluous with the support of junior Stevie Maynez-Inuza, freshman Shirly Magee and freshman Mimi Caballero as the chorus girls. Directed by AHS’ Visual and Performing Arts Director Mark Trulson, the musical’s live pit orchestra was able to set up the atmosphere of the horror scenes exquisitely. One noteworthy song was “The Meek Shall Inherit,” which created a contradicting atmosphere of anger and tenderness showing the talent of not only the actors and orchestra, but also the stage crew as they effectively used spotlights to establish the desired ambience.

One noticeable blemish that affected the Thespians was the outdated audio system that the auditorium is currently equipped with, making some parts of the dialogue difficult to listen to.
Nonetheless, the Thespians’ hard work and strenuous effort during their months of rehearsals has definitely paid off. The animated acting and fervent singing weaved cleverly into a heart-touching plotline, ultimately bringing the audience a feast at the “Little Shop of Horrors.”

The Thespians will continue to present “Little Shop of Horrors” on April 21 and 22 at 7 p.m.