Caltech is in for a Laugh (and a Little Bit of Horror) with Little Shop of Horrors starting on Friday, February 22nd in Caltech’s Ramo Auditorium February 24, 2013

Musical theater triumphantly returns to Caltech this month with the hilarious and macabre rock musical Little Shop of Horrors, running February 22-24 and March 1-2 in Ramo Auditorium. Featuring a cast, crew, and rock band with a strong student presence, but populated from all corners of the Caltech community, the show is produced by theater faculty Brian Brophy, directed by alumna Miranda Stewart, who holds a Bachelor of Arts in Theater from Occidental College, with music direction by Caltech undergraduate Jetson Leder-Luis.
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> The play follows Seymour Krelborn, a down-on-his-luck florist who purchases a strange plant with a mysterious appetite for blood. Played by undergraduate Jeff Sherman, Seymour longs for his coworker Audrey (JPL optical engineer Holly Bender) and makes a deal with the monstrous plant—which he names Audrey II—but quickly finds he’s ended up with more than he bargained for. Helping and hindering Seymour along the way are a sadistic dentist portrayed by undergraduate Alex Jose, the nagging flower shop owner played by Physics graduate student Casey Handmer, and the sassy three-woman chorus voiced by undergraduate Kim Furuya, JPLer Lynne Cooper, and community member Missy Biferno.
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> Seymour and Audrey may seem to be the heroes of the story, but their blossoming romance is overshadowed by the overbearing, bloodthirsty, and utterly irresistible presence of Audrey II. Voiced by JPLer David Seal and operated by Applied Physics graduate student Zachary Tobin, the massive plant puppet is an engineering feat of, well, Caltech proportions. Because Audrey II grows from a small potted plant to a man-eating monster over the course of the play, there are actually four plant puppets representing different stages of growth. A team of plant wranglers, including Tobin, geology graduate student Sarah Slotznik, and long-time Hollywood movie set builder Marty Gibbons, has been hard at work bringing Audrey II to life. A sparkling set and flower shop designed and constructed by Hollywood movie artist Anne Hyvarinen and Caltech staff member Elena Scire form the backdrop of the action. The accompanying rock band directed by Leder-Luis is composed entirely of Caltech students and features Andy Zhou, Jordan Maslov, Supriya Iyer, Daniel Jones and Juliet Su.
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> Darkly funny and always catchy, Little Shop of Horrors runs for five performances in Caltech’s Ramo Auditorium: Friday, 2/22 at 8pm; Saturday, 2/23 at 8pm; Sunday, 2/24 at 2:30pm; Friday, 3/1 at 8pm; and Saturday, 3/2 at 2:30pm. Tickets are $5 for Caltech students, $9 for Caltech staff, JPL, and other students, and $18 general admission. Purchasing information available at the Theater Arts Caltech website http://tacit.caltech.edu .