Yorktown Stage to Present 'Little Shop of Horrors'

Little Shop of Horrors, the cult classic about the nerdy Seymour Krelborn who works at a flower shop while nurturing a bloodthirsty plant, opens this Saturday at 1 p.m. at the after nearly two months of preparation that involved many dance numbers and strict timing in accordance with actors, lighting and, of course, the larger than life Audrey II.

Director Pia Haas said it was quite the challenge coordinating the timing between the actors and the plant.

“Thankfully we were working with the horticulture dream team,” as Haas likes to call it, referring to the plant’s creator, Bill Diamond, who actually created four plants for the show -- a mini-baby version of Audrey II, a hand-held one, a teenage version and then, of course, the giant version that Diamond himself actually sits inside and operates manually.

“I definitely get a workout sitting inside the plant as it gets up to about 120 degrees inside there,” said Diamond, dressed as if he was about to go work out in a T-shirt and shorts, who joked that he considers himself “well planted in the show!”

Diamond has created many life-like creations including working with the Muppets and other high-profile television productions.

Choreographer Dorina DiLullo worked most closely with the all-girl Ronnetts trio, described as a skid-row Greek chorus, and struggled to find just the right timing for each scene.

“It’s always a work in progress, and coordinating music and voice is tough due to the very intricate harmonies and spacing on stage,” DiLullo said.

Little Shop of Horrors had its world premiere May 6, 1982, at the WPA Theatre before settling into a long run at the Orpheum Theatre, opening July 27, 1982, and playing for 2,209 performances.

Anthony Malchar portrays the lovesick Seymour, who risks all for the girl of his dreams, Audrey, played by Amanda Donaldson. Perhaps the character other than Audrey II who steals the show, however, is the maniacal and sadistic dentist boyfriend of Audrey, played by the talented Michael Lichtstein. His comical wit and devious laugh will make you squirm one second and laugh the next.

The curtain rises on Little Shop of Horrors at the Yorktown Stage July 23–31. For information on tickets and show times, please visit yorktownstage.org or call 914-962-0606. To catch a preview, click on the slide show on the right.