A Brief History of Little Shop of Horrors from movie, to musical to movie-musical!

 “On the twenty-first day of the month of September, in an early year of a decade not too long before our own, the human race suddenly encountered a deadly threat to its very existence. And this terrifying enemy surfaced - as such enemies often do - in the seemingly most innocent and unlikely of places.”

Little Shop of Horrors started as a low-budget horror film written by Charles Griffith and directed by Roger Corman in 1960. Corman and Griffith wrote the script in ten days in various coffee houses around Hollywood. Working fast with very little money, they shot the film in two days and a night in a small rental studio, using recycled sets. After it was released, Little Shop of Horrors became a cult classic and a popular midnight movie.

Then on May 6, 1982, the musical comedy, Little Shop of Horrors, had its world premiere at the Workshop of the Players' Art Theatre, before opening off-Broadway at the 
Orpheum Theatre on July 27, 1982.

The original production was composed by Alan Menken and written by Howard Ashman, the team behind Disney classics like The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast. Ashman also directed the original show, which was critically acclaimed and won several awards including the 1982-1983 New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Musical, the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Musical, as well as the Outer Critics Circle Award.

At the time, Little Shop Of Horrors was the third longest-running musical and highest-grossing production in off-Broadway history. It closed on November 1, 1987, after 2,209 performances.

While it was proposed that the show make the move to Broadway, Ashman felt the show belonged where it was, off-Broadway at the Orpheum. Here, the show ran for 5 years, but 
unfortunately,  since it was not produced on Broadway, the original production wasn’t eligible for the 1982 Tony Awards.

      Original Off-Broadway Cast

·      Lee Wilkof - Seymour Krelborn 

·      Ellen Greene - Audrey 

·      Hy Anzell - Mr. Mushnik 

·      Marlene Danielle - Chiffon (replaced after two weeks by Leilani Jones)

·      Jennifer Leigh Warren - Crystal 

·      Sheila Kay Davis - Ronette 

·      Ron Taylor - Audrey II (voice) 

·      Martin P. Robinson - Audrey II (manipulation) / Wino #1

·      Franc Luz - Orin Scrivello (dentist), Narrator, Wino #2, Customer, Radio Announcer, Bernstein, Mrs. Luce, Skip Snip & Patrick Martin 

Following a successful run on stage, Howard Ashman wrote a screenplay and in 1986 Little Shop of Horrors took to the big screen in a film directed by Frank Oz.

          Film Cast

·      Rick Moranis - Seymour

·      Ellen Greene - Audrey

·      Levi Stubbs - Audrey II voice

·      Vincent Gardenia - Mushnik

·      Steve Martin - Orin Scrivello D.D.S.

·      Tichina Arnold - Crystal

·      Michelle Weeks - Ronette

·      Tisha Campbell - Chiffon

·      Also with James Belushi, John Candy and Bill Murray.

Two decades after it first opened off-Broadway, a revival of Little Shop of Horrors was planned to open on Broadway on August 14, 2003. A pre-Broadway production debuted at the Actor's Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre in Florida on May 16, 2003. This revival featured several cast members from the original 1982 production, including Lee Wilkoff, who originated the role of Seymour in 1982, and was now cast as Mr. Mushnik.  At this point, Martin P. Robinson, who designed the original Audrey II puppets, was a puppeteer for Sesame Street. With the help of his friends at The Jim Henson Company, he created new, high-tech puppets for the show. Hunter Foster and Alice Ripley joined the cast as Seymour and Audrey.

There were some problems along the way and in June 2003, the producers announced that the Broadway production was being cancelled. However, this project wasn’t dead yet. Producers hired veteran Broadway director Jerry Zaks and fired everyone in the cast except Foster.

The musical finally made its Broadway debut at the Virginia Theatre on October 2, 2003 with a cast including Foster as Seymour, Kerry Butler as Audrey, Rob Bartlett as Mr. Mushnik, Douglas Sills as Orin and Michael-Leon Wooley as the voice of Audrey II. Although this was the first time it had played on Broadway, the show's success in film and numerous regional productions made it fall under the "Revival" category for the 2003 Tony Awards. Foster was nominated for a 2004 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his performance.

Bring on Tomorrow - Last Chances to See FAME

Sunday June 27 at 2pm and 7pm are your final chances to see FAME: The Musical at the Papermill Theatre. Don't miss seeing the opportunity to see this amazing, talented and energetic cast in action!!

Cast Profile - Mike MacDonald

Mike MacDonald is making the most of his remaining time in Toronto as Nick Piazza in FAME: The Musical.

FAME is Mike's second show with T3, as he was the company's Charlie Brown in You're A Good Man Charlie Brown last spring. After singing for most of his life, Mike completed 2 years of training at the Canadian College of Performing Arts in Victoria, BC.

Mike says that his favourite show to date was Children of Eden. "I had a small part. I was Ham, one of Noah's sons. I loved the show for the music. There is a part at the end of the show when the rainbow, God's promise to not flood the earth again, would be flown from the cat walk, over top of the audience and across the stage filling the whole theatre. Just the swell in the music and the feeling in the theatre. It's something I'll never forget being a part of."

Mike is working to make a complete transformation into Nick and truly differentiate himself from the character. While he doesn't have a favourite moment in the show, he believes that many performers should be able to relate to what is happening onstage. "Most of us have been through professional performing institutions at around the same age as these characters going through the Fame School. I think having that personal connection is going to bring out some incredible moments on the stage".

Amid FAME performances, Mike is preparing to move back home to the east coast to pursue a degree in education. "I want to bring the arts to the youth of today because we need them to be the performers of tomorrow".

Watch for Mike in FAME: The Musical until June 27 at the Papermill Theatre. Tickets available at www.ticketweb.ca

Cast Profile - Bridget Norris

Bridget Norris doesn't remember much of the 80's (outside of crying, sleeping, eating and other things that babies do) but is looking forward to portraying Serena Katz in FAME: The Musical.

Bridget is a graduate of the George Brown Theatre School who has worked also with Theatre By the Bay, Gairbraid Theatre, Nightwood Theatre, 4th Line Theatre, Theatre Kairos, and the Toronto Fringe. In August she will be doing a remount of 4th Line Theatre's The Right Road to Pontypool.

Bridget says that she sees Serena "as a sponge who is ready to soak up anything and everything. She also wears her heart on her sleeve, which gets her into trouble at the beginning but then works out for her in the end. She is a lot like me when I was 16/17, intensely shy but also crazy curious and feisty when she needs to be." Bridget is really enjoying all the dancing in the show as she says it's not something she normally gets to do. Actively involved in the arts, Bridget is currently completing an internship with Studio 180 Theatre, as well as teaching step dancing classes and singing in a choir.

Catch Bridget as Serena Katz in FAME: The Musical until June 27 at the Papermill Theatre. Tickets available at www.ticketweb.ca

Cast Profile - Erin Tancock

Erin Tancock's fondest memory of the 80's includes sitting on the field of her elementary school in New Zealand in 1987 with her sister, listening to Kylie Minogue on their pink portable cassette player. Erin is having fun reliving that time period as Miss Esther Sherman in FAME: The Musical.

Erin is a graduate of the Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts, whose past credits include Cindy in Suds: The Rockin' 60's Musical Soap Opera (Canadiana Productions), Little Red in Little Red Riding Hood The Musical (Solar Stage), The Narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat (Encore Entertainment).

Erin hopes to make Miss Sherman approachable and not just a strict teacher. "To be the kind of person that kids would feel comfortable enough to come to and talk about their problems. To help and inspire her students." She says that her favourite moment in FAME is the Teacher's Argument duet.

Currently Erin is busy planning and preparing for a production of a different kind: her wedding! She wishes to thank her amazing fiance who supports her in everything she does; the two of them will be married in New Zealand in January 2011.

See Erin as Miss Sherman in FAME: The Musical opening TONIGHT and running until June 27 at the Papermill Theatre. Tickets available at www.ticketweb.ca

Cast Profile - Nick Nasrallah

Nick Nasrallah fondly remembers back in the 80's when MuchMusic was a new network with music videos that were like mini movies with story lines and influential choreography, including his personal favourite, Paula Abdul's video for "Cold Hearted Snake". Nick will channeling that passion for music and dance as he makes his T3 debut as Schlomo Metzenbaum in FAME: The Musical.

Nick is a graduate of the Vancouver Film School (Writing for Film and Television), and Randolph Academy for Performing Arts and has since spent several seasons performing with Orpheus Musical Theatre (where he also choreographed a production of Fame in 2008), and touring with Little Red Theatre . He has also dabbled in stand-up comedy, short films, producing intimate cabarets as part of the Travesty series as well as teaching musical theatre to 6-15 year olds at the Act One School of Drama in Pickering.

When asked about his favourite role to date, Nick says that he'll never be able to replicate the experience he had playing Charlie Brown in You're a Good Man Charlie Brown at the George Ignatieff Theatre. "The small cast and production team quickly became a very tight knit group. Before each show, we would all gather in the girls' dressing room and break out into a spontaneous vocal warm up, where we would improv-jam to whatever was overheard on the PA system. We were lucky enough to remount the show in Ottawa as part of Anti Bullying Week".

This summer, Nick will continue to perform as Artie as a part of the Bounce Glee Squad and will also be featured in a show with Little Red Theatre at the Palmerston Library Theatre. In the fall, Nick hopes to start training with the Second City Conservatory Program.

Watch for Nick in FAME: The Musical opening TOMORROW, Thursday June 24 at the Papermill Theatre. Tickets available at www.ticketweb.ca

Cast Profile - Madelaina DePace

Madelaina DePace has been dancing since she was seven years old including ballet, jazz, hip hop, tap, modern and pointe, making her a natural to play dancer Iris Kelly in FAME: The Musical.

Madelaina says that her favourite role in her career to date has been Carmen in Sweet Charity. "This is mainly because I was a featured dancer doing Fosse choreography, but also because Carmen was basically me and it was such a natural fit getting into character for her. I could do that role in Sweet Charity for the rest of my life and be happy".

Her favourite moment in FAME so far has been when Wesley dropped her? "This past Sunday Wesley went to lift me and when he heard was gonna get kicked out of the Junior Festival: lifting me... "say what?!?!" ... dropping me mid-lift".

Regarding her character in FAME, Madelaina says that "Iris is a very headstrong girl. She is shy and nervous at first, because she isn't used to the high school atmosphere, but soon grows into her own and it is her headstrong attitude that helps her succeed and grow as a dancer and as a person in general". When not performing Madelaina spends her time working, taking dance classes, reading and is starting university in the fall, where she will be taking European Studies with hopes to do graduate studies in Europe in the future.

Catch Madelaina in FAME: The Musical opening Thursday June 24 at the Papermill Theatre. Tickets available at www.ticketweb.ca