A lonely shop clerk, a ditzy blonde, a crazy dentist and a large plant will grace the stage at New Candlelight Theatre beginning Sept. 11.
“Little Shop of Horrors” is a rock musical about a hapless florist who raises a plant that feeds on human blood. The music, in the style of early 1960s rock and roll, doo-wop and Motown, includes several well-known tunes such as “Skid Row (Downtown)” and “Somewhere that's Green.”
The play is an adaptation from the original 1960 black comedy film, directed by Roger Corman. Since its inception, the franchise has been made into a feature film and Broadway musical (composed by Alan Menken and written by Howard Ashman).
Leading the cast is Peter Briccotto as Seymour (the unlucky shop clerk) and Kaylan Wetzel as Audrey (Seymour's timid co-worker).
Director Chris Alberts said he specifically chose to kickoff the fall with the musical.
“We decided to do [‘Little Shop of Horrors’] because of the Halloween season,” he said. “There haven't been a lot of theatres that intend to do it around this time of year and it's such a natural fit.”
Briccotto said landing the star-role means the world to him and it's a great honor to perform with the cast. He also discovered similarities between himself and Seymour.
“I'm kind of a nerd at heart,” he said. “The character itself is a little bit of who I am naturally.”
Wetzel, on the other hand, attempted to make herself feel inadequate, in order to portray Audrey.
“I really tried to think about what it would be like to be in her situation,” she said, regarding the character's insecurities.
“I’m trying to get out of my head and delve into the character and not doubt what I'm doing.”
Wetzel said she hopes to tweak Audrey a bit though, by adding some of her own personality traits to the character.
Although the leading-lady expressed interest in a professional acting career, her fellow actor, Briccotto, said he's not putting all his eggs in one basket.
“I do plan on having a part-time career in it, but I'm studying to be an elementary school teacher,” he said.
The Wilmington University student wants to teach locally, upon graduating in 2011. In the meantime, Briccotto said acting a couple nights per week and on weekends keeps him active in the arts without heading for the bright lights of New York City.
