Del Mar Drama presents Little Shop of Horrors for anyone with an appetite for musical comedy
November production runs Nov. 5-7 and Nov. 13-14 with extraterrestrial human-eating plant coming to the Sue Sellors Finley Theater; tickets available online now
Article by Melinda Eddleman
That famous line may come to mind … “Feed me, Seymour, feed me!” For anyone with an appetite for musicals and love comedy, Del Mar Drama presents the smash musical comedy, Little Shop of Horrors, as its fall production in November in the Sue Sellors Finley Theater.
First hitting Off-Broadway in 1982 and then the movie theaters four years later, Little Shop of Horrors is a popular musical with catchy tunes and the memorable appearance of a plant called Audrey II that feeds on humans, notes the production director and Del Mar College Drama Professor Carl Yowell.
“Compared to other musicals we have done in the past, Little Shop of Horrors is similar in its large technical scale to Prom Queens Unchained, but the cast is smaller than others with the biggest challenge being Audrey II, the plant that comes to life,” he says.
The production is scheduled Thursday, Nov. 5, with a 12:30 p.m. matinee and Fridays and Saturdays, Nov. 6-7 and Nov. 13-14, with curtain time at 7:30 p.m. each night in the Finley Theater on the College’s Heritage Campus (101 Baldwin Blvd., 78404). Get online directions and a campus map.
Tickets are now available online at delmardrama.ludus.com/ or at the Drama Box Office one hour before each performance. Prices range from $5 to $15, including $5 for DMC students with a valid ID, $10 for DMC employees, seniors and active military and $15 general admission. Get yours now before they’re eaten up! This production may contain mature content that may not be appropriate for some audience members.
Del Mar Drama has set Friday, Nov. 13, as Coastal Bend Student Night with FREE admission for all students showing a valid ID at the Drama Box Office. A post-show reception with a faculty and student meet-and-greet is also part of that evening’s lineup.
Questions can be directed to the Art & Drama Department Office at 361-698-1216 or drama@delmar.edu.
Based on the book and lyrics by Howard Ashman with music by Alan Menken, audiences can get back to their humorous roots as sad sack Seymour Krelborn’s fortunes take a turn for the better when a singing, talking, flesh-eating plant arrives in his florist shop on Skid Row. Naming the foul-mouthed R&B singing plant after his co-worker and crush, the persistent plant Audrey II promises unending fame and fortune as long as Seymour keeps feeding the demanding plant blood. Over time, though, Seymour discovers Audrey II’s out-of-this-world origins and its intent on global domination.
Del Mar Drama’s production of Little Shop of Horrors features a cast of 11 members with some performers only heard and not seen. DMC students are involved throughout the production, including both Drama majors and nonmajors among the performers and a large support team made up of crew members, carpenters, electricians and costumers.
Of the production, Yowell says, “Musicals add additional rehearsal time and ask for specialized skills like singing and dancing from the performers. We approach them no differently than serious plays and focus on the story and the characters, and then ask, ‘What is the song doing in the story?’”
He humorously adds, “A big difference for me as a director is that I walk out of rehearsals humming the last musical number we worked on.”
Don’t miss Del Mar Drama’s production of Little Shop of Horrors and its goofy sci-fi plot. You just might leave the Finley Theater humming the last tune you heard.
Little Shop of Horrors is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International, and all authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI (www.mtishows.com).
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ABOUT THE DEL MAR DRAMA PROGRAM:
The Del Mar Drama Program provides a general theatre education to prepare students for transfer to a four-year institution or entry-level position in the industry. Students completing the program receive an Associate in Arts in Drama. Drama Program courses and productions are open to all Del Mar students regardless of major. Some courses have prerequisites and minimum test scores. Del Mar College is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Theatre. The Drama Program is an institutional member of the Texas Educational Theatre Association. For more information, or to make an appointment with a Drama advisor, contact the Art/Drama Office at (361) 698-1216, or email drama@delmar.edu.
Del Mar College empowers students to achieve their dreams. We offer quality programs, individual attention, outstanding instruction through faculty with real-world experience and affordable costs to credit and noncredit students in Corpus Christi and the South Texas Coastal Bend area. Nationally recognized while locally focused, we’re ranked in the top two percent of community colleges in the country granting associate degrees to Hispanic students (Community College Week). Del Mar College focuses on offering our students programs that match current or emerging career opportunities. Whether students are interested in the fine arts, sciences, business, occupational or technical areas, students get the education they need for the future they want at Del Mar College.