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).

-DMC-

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.

Be sure to warm up those vocal cords in the shower before joining in during Del Mar Drama’s Spring production, “Return to the Forbidden Planet,” starting mid-April! The high-energy musical plays over the course of two weekends, including Friday and Saturday, April 10-11, and Thursday through Saturday, April 16-18. 

Blending Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” with campy Sci-fi movies from the 1950s, along with plenty of classics from the golden age of rock ‘n’ roll, ‘Forbidden Planet’ is sure to provide loads of fun as you blast off on a routine flight and crash into the planet D’Illyria, where the adventure unfolds to a soundtrack of nostalgic AM gold, such as “Great Balls of Fire,” “Good Vibrations,” “Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood,” “Teenager in Love”  and even that good ole’ Halloween chestnut “Monster Mash.” 

Each performance begins at 7:30 p.m. in Bartlett Theatre located in the Fine Arts Center on the Heritage Campus (101 Baldwin Blvd., 78404). Get online directions and campus map. Tickets range from $5 to $15 and are available online at delmardrama.ludus.com/ or at the Drama Box Office beginning at 6:30 p.m. before each night. 

The April 16 performance is “Student Night – students can get one free ticket when presenting a valid current high school/DMC/Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi ID at the box office. In addition, there will be post-show receptions on April 10, 11 and 16.

“Return to the Forbidden Planet” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals. Patrons are advised the production may contain mature content that may not be suitable for younger audience members. 

Questions? Contact the DMC Art & Drama Department Office at 361-698-1216 or email drama@delmar.edu. 

Loosely riffing on The Tempest, the musical follows a dashing space captain, a brainy scientist, his sheltered daughter and a robot with more personality than half the crew. They’re zipping through the galaxy when—surprise!—they end up stranded on a mysterious planet where strange forces, questionable decisions and unresolved emotional baggage start wreaking havoc. Add in a jukebox of classic rock ‘n’ roll hits, and suddenly existential dread comes with a dance number.

Things escalate quickly: jealous monsters, love triangles with all the subtlety of a white-hot guitar solo and a lot of dramatic staring into space with the scientist’s inner demons literally taking center stage, proving that therapy might’ve been cheaper than interstellar research. Meanwhile, the plucky robot steals scenes, hearts and probably some spare pa
 

He adds, “The cast and crew is looking forward to staging a musical that may not be familiar to local audiences, and singing along with the cast is encouraged.”

Casting for the planet’s inhabitants includes Brennen Bellows as the sinister scientist Dr. Prospero, Finley Hobar as his delightful daughter Miranda and Kallyn Garcia as the faithful robot Ariel. For those crashing on the forbidden planet, the crew is played  by Grant Sykora as Captain Tempest,  Natalie Palacios as the Science Officer, Paul Farias as Cookie,  Rett Hobart as the Navigational Officer and Ricky Syrre as Bosun, along with the Ship’s Crew/Puppeteers played by James Buck, Keanu Domini, Arayanna Flore and Spencer Lopez. 

In addition to the production’s actors, other students are providing technical support from the set construction/lighting class (DRAM1120) and the costume and makeup practicum class (DRAM 1121).

“To help bring the production to life, about 15 students collectively provide the technical support, along with part-time student shop assistants,” Yowell says.

Whether you fancy classic rock n’ roll, 1950s B-flick Sci-fi or the chance to sing along with the cast, Del Mar Drama’s production of “Return to the Forgotten Planet” may prove to take you far beyond you ever thought you could go … and all in one fun-filled evening!

If you know your Greek myths, you may recall the one about Orpheus, the master musician whose remarkable abilities on the lute was said to cause animals, and even trees and rocks to dance. Orpheus is the subject of a famed operetta by 19^th century French composer Jacques Offenbach, whose “Galop Infernal” from “Orpheus in the Underworld” lives on in the popular imagination as “The Cancan” in film and TV.

A modern theatrical retelling of the Greek myth reframes the tale from the perspective of Eurydice, the doomed wife of Orpheus who inspires his adventure into the underworld to save her. Written by Brooklyn-based playwright Sarah Ruhl in 2003, “Eurydice” focuses on her relationship with her dead father (a character invented by Ruhl) and her choice on whether to remain in the underworld or ascend with Orpheus back to the world of the living.

“Eurydice” is scheduled for a two-week run, April 4-5, 10-12, in the Sue Sellors Finley Theatre located in the Fine Arts Center on Del Mar College’s Heritage Campus.

At the opening night performance on April 4, there will be a cash bar as well as a post-production reception. Student Night, when any local student with a valid student ID gets in for free, is scheduled for Thursday, April 10. There will also be a post-production reception in the lobby. General Admission tickets are available every night.

“Eurydice” is suitable for all ages. Tickets are $15 for general admission; $10 for seniors, military and DMC employees; and $5 for DMC students with a valid ID. All shows start at 7:30 p.m. The Drama Box Office opens one hour before each performance and will sell in-person, day-of-show tickets. Advance tickets are online at https://delmardrama.ludus.com/.  “Eurydice” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc.

Del Mar Drama’s production will have a unique visual presentation. The director, Pamela Pailes, was inspired by the illustrator Edward Gorey, who is known for his odd, macabre style set in the Victorian era. Expect to see high-necked dresses, three-piece suits, and even an actor in stilts.

"We hope the audience finds a deep resonance in this contemporary reinterpretation of the ancient myth," says Craig Brashears, Chair of the Department of Art and Drama at Del Mar College. "While our production boasts a highly stylized aesthetic, its themes of love and mourning remain deeply relatable."

The cast is Natalie Palacios, Grant Sykora, Samuel Howarth, Miguel Cerda, Ailenis Blanco, Elijah Calderon, Alexa DeLeon, Paul Farias, Rett Hobart, and Hannah Shell.

Details:

• April 4-5, 10-12 (Box Office and lobby open at 6:30 p.m., theatre opens at 7 p.m., show starts at 7:30 p.m.), “Eurydice.”
• Location: Sue Sellors Finley Theatre, Fine Arts Center, Del Mar College Heritage Campus, 101 Baldwin Blvd. (78404), get online directions and campus map.
• Cost: $15 (general admission); $10 (seniors, military and DMC employees); and $5 for DMC students with a valid ID.
• For more information, contact the Drama Office at 361-698-1216 or drama@delmar.edu. You can also visit Del Mar Drama’s theatre page at delmar.edu/theatre.