Mercer Island High School drama starts off strong this year with their performance of “Little Shop of Horrors.” The sci-fi horror musical, first written in 1986, is about a carnivorous flytrap that requires human blood to survive. The musical was performed at MIHS on November 14-16 and 21-23.
The play follows Seymour, who is an awkward, struggling flower shop worker. His luck seems to turn around when he finds a strange new plant, which he names Audrey II after his love, Audrey. However, Audrey II is only able to thrive by consuming human flesh and blood, forcing Seymour into a tragic predicament. Though the musical mainly focuses on the encroaching growth of the plant and the relationship between Seymour and Audrey, there are plenty of funny parts! What made this play remarkable is the pleasing mix of humor and sentimentality — there is just the right amount of both.
I enjoyed watching the blossoming romance that develops between Seymour, played by seniors Kyle Gerstel and Katie McGuire, and Audrey, played by junior Omolara Olusanya and senior Ren Evans. I especially love the emotional songs about it, like “Somewhere That’s Green,” where Audrey expresses her desire to settle in the country. Her singing is beautiful, piercing and clear. Seymour is meek and awkward but very caring, while Audrey is sweet yet feels she is not good enough for Seymour, not deserving him. The people who played these characters put on an excellent performance and the personalities of Seymour and Audrey complement each other very well!
However, my favorite aspect of the play is Audrey II. MIHS Drama had an excellent portrayal of the plant, incorporating four differently sized models of it. I enjoyed watching Audrey II “grow” between the scenes. The biggest version is capable of swallowing people whole, and it was delightfully funny to watch people being eaten by it and hearing their screams! The plant also has great songs it sings, like “Feed Me (Git It).” I really liked how drums and guitar riffs were incorporated into the music to enhance the demanding tone. Furthermore, the coordination between the plant’s puppeteer, Hunter Maughan, and its voice actor, Jack Martin, was phenomenal — the massive Audrey II model moved its mouth and tentacles in sync with its words and music. It really seemed like the plant was a live entity on the stage.
The play would have been tragic if it didn’t have humor, which nicely tones out the dramatic scenes and the sad ending. A scene that really made me laugh was the song “Dentist,” where Orin, Audrey’s abusive biker boyfriend, relishes in his proficiency of inflicting pain and suffering on his patients. As he maniacally brandishes a power drill for drilling teeth, Orin, under the euphoria of nitrous oxide, laughs like a crazy and malfunctioning parrot. His laughter infected the audience and me as well. Junior Tiger Yang, who plays Orin along with sophomore Harry Giese, did an excellent job of capturing Orin’s craziness and sadism.
This is my first time watching a MIHS Drama play, and I’m really impressed! The plot, the music, and the acting is simply outstanding — I could not find much to criticize. Overall, the MIHS rendition of “Little Shop of Horrors” is a stellar performance.
Look out! And remember — don’t feed the plant!
This reviewer saw Cast Oxide, featuring Omolara Olusanya, Tiger Yang, Alon Ten-Ami and The Islander Digital Editor Kyle Gerstel.
