A Cult Classic Musical Plants Itself on Elm Street's Stage This Fall

Starting September 20th Elm Street Cultural Arts Village goes somewhere that's green with opening night of Little Shop of Horrors, a musical that has devoured the hearts of theatre goers for over 30 years. Meek floral assistant Seymour Krelborn stumbles across a new breed of plant he names "Audrey II" after his coworker crush. The foul-mouthed, R&B-singing carnivore promises unending fame and fortune to Krelborn as long as he keeps feeding it blood.

"It has been such a pleasure being able to bring this cult classic to life in a new way," says Brian Gamel, Director for Little Shop of Horrors. He fell in love with the show after playing Seymour his freshman year of high school. Gamel adds that "It's very easy to imitate the movie version and while we honor the story so many people know and love, the cast also puts their own spin on these characters and really gets to the heart of the show."

The musical is based on the low-budget 1960 dark comedy film The Little Shop of Horrors and opened Off-Broadway in 1982, playing for 5 years. Howard Ashman and Alan Menken (Disney's The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin) are the creative geniuses behind what has become one of the most popular shows in the world, sparking a 1986 movie adaptation, a 2003 Broadway production, a current Off-Broadway revival, and a frequent choice to be produced across the country and the world. The music is composed in the style of early 1960s rock and roll, doo-wop, and Motown and includes several well-known tunes like "Skid Row (Downtown)," "Somewhere That's Green," and "Suddenly, Seymour."

Little Shop of Horrors incorporates a small 8 member cast as well as 4 different Audrey II puppets that grow in size throughout the show. "This musical has everything you need - an outlandish story, tight and crisp harmonies, and visually stunning puppets that were built specifically for our production."

The musical runs for three weekends from September 20th through October 6th and is perfect for theatre fans, Halloween enthusiasts, and anyone who enjoys a good laugh and fun music. Little Shop of Horrors is rated PG-13 for language and themes of violence. This production is supported in part by the Georgia Council for the Arts through the appropriations of the Georgia General Assembly. Georgia Council for the Arts also receives support from its partner agency- the National Endowment for the Arts.

Tickets are on sale now at www.elmstreetarts.org.