entertainment
12 Theater lifts spirits with S h e o l p t oF t i L HORRORS Panther Prowler • Dec. 7, 2018
Hannah Gross Staff Writer
After a rocky start and significant delays, Little Shop of Horrors opened at NPHS on Nov. 28. The musical, which ran until Dec. 2, centered around an unassuming plant shop on Skid Row that becomes home to a man eating plant. The show was an enjoyable experience for both the cast and audience. Celina Kott, senior, played Ronette in cast B. Kott has been involved in theater since her sophomore year. “This was probably one of my favorite shows,” Kott said. “It’s an amazing show and we worked tirelessly on it for months.” Stephanie Zager, sophomore, played Ronette in cast A. “I knew the show was going to be a lot of fun,” Zager said. “A lot of people can relate to it because it’s really funny and there’s a lot of great moments.” Although Cali Greenidge, senior, knew many people in the show, she attended the show to show her support of the department. “I think it is super important to support the arts programs at school. Everyone puts a lot of effort and time into it,” Greenidge said. “My favorite part was watching the puppet. It was so cool to see it come to life.” Anyone who has seen Little Shop can attest to the amazing puppet, Audrey 2 in the show. Creating Audrey 2 was a complicated task, with several moving parts.
Spooky- Kobe Burton, senior, sings in front of a packed audience as lead character, Seymour Krelborn, in theatre’s production Little Shop of Horrors. “This was probably one of my favorite shows, I’m so happy I was apart of it and I made so many lifelong friends and I love theater,” Celina Kott, senior, said. The Saturday community singa-long of the play donated all money raised from concessions and donations to the Ventura County Community Foundation to support victims of the recent fires and Borderline tragedies. Aditya Vunnum/Prowler
“There are four puppets in total and the whole process took me about five months,” Melody Hellard, senior, said. Although Hellard has been making costumes and acting at NPHS since her freshman year, the Audrey 2 puppets were her most ambitious project.
“I took on the project and planned and created them myself, getting assistance along the way from my family, Mr. Atkins, who taught me about wood and power tools, and tech theater who was there when I needed to split up small tasks,” Hellard said. “It has always been something I wanted to do, but I never had
a reason to do them before now.” In addition to creating the puppets, Hellard also acted in the musical. “I play Chiffon in the show,” Hellard said. “It is a super fun role to play because there is a lot of singing involved and I get to be in almost every number and essentially watch the show from onstage.” Despite the delay, preparation for Little Shop of Horrors was underway long before opening night. “We start basically within the first week of school,” Craig Hastings, head of costumes for the department, senior, said. Originally opening night was set for Nov. 9. However, after the fires broke out, the show’s schedule underwent major shifts. The cast made the most of the situation, taking the opportunity to help the community. A portion of each night’s proceeds went towards providing aid to those affected by the fires and events at borderline. On Dec. 1, the cast held a free benefit night, and donated all proceeds generated by food sales to victims. The event included karaoke, a sing-along and photo opportunities with Audrey 2. “What really stands out to me with the show is how resilient everyone has been with everything that’s going on,” Craig Hastings, said. In these challenging times the show brought joy to audiences, while helping the community in the process.
“Bohemian Rhapsody” will rock you Christina Borisoff Staff Writer Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? Because after watching the movie I’ve been floating around in ecstacy. “Bohemian Rhapsody” is a foot-stomping tribute to Queen, their music and their extraordinary lead singer, Freddie Mercury (Rami Malek), who defied all stereotypes and made Queen one of the most legendary bands of all time. The biopic is an incredible testimonial to the charming nostalgia of the ‘70s and ‘80s. Malek did an amazing job in capturing the flamboyant, eccentric side of Freddie Mercury, who we tearfully witness struggling with depression and AIDS, which eventually leads him to rejecting his band in pursuit of a solo career. During this time, he is fueled by partying, drugs, alcohol and sex. However, for many Queen connoisseurs like myself, the script
didn’t quite show audiences the tortured genius that Mercury truly was, and crucial details about Mercury’s life were changed in order to fit the format and dramatic elements for the movie. For instance, in the movie Mercury manages to track down his love interest, come out to his parents and perform in one of the most televised concerts all in one day, when in reality the sequence happened over a greater period of time. Nevertheless, real life events are often over-exaggerated in order to make movies more appealing and easier to follow to a mainstream audience. Something I commend the writers for is making the characters relatable, despite being literal rockstars. Freddy Mercury is lovably awkward, even as he rises up the ladders into stardom. Malek really makes his struggles seem genuine, while at the same time staying true to his rather quirky unrelatable personality.
The end of the movie leaves audiences teary-eyed when against all odds, Mercury managed to play with Queen again at one of the most famous concerts in history, Live Aid, with an estimated two billion people tuning in on television -- in a sense curbing the limitations of AIDS until he ultimately succumbed to the syndrome. Despite its meager flaws, like its timeline inaccuracies, the electrifying soundtrack transformed “Bohemian Rhapsody” from an average movie to a stand-out from other movies this year with its obvious flawless soundtrack. With audiences bobbing their heads, stomping their feet and screaming the lyrics to every song, “Bohemian Rhapsody” is a movie that “Will Rock You” everytime.
