DRAMA

Presenting.... LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS

Dear Readers and Fellow Musical Theatre Fanatics,

In March 2020, the Foundation performed Alan Menken and Howard Ashman’s, ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ with a cast bursting with such enthusiastic and talented actors and actresses.

The show was announced in July, and a small portfolio of audition materials was released for the hopeful actors to use during the audition process, which took place in the first few weeks of the autumn term in September.

Rehearsals started a few weeks later after a stellar cast had been announced. The first rehearsal, a Foundation tradition, consisted of a read through of the script with the whole cast. Some funny moments from this included hearing some actors’ horrific American accents and hearing the dentist’s crazy nitrous-oxide induced laugh for the first time!

LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS

I was presented with the opportunity to choreograph some of the dance routines for the musical numbers, with help from other cast members and the director. I started to teach the dance routines early this year, so that they were perfect in time for show-week.

Before I knew it, show-week had arrived! On the show weekend, Saturday consisted of a technical rehearsal, giving the SALT team a chance to perfect the cues to bring the show to life, including the scene changes with the huge plant props! On Sunday, we finished the cues and did our first dress rehearsal. The costumes were vibrant and glamorous, and added a new dimension to the show, each one reflecting the character’s personality perfectly. For the dress-run, we were lucky enough to be accompanied by the wonderful band, who pumped up the energy with the upbeat and cheerful songs throughout the show.

On the run up to opening night, we had rehearsals after school to polish all the musical numbers, get the harmonies right, and to practise getting used to the spacing around the set and using the props, including the plant puppets. The day before opening night, we were lucky enough to have a full dress-run in the Jubilee Hall, with an exciting visit from the photographer! This performance gave us the exciting adrenaline we needed to perform the show the best we ever had on the next two nights.

The opening night arrived, and we gave each other excited looks in the school halls knowing that tonight was the night that we opened an exceedingly brilliant show to parents, friends and teachers. We got ready in our dressing rooms, knowing that the nerves had settled in for the night, but Mr Besford’s crazy warm up set us up for a brilliant show. Backstage, we were chatting, taking photos with each other to remember our costumes and excitement, and I asked all the cast to sign my programme so I could make my last show a really special one.

My favourite parts of the show included the Dentist wearing a huge nitrous-oxide mask, and it steaming up so the actor could barely see! I also enjoyed interacting with lots of the other characters onstage, as part of scenes or musical numbers, and coming together with the entire cast for a brilliant closing number, after we were all eaten by the huge plant!

The opening night arrived, and we gave each other excited looks in the school halls knowing that tonight was the night that we opened an exceedingly brilliant show to parents, friends and teachers”

Before we knew it, it was the final night and we made it a fantastic final performance. When it came to the bows, I realised that the show was over. It was an emotional night in all. The next few days the cast were sending photos back and forth and reminiscing over our favourite parts of the shows. This is when we knew that the traditional ‘post-show blues’ had begun.

The show was an amazing success with a full house on both nights. I’d like to give a very special thank you to the following for bringing the show to life and making it so memorable for the whole cast.

To our Musical Directors, Mr Varley and Mr Lewis, the band, our Costume Designer, Mrs Besford, our Director, Mr Besford, whom I’d like to thank for crediting me as Assistant Director and Choreographer for the show. To Dr Durrell, Head of Stage Crew, the entire Sound and Light Team, including Abigail Nielson, Mr Noble, and Mr Clay, as well as the entire backstage team, hair and make-up, chaperones and set designers.

Thank you to everybody who came to support the show!

Juliet Pepper - Year 13

Imagery: “Call Back in the Morning” Seymour (Tom Atkinson) and Audrey (Molly Dainty), “Mushnik and Son” Seymour and Mr Mushnik (Rohan Mathews), “Somewhere that’s Green” Audrey and the Street Urchins (Juliet Pepper, Lily Mathieson and Ellie Haigh), “Ya Never Know” (Seymour and the Street Urchins), “Skid Row (Downtown)” the full cast, “The Meek Shall Inherit” Seymour and the Street Urchins (Liv Reid, Asantia Musakanya-Bowker and Emily Newby), “Now, It’s Just the Gas” Seymour and the Dentist, Orin (Stephen Ledger), “Don’t Feed the Plants!” Street Urchins, and after the rehearsal!