Draper Historic Theatre Has a New Gem to Present to Audiences with Little Shop of Horrors

By Katrina Dawn

The hidden gem of the Draper Historic Theatre has found some talented jewels of its own for their production of Little Shop of Horrors. Draper Historic Theatre is a small, quaint space built in 1938. Originally called The Pearl, Draper’s first movie theatre was known for giving away a bag of groceries on Friday nights during The Great Depression. This interesting theater with its interesting history is the perfect venue for the quirky Little Shop.

Based on the 1980’s cult classic by the same name, Little Shop of Horrors takes place mainly in a small flower shop on Skid-Row. The shop’s owner, Mr Mushnik (Xavier Turner), the orphan Seymour Krelborn (David Peterson), and Audrey (Savanna Forester) all work in the failing shop. Another day without customers, Mr Mushnik declares his decision to close his shop, and Seymour and Audrey need not come in the next morning. In an attempt to keep the shop open, Audrey brings up Seymour’s idea to display strange exotic plants in the window to attract customers. Instantly this plan works- from this point on the fame of Seymour’s strange new plant, named Audrey II (Tony Beca and Casey Dean), grows as does the popularity of the store. The only problem: the plant is carnivorous and must be fed blood.

With the opening number “Little Shop of Horrors” I was blown away by the vocals and harmonies of Mikelle Atkinson, Jenny Jones, and Amanda Rogers. The choreography by Ashley Ramsey is also executed perfectly by these three. Such a flawless number is how every show should open. This power number is no fluke either– each following number is well executed with each of the performers giving their all.

Peterson is truly the star of this production of Little Shop of Horrors; he imbodies Seymour showing the nerdy character’s wants, worries, and wishes. While making questionable choices, it is still Seymour who feels like the protagonist and not an anti-hero. If it wasn’t already clear through the semi-sadist dentist or talking plant, Little Shop of Horrors is full of characters that might not be exactly what one would consider normal. Turner does an excellent job of taking this slight absurdity and applying it to Mr. Mushnik. All the character choices Turner makes are sustained throughout the production in vocals and  dance.

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Draper Historic Theatre’s production team accomplishes each of their roles well. I was stunned with the spinning flower shop set designed by Eldon B. Randall. The rotating set gives the production a smooth transition from the city and storefront to the interior of the flower shop. There are more costumes in the show than I was expecting. A pleasant surprise that truly adds a professional finish to a production. This is Jared Daley’s second production with the Draper Historic Theatre, his first being The Drowsy Chaperone, which premiered last fall. I am excited to see what else Daley will bring to the stage in the future.

The theatre uses overhead microphones but mostly depends on actor projection. It is very possible that some may have a harder time hearing. However, the projection in this production is some of the best I have experienced and I didn’t have any problems hearing the lines of each character.

Little Shop of Horrors may not be suitable for all young audiences. There are heavier themes such as physical abuse, substance abuse, death, and murder. The intent isn’t to be a dark horror type script, but some youth may be frightened. However, if you like fun, perky music, quirky characters, and a spectacle-filled musical, get to DHT and see their latest show. It’s a lot of fun.

Draper Historic Theatre presents Little Shop of Horrors Book and Lyrics by Howard Ashman, Music by Alan Menken.
Draper Historic Theatre 12366 S 900 E Draper, Utah, 84020
April 5-6, 8, 12-13, 15, 19-20, 22, 26-27, 29, 2019 7:00 PM, matinee April 20, 2019 2:00 PM
Tickets: $8-12
Contact: 801-572-4144
Draper Historic Theatre Facebook Page
Little Shop of Horrors Facebook Event