The Haysville Times
By Johnna Crawford
What do you get when you mix seventy to eighty teenagers and only eight adults?
The answer is the Campus High School fall musical production of Little Shop of Horrors.
Theatre teacher and director Greg McGlynn is the mastermind behind the upcoming performance and has dedicated his personal talents and time to guiding the Campus students towards another successful theatre production.
Little Shop of Horrors was originally released as a black and white film in 1960. The budget was low, and the rumors are that the movie was completed in only two days and also debuted a young Jack Nicholson. The 1986 version featured Rick Moranis as Seymour, Steve Martin as the sadistic dentist and Bill Murray as his patient.
However, the CHS production only features Haysville celebrities; all have performed in numerous Campus plays in the past. Seymour is played by senior Brandon Napier, Audrey is played by junior Cassie LeBron, Mr. Mushnik is junior Dylon Lewis, and Orin, who also plays the blood eating plant, Audrey II, is performed by junior Miles Mattal. The cast also consists of many other CHS students including those from the Theatre I class, Advanced Acting and musical numbers made possible by the CHS Jazz Band and musical director Mrs. Riffe.
Little Shop of Horrors brings much more life and color to the stage then previous classics such as Our Town and Fiddler on the Roof. Mr. McGlynn wanted something a little more light and fun, allowing his actors to “get a little goofy.” This musical is one musical that actually has it all: comedy, drama, music, unforgettable characters, and choreography.
The plot involves the character of Seymour, a dweebish flower shop worker who acquires a small plant during a solar eclipse. Seymour soon finds out that this plant, Audrey II, named after a co-worker, needs blood to survive. As the plant grows, so does its appetite and the show is pure entertainment from then on.
Napier, as Seymour, is the main character, “who gets to act like a nerd.” He and LeBron, who plays his love interest Audrey, both have been in previous CHS plays and also plan on acting more in their future, though Napier believes he’ll stay in Kansas, while LeBron has different plans. “I’m not sure where I’d go, but I’m not staying here,” she explained.
Dylon Lewis has enjoyed this particular play because besides acting it also involves singing and dancing, which he hasn’t done before. And as for the blood-hungry plant, Miles Mattal is happy with his character, saying, “I think it’s the coolest part I’ve ever had.”
Performances will be next week on November 10, 11 and 12, doors open at 7:00 p.m., and the show starts at 7:30. Tickets are $5.00, unless you’re a child or senior.
The play has already been guaranteed worth the money by the high school actors because, “this one is really funny and random,” said Dustin Swisher, and it’s all in the hands of Mr. McGlynn, who according to LeBron, “basically knows everything there is to know.”