Little Shop of Horrors, originally a 1982 off-Broadway horror musical comedy, brings a great score, campy vibes, and a jaw-dropping cast to San Diego Musical Theatre (SDMT). The 60’s inspired musical follows Seymour Krelborn, an assistant florist at a plant shop in Skid Row that is struggling to survive due to lack of customers. When Seymour buys a very unusual plant, he’s convinced by Audrey, his co-worker and love interest, to display it on the shop’s window to lure customers in. The stunt works, but at a very high and gory price.
We chatted with the show’s three leads and got the tea on their production of this cult classic.
SDMT’s production is unique because the director gave us the liberty to bring these characters to life in a realistic manner. We get to explore more into the characters and how it affects them rather than a campy approach.”, explained Ramiro García Jr., a graduate of the American Music and Dramatic Academy (AMDA), who plays quirky florist Seymour. “He is a young man trying to find a way to get out of living in Skid Row and making it in life. Eventually he is brought an opportunity to have everything he ever wanted but, with a cost he’d never imagined.”, says García, who was recently seen at SDMT in the role of Piragüa Guy in the successful musical In the Heights.
Ramiro started his rehearsal process by reading the script multiple times in hopes of finding the real Seymour and the author’s (Howard Ashman) intention with the development of this character. García even crafted his own carnivore plant at home to rehearse his connection to a non-living object.” I am very similar to Seymour. So, I combined my experiences and his to bring him to life.”
Lena Ceja plays Audrey, “A hopeful beacon of light in this flower shop within Skid Row. She has not always seen the kindness she puts out into the world around her, yet she remains gentle and full of hope for a better life, and I just adore her.”, describes Ceja, who also shares that she’s a hard of hearing actor and faced some challenges when preparing for the role. “For me, personally, prepping for this show was a truly tedious process. I spent the entire month before rehearsals started learning her songs and getting the muscle memory to perform them. Being hard of hearing and trying to secure pitch and timing is just about as hard as it may sound; I spent a lot of time singing into pitch tools and utilizing metronomes and pianos to ensure my accuracy. Not to mention, the loads of character work I pulled from the script to create my own rendition of Audrey. I’ve seen so many versions of her from Elle Greene to MJ Rodriguez and while I’ve loved each perspective of her, I wanted to bring the uniqueness of my struggles to the story of this character and create something special to me”, explained Lena, recently seen as Daniela in SDMT’s In the Heights.
Ceja mentions that the LGBTQ community will love this show because of the number of actors and creatives of our community involved with the production, as well as the outstanding vocals heard throughout the production. She praises their director Kandace Crystal for allowing them to make very real statements within even the campiest of lines focusing on the authenticity and honest representation of these characters as real people.
As the voice of the iconic blood-sucking plant, Audrey II, another In the Heights alumni, Domo D’dante, shares his experience with the show. “This role is a lot on my voice because of all the characterization, so I’ve been drinking tons of water.”, explains D’dante, originally from Flint, Michigan, but now a prevalent member of San Diego LGBTQ and Theatre communities.” I think members of the LGBTQ community will love this show because it’s about a lot of misfits trying to make it in a world that is working against them. I think a lot of people can relate to that in our community. Plus, the music is catchy!”, shares D’dante.
Domo tells us that this production explores a lot of the darker and realistic themes of the piece. He also shares that his favorite song to sing is “Get It”, the rock/soul duet with Seymour. Getting to build relationships with other cast members has been his favorite part of the process.
One of the significant aspects of this particular production is the diversity of the cast, and we absolutely love to see it. Featuring choreography by Luke Harvey Jacobs, and music direction by Richard Dueñez Morrison, this show promises to be a fabulous and more of an immersive experience, since the theater’s space is an intimate black box theater.
We asked the actors to describe Little Shop in 3 words. Ramiro chose entertaining, powerhouse, and believable. Lena also described the show as entertaining, but also camp, and a SLAY. Finally, Domo describes it as fun, energetic, and SANGIN’!
Little Shop of Horrors is the perfect show to have a kiki with your friends this Halloween season. Just one warning… DON’T FEED THE PLANTS!
Little Shop of Horrors is presented by San Diego Musical Theatre through October 30th, 2022, at the SDMT Stage 4650 Mercury Street, San Diego, CA 92111. For tickets and information visit https://www.sdmt.org/shows/little-shop-of-horrors/
Volume 4, Issue 17, June 2023