Inside Iowa State
OCt. 13, 1995
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October Is Good Fit For Latest ISU Theatre Production

by Curt M. Pratt, News Service intern
Halloween will be a little spookier than usual this year with ISUTheatre's production of 
Little Shop of Horrors.

Based on the B-movie classic by Roger Corman, this gleefully gruesome musical by 
Howard Ashman and Alan Menken is about a poor nebbish florist's assistant, Seymour. 

Seymour, who was orphaned and taken in by a florist, Mr. Mushnik, finds a strange plant 
one day and begins to nurture it. The plant, Audrey II (named after Seymour's secret love 
Audrey), turns out to be carnivorous. Seymour is lured into finding blood for the plant. As 
the plant grows, Seymour is heralded as a genius in the horticulture industry. But the 
plant's ever-increasing appetite soon proves to be Seymour's undoing.

The cast includes Sarah Zach, an elementary education senior, as Audrey; Patrick Spenceri, 
a pre-business senior, as Seymour; and Rob Somers, an art education senior, as Mr. 
Mushnik. Marge Bennett Folger, temporary assistant theater professor, directs and 
choreographs the production.

"The play is a takeoff of the late '50s and early '60s horror films that were ridiculous," said 
Joe Kowalski, set and costume designer for the play and assistant theater professor. "We 
are excited because it is a fun play. Working with the plants makes this production quite 
interesting."

"We've been waiting for a couple of years to do this play, and now we have the 
opportunity," said Gregg Henry, director of theatre. 

Joining the production team will be ISU alumnus Matt Reinert, lighting supervisor at the 
Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis, as guest lighting designer. Reinert's 1989 degree is in 
speech communication with an emphasis in theatre.

The play will be presented at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 26, 27, 28, and Nov. 3 and 4. It also will be 
presented at 2 p.m. Oct. 29 and Nov. 5. There will be a special Halloween performance 
Tuesday, Oct. 31, at 7:30 p.m. All performances will be in Fisher Theater.

General admission is $7.75 ($6.75 for seniors). Tickets are available at the Iowa State 
Center box office or through TicketMaster outlets.

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University Relations
Iowa State University