Northwest Theatre Presents Little Shop of Horrors

by Sarah Smith

Senatobia, MS (04/04/2025) — Northwest Mississippi Community College Theatre Department presents Little Shop of Horrors starting April 4, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. at the Fine Arts Auditorium. There will 8 shows, starting Friday at 7, and have two shows 5 and 12, and one on each Sunday 6 and 13.

"Little Shop of Horrors" is a musical play that follows Seymour Krelborn who is a flower shop employee that raises up a monstrous plant that feeds on humans. The plant soon becomes an attraction for Mushnik's Flower Shop on Skid Row.

During his stint in the Flower Shop, Krelborn becomes a hero of sorts, bringing in people who want to admire the attraction that Krelborn names Audrey II after his crush on the fashionable Audrey.

As Audrey II grows, so does its demands and promises as the plot thickens.

"This show is so much fun, and we have had a blast during rehearsals," said Kayla Manzolillo instructor of Theatre. "One running joke has been the use of a fake banana as a stand-in for the prop gun Seymour uses during the show, there is nothing like watching an actor struggle to keep a straight face while being threatened with a plastic banana! Also, the first rehearsal incorporating the Audrey II puppet, figuring out how a person can be consumed by a man-eating plant but make it look natural is definitely not something you experience every day, but that's why we love theatre."

Manzolillo said that this play follows a B-horror movie style with a cheesy, lighthearted plot. She said that this play is one that she hopes people enjoy having fun singing and dancing along. She said that this wouldn't have been possible without the resources and support given by college leadership. Many of their students have been begging to do this show.

Students involved in this show include their principal cast as Clayton Gregg as Seymour, Anna Landrum as Audrey, Nathan Washington as Audrey II, Carter Juzeszyn as Mushnik, Allison Scurlock as Chiffon, Kendall Moseley as Crystal, Zyaira White as Ronette, Jackson Dale as Orin, and Meagan Harrelson as Lead Puppeteer. For their ensemble, they have Katherine Enlow, Jackson Kemp, Chloe Briles, Gabriel Smith, Olivia Callahan, Noah Barnette, Khristian Sledge, Cody Rivera, and Daniel Davis.

Admission is $10 for the general public and free for Northwest faculty, staff, and students.

If you'd like to learn more about Northwest Theatre, please visit https://www.northwestms.edu/programs/academic/fine-arts-department/theatre

Noah

Barnette