By Meghan Stettler
Frankenstein, Dracula and other marks of death usually typify the horror of Halloween, but this year, Capitol Theatre brought a new monster to town: Audrey II, the man-eating plant in Broadway''s 'Little Shop of Horrors.'
Written by Howard Ashman and composed by Alan Menken (Disney''s 'Little Mermaid,' 'Beauty and the Beast' and 'Aladdin'), 'Little Shop of Horrors' starts with a total eclipse of the sun as an interesting plant arrives from outer space. The musical revolves around a geeky orphan florist named Seymour who falls in love with blonde co-worker Audrey. His strange and exotic plant, Audrey II, promises Seymour fame, fortune and true love in exchange for food. The only problem is this plant doesn''t want the basic soil, water and sunshine, it wants human blood.
'It''s so random; I mean, it''s based on a 1960 sci-fi cult comedy,' said Courtnie Cotterell, a junior music dance theatre major from Salt Lake City, who is starring as Audrey in the play.
'Little Shop of Horrors' didn''t make it to Broadway until last year. It premiered Off-Broadway in 1982 and was made into a movie in 1986 starring Rick Moranis as Seymour and Steve Martin as Audrey''s abusive dentist boyfriend.
'Steve Martin is hilarious as the dentist,' said Megan Worthen, a senior music dance theatre major from Puyallup, Wash. 'He sings this song about how his mother told him to become a dentist because he was good at inflicting pain on others, and anytime you have back up singers to a sadistic solo, it''s awesome.'
Worthen said it''s worth the trip just to see the enormous man-eating puppet plant. Audrey II, the main animatronic feature, is the size of a Volkswagen Bug and stretches 23-feet tall. Bright Orchids and Venus Ladyslippers inspired the design of the bloodthirsty plant that constantly grumbles in a deep, drawn out phrase, 'Feed me, Seymour.'
'Seymour makes a pact with the plant to get his dreams, and he gets his dreams but it ends up being too much and it kills him,' said Seth Baird, a senior music dance theatre major from Idaho Falls, Idaho, who played Seymour last year.
People can''t be afraid to reach for the stars, but they need to know what they''re giving up to get there, Baird said. 'Little Shop of Horrors' has a message that strikes home to Baird who is moving to New York in next spring to pursue his dreams.
'I know I can''t sell my soul to the devil/plant to ''make it,'' Baird said. 'I mean, I want to be in a show, but I''m not going to sleep with the producer to do it. That''s why it''s important for me to know who I am and what my standards are now so I don''t end up getting killed spiritually, or eaten like Seymour.'
'Little Shop of Horrors' is a dark comedy, but adding complex and outlandish characters makes the play highly amusing, Worthen said.
'It''s ridiculous,' Worthen said. 'It speaks to my heart, and I cry when I watch it and also laugh hysterically. It''s an experience you''ll never forget, especially this time of year.'
This musical comedy runs at Capitol Theatre Oct 26-31. Prices range from $30-$57.