Little Shop of Horrors is a play written by Howard Ashman. The play illustrates a musical comedy about a florist shopkeeper who grows a plant that consumes human blood. I was lucky to be part of the audience when college students were performing the play at the USF’s theater on 27 Feb 2014. The play’s theme focused on the greed for wealth that leads to loss of moral values. In the play, the employee feeds the plant with either human blood or flesh to generate more wealth against community morals.
The theatre environment in San Francisco was spacious enough for the audience. As such, the seats were appropriately arranged throughout the theatre. The only problem I noted was the lack of proper lighting in the theatre. As a result, the audience seated at the far end could not get a clear view of the actors’ performance. Equally, the lighting pot did not follow the main actor on stage due to the presence of many actors on stage at the same time.
To solve the problem, quality sound systems were employed. It assisted the audience to follow the play while keeping a note of the characters’ feelings. Likewise, the technical evaluation of the theatre setting and play was appropriate. The characters of the play wore costumes, which matched with the play and the scenery. The setting of the venue resembled that of a typical theatre. However, I noted was that Seymour’s voice was not audible. When all the characters sang together, Seymour’s low voice could not be heard clearly.
I believe that the play was good because all the characters portrayed their best skills. Play performance was up to the standard and the general theme was depicted in an interesting manner. As such, the audience was pleased with the performance of the play. Audrey’s song of love for Seymour and her desire to have a family was perfect.
The actor who depicted Audrey sang with sweet voice illustrated a clear picture of her anticipated future with Seymour. I was moved by her performance. Often, I was tempted to sing along to the song though I was not familiar with the lyrics. I was equally thrilled with the scene where a dentist inhumanly pulled out one of the patient’s tooth. Nevertheless, I noted that the scene contrasted with Seymour’s manners of being gentle, careful, and clean.
I believe that all the actors performed well in the play. At the beginning of the play, one of three girls who wore a green shirt was a bit nervous. Her facial expressions did not perfectly match with the scene. However, she calmed down after some time and acted well for the rest of the play without overplaying her roles. I noted that the voices of the actors convincingly enhanced the believability of the play. The most convincing voice was the sweet voice of the actor who sang Audrey’s love song.
The directorial role was well balanced throughout the play, as the stage was well managed. The only limitation was the poor viewing by the audience. One could not get a clear sight of the actors’ faces on stage. Nevertheless, I noted that all the aspects of communications were managed and the scripts of production were satisfactorily interpreted without any confusion. In this regard, I believe that the director’s concept is in agreement with the playwright.
In my opinion, the performance by ASUSF College players demonstrated how a typical play should be conducted. The play clearly brings out the main theme, as it clearly depicts how the greed for wealth leads to a lack of morals. In the play, Seymour is clearly depicted raising the plant, which feeds on human blood with the aim of generating more wealth. The most interesting thing was the fact that the actors were young college students.