Little shop of Horrors Auditions set for Jan. 7 & 8, 2023

By Jim Drake

The Little Shop of Horrors franchise has an interesting history. And here’s an upcoming chance to audition for a local production of the play.

Starting out in 1960, Little Shop of Horrors is a grainy, low-budget black and white film about Skid Row’s Mushnick’s Flower Shop, complete with Seymour, an inept and bumbling assistant who happens to have in his possession an unknown species of plant, mysteriously similar to a venus fly trap, named “Audrey Jr.” Bringing the plant to the flower shop just might save his job. 

Notable for featuring a then-unknown Jack Nicholson (for a dental office scene, no less), the movie is a spoof of the 1950s sci-fi genre. We find out that Audrey Jr. likes human blood, eventually growing into an intelligent curiosity that is great for business, but bad for unwary victims.

Fast forwarding to 1986, The Shop transforms into a full-color star-studded extravaganza (Steve Martin turns in a must-see performance) with catchy 50s-style musical numbers, yet retaining the dentistry, love story arc and crime-drama themes of the original.

For a franchise that’s appeared twice on film and had successful Broadway runs, it’s inexplicable why it’s next to impossible to find the movie on DVD. So if you need to review the film because you’re interested in trying out for the upcoming CGOA auditions, you’ll have to stream it, or dig out your VHS tape and get the VCR hooked up.

CGOA auditions for Little Shop of Horrors

CGOA’s Stages Musical Theatre is gearing up for this season’s production of Little Shop of Horrors, one of the most popular Broadway musicals of all time. Auditions for the May 2023 performances are Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 7 and 8 at 1 p.m. at the Bingen Theater. 

Those auditioning are requested to prepare no more than 2 minutes of a musical number and to bring backing tracks on a thumb drive or phone. No original songs and auditioners are asked not to accompany themselves. Both days will be cold readings from the script following the musical auditions.

Rehearsals are scheduled for February. The production is being directed by Joe Garoutte, with musical direction by Dan Kenealy. For additional information email: Joe@garoutte.me.