Farmington Players Present : "Little Shop Of Horrors" 4/27-5/19 April 27, 2012

FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. April 6, 2012- The Farmington Players stage now resembles a Little Shop of Horrors, as one of the longest-running Off-Broadway shows in history comes to the Barn, April 27th-May 19th. Tickets are available at farmingtonplayers.org or at the box office (248) 553-2955.

The story focuses on the down and out denizens of Skid Row. Seymour the naive floral assistant discovers an exotic plant (Audrey II) that sprouts like Jack’s Beanstalk and offers Mushnick, the hapless flower shop owner, the magic of its “Midas touch.” But the plant can only thrive if Seymour quenches its thirst for blood.
Can the timid “schmuck” with a green thumb master the man-eater before it munches on everyone he knows?
“Bring Back The Creepy”

Little Shop of Horrors (music by Alan Menken, story by Howard Ashman) mixes rock, doo-wop and early Motown soul with a campy and macabre script. Director Rachael Rose of Waterford Township doubles as Music Director for the show. Rose says her goal is to “bring back the creepy from the original movie into the campy of the musical.”

Little Shop’s Roots
Little Shop opened off-Broadway in 1982, and eventually racked up more than 2,000 performances. It hit the big screen in 1986 with Steve Martin as the pyscho Dentist and Rick Moranis as Seymour. But Little Shop is actually based on a Roger Corman black comedy from 1960, a spoof of old Sci-Fi films, with Jack Nicholson playing a masochistic Dentist in one of his first films. (Gary Weinstein of Farmington Hills handles that role at the Barn).
“Eerie Journey” At The Barn
Rose says the Farmington Players version of Little Shop will take people on an “eerie journey” that she describes as “more creepy and edgy than campy.”
Jason Wilhoite of Commerce Township, lends his captivating voice to the nebbish Seymour, desperately in love with his co-worker Audrey (Taylor Alfano of Livonia). Wilhoite starred last season at the Barn as “Leo Bloom” in The Producers. In Little Shop, he performs his third comic duet with Barry Cutler of Ferndale (Mushnick), as the pair tango their way through “Mushnick & Son.”
Both Wilhoite & Alfano deliver gripping performances with their renditions of several hit songs, including “Suddenly Seymour” and “Somewhere That’s Green.” Additionally, Alfano shines as Audrey, trapped in an abusive relationship with the sadistic Dentist, Tim Timmer of Wayne. Timmer in turn, provokes lots of laughter singing “Dentist” and “Now (It’s Just The Gas)”.
Skid Row just wouldn’t be complete without the gospel-style Greek chorus, a terrific trio packing plenty of attitude and sass while the tragedy unfolds. Crystal (Katie Aumann of Royal Oak), Ronnette (Amy Poirier of Farmington Hills) and Chiffon (Allison Boufford of Northville Township) provide perfect harmony for catchy tunes like, "Little Shop", "Skid Row", "Da-Doo", "Ya Never Know,” "The Meek Shall Inherit" and more.
Maggie Gilkes (Farmington Hills) Walter Middlebrook (Detroit) Blythe Philp (Royal Oak) and Laurel Stroud (Redford Township) take on hilarious character roles, and John Boufford (Northville Township) proves entertaining as the narrator and interviewer.
But the star that may just steal the stage is Audrey II, morphing from a “strange and interesting” piece of greenery to the money-making Monster. The puppeteer Michael Rose of Waterford Township and the Voice Jarrod Henderson of Farmington Hills, team up to bring to life the saucy soul-singing beast from space, with hilarious show-stopping numbers “Feed Me (Git It)” and “Suppertime.”
Tickets for Little Shop Of Horrors are available now at farmingtonplayers.org or at the box office 248-553-2955.

SHOW DATES & TIMES
Friday April 27 8pm
Saturday April 28 8pm
Sunday April 29 2pm (Senior Sunday – Sold Out)
Thursday May 3 8 pm (Thrifty Thursday $2 Off)
Friday May 4 8pm
Saturday May 5 8pm
Sunday May 6 2pm
Friday May 11 8pm
Saturday May 12 8pm
Sunday May 13 2pm
Thursday May 17 8pm (Thrifty Thursday $2 Off)
Friday May 18 8pm
Saturday May 19 8pm

TICKETS

Tickets are available at both www.farmingtonplayers.org and the box office at 248-553-2955.
• Adults: $18
• Students: $2 off any performance
• Senior Sunday: April 29 is SOLD OUT
• Thrifty Thursday: $2 off ONLY on May 3 and May 17
• Group Discounts: $2 off any show with a group of ten or more people.

LOCATION
The Farmington Players Barn is located at 32332 W. 12 Mile Road, Farmington Hills Michigan 48334. It’s the big white barn on the north side of 12 mile between Orchard Lake and Farmington Rd.

CAST & CREW

CAST
Seymour Krelborn Jason Wilhoite Commerce Township
Audrey Taylor Alfano Livonia
Crystal Katie Aumann Royal Oak
Chiffon Allison Boufford Northville Township
Ronnette Amy Poirier Farmington Hills
Mushnick Barry Cutler Ferndale
Orin (Dentist) & Bum Tim Timmer Wayne
Plant Voice & Bum Jarrod Henderson Farmington Hills
Plant Puppeteer, Bum Michael Rose Waterford Township
Bernstein/Skid Row Bum Walter MiddleBrook Detroit
Skip Snip/Skid Row Bum
Dentist Patient Gary Weinstein Farmington Hills
Mrs. Luce/Skid Row Bum Maggie Gilkes Farmington Hills
Skid Row Bum/Customer Blythe Philp Royal Oak
Skid Row Bum/Customer Laurel Stroud Redford Township
Narrator & Interviewer John Boufford Northville Township
CREW
Director/Music Director: Rachael Rose Waterford Township
Asst. Director &
Stage Manager Allie Shapiro Farmington Hills
Producer Mary Ann Tweedie Novi
Producer John Boufford Northville Township
Asst. Producer Anne Craft Wixom
Rehearsal Pianist &
Keyboard#1 Jose Reyes Royal Oak
Light Design Keith Janoch Farmington Hills
Sound Design Frank Markus Royal Oak
Set Design Jason Wilhoite Commerce Township
Set Design Michael Rose Waterford Township
Set Dressing Maggie Gilkes Farmington Hills
Set Construction Leader Brian Tupper Farmington Hills
Costumes Cynthia Tupper Farmington Hills
Costumes Anne Craft Wixom
Props Laurel Stroud Redford Township

ABOUT THE FARMINGTON PLAYERS:
You can find the Farmington Players at www.farmingtonplayers.org and also on Facebook. The Barn began as an off-shoot of the American Association of University Women. Their first production, The Torchbearers, was performed at a local church. After performing in various city and educational locations, the Farmington Players moved into an old dairy barn located on the site of their present facility on West Twelve Mile Road.
Initially, productions were staged downstairs on a dirt floor. Over the years, improvements to the original Barn transformed it into a more finished space, with the theater itself eventually moving upstairs into a traditional and finished setting.
Since 1953, the Farmington Players have staged close to 190 different musicals, dramas, mysteries and comedies, all as a community theater with 100% volunteer membership.
People from Farmington, Farmington Hills and beyond have come to recognize the group as a true community resource. Since the completion of its state-of-the-art facility in 2003, the Farmington Players Barn Theater has expanded its mission, serving as the site for city-sponsored events such as youth theater camps in the summer, concerts with groups as varied as Blackthorn and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, and as a meeting place for various groups.
The Farmington Players have been saving money over the years to enhance the onstage experience at The Barn. In November, 2009 they installed a new rigging system in the vast fly space. Show Directors are thrilled to finally have the ability to fly in flats and use drops to set scenes in a matter of seconds.