“LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS”
JULY 10, 11, 12 & 13, 2014
DIRECTED BY KAREN HUGHES BEACOM
Casting 4 female roles, 7 males roles, (two possible female)
PLUS: 1 plant operator, girl’s chorus (teen-adult), small adult chorus for finale and extras. In addition there will be a small group of kids ages 8 and up cast in the finale of the show and may be used as extras as well. Leads must all demonstrate strong singing voices and the girls Chiffon, Crystal, and Ronnette must be able to carry strong solo harmonies. Technical crew is also encouraged to come out for casting. Pit orchestra as well.
CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS
Seymour – mid-twenties and perhaps balding a little. Our insecure, naïve, put-upon, florist’s clerk hero. Above all, he’s a sweet and well-meaning little man. He is not a silly, prat-falling nerd, and therefore should not be played as the hero of a Jerry Lewis film.
Audrey – The bleached-blond, Billie-Dawn-like, secret love of his life. If you took Judy Holiday, Carol Channing, Marilyn Monroe, and Goldie Hawn, removed their self-worth, dressed them up in spiked heels and a low-cut black dress, and then shook them up in a test tube to extract what’s sweetest and most vulnerable – that’d be Audrey.
Mr. Mushnik – Their boss. A failure of an East Side florist. His accent, if he has one, is more that of a middle class New York than of Eastern Europe. He seldom smiles but very often sweats.
Orin Scrivello – A tall, dark, handsome dentist with a black leather jacket and sadistic tendencies. He is not, however, a leftover from the movie version of Grease. Think instead of an egotistical pretty boy – a;ll got up like a greaser but thinking like an insurance salesman and talking like a radio announcer.
The Plant – (Audrey Two) – An anthropomorphic cross between a Venus fly-trap and an avocado. It has a huge, nasty looking pod which gains a shark-like aspect when open and snapping at food. The creature is played by a series of four increasing large puppets, manipulated by one Puppeteer. (Also plays Wino #1).
Voice of the Plant – Provided by an actor on an offstage microphone. It is important that this actor have clear visual access to the puppets onstage, so that he can provide accurate lip-synch. The sound is a cross between Otis Redding, Barry White and Wolfman Jack. Think of the voice as street-smart, funky, conniving villain – Rhythm and Blues’ answer to Richard the Third.
Crystal, Ronnette and Chiffon – Three female street urchins who function as participants in the action and a Greek Chorus outside it. They’re young, hip, smart, and the only people in the whole cast who really know what’s going on. In their “Greek Chorus” capacity, they occasionally sing to the audience directly. And when they do, it’s often with a “secret-smile’ that says: “we know something you don’t know.”
Additional Parts –
A Voice – A God-like voice.
Wino #2
Customer
Radio Announcer
Mr. Bernstein
Mrs. Luce
Skip Snip
Patrick Martin
Small girls chorus.
Small group of kids 8 and up for final chorus/extras.
Small adult chorus/extras.
PREPARE ONE VERSE OF A SONG FROM STANDARD MUSICAL THEATRE REPERTOIRE – MEMORIZED.
NO PREPARED MATERIAL IS REQUIRED FOR CHORUS PARTS, ALTHOUGH IT DOES HELP US TO GET TO KNOW YOU. IF THIS IS YOUR FIRST TIME, NO WORRIES. WE WILL WALK YOU THROUGH IT.
AUDITIONS WILL BE HEARD IN THE ORDER OF ARRIVAL. SIGN-IN WILL BEGIN AT 12:30p.m.
ON BOTH AUDITION DAYS.
AUDITION DATES: SATURDAY, APRIL 5 &12, 2014
1:00-5:00 p.m.
