Photo Flash: Beck Center's Little Shop of Horrors

"Leaves the audience feeling...ravenous for more!" says The New York Times. Feed your appetite for hilarity and romance while enjoying the sounds of doo wop, early rock and roll, and Motown. This affectionate spoof of 1950s sci-fi movies from Howard Ashman and Alan Menken, creators of Disney's Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid, will leave you laughing, singing...and craving more!

A down-and-out skid row floral assistant becomes an overnight sensation when he discovers an exotic plant with a mysterious craving for fresh blood. Soon "Audrey II" grows into an ill-tempered, foul-mouthed, R&B-singing carnivore who offers him fame and fortune in exchange for feeding its growing appetite!

William Roudebush, director of Beck's critically acclaimed Equus and last season's My Favorite Year, comments, "The popularity of this show never wanes, and its tunefulness and tongue-in-cheek humor lend to its staying power. I am delighted to return to Cleveland and the Beck Center to direct this musical gem."

The Beck Center is offering special family-friendly pricing so the entire family can enjoy this musical classic. Tickets are $28 for adults, $25 for seniors (65 and older), $17 for students (22 and under with ID), and $10 for children (12 and under). An additional $3 service fee per ticket is applied at the time of purchase. Preview night on Thursday, June 25, is $10 with general admission seating. Group discounts are available for parties of 13 or more.

To reserve tickets, call the Beck Center box office at 216.521.2540 ext. 10, or request seats at www.beckcenter.org. For group sales, contact Linda Hefner at ext. 29. Beck Center is located at 17801 Detroit Avenue in Lakewood, just 10 minutes west of downtown Cleveland. Free onsite parking is available.

Beck Center's production of Little Shop of Horrors is presented by special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI) and is sponsored by West Roofing, Dependable Painting, Cleveland Scene, Cox Communications, and the Ohio Arts Council. Beck Center's production is also generously funded by the citizens of Cuyahoga County through Cuyahoga Arts and Culture.

Beck Center for the Arts is a not-for-profit 501(c)3 organization that offers professional Theater Productions on two stages, arts education programming in dance, music, theater, visual arts, early childhood, and creative arts therapies for special needs students, and gallery exhibits featuring local and regional artists.

To position the Beck for long-term sustainability, the Beck Center's Board of Directors has launched a Strategic Growth Initiative, entitled Open for Imagination. The campaign goal is to raise money to create a working capital fund by August 31, 2009. Tax-deductible donations may be made online at www.beckcenter.org or mailed to Beck Center for the Arts, 17801 Detroit Avenue, Lakewood, OH 44107.