LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS Comes To Cygnet Stage, Runs July 28- Sept 11

Beneath Cygnet Theatre's barren floorboards, an irresistibly inventive musical is laying down roots... LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS is coming for Cygnet this summer! Artistic Director Sean Murray, Music Director Tim McKnight and Choreographer James Vasquez are cultivating a top-notch cast for the doo-wop and Motown-influenced rocker, including Brandon Joel Maier as Seymour, the hapless employee of a doomed flower-shop, and Cygnet Resident Artists Melissa Fernandes and David McBean as Seymour's love interest, Audrey, and the man-eating plant, Audrey II, respectively. LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS will run July 28th through September 11th, 2011. Press Opening is Saturday, August 6th @ 8pm.

The musical LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS is based on a 1960 low budget, B-horror film of the same name. This film, directed by Roger Corman and based on a screenplay by Richard Griffith, focuses on an unlikely hero, Seymour, who finds fame, fortune and love with a bit of help from a blood-hungry plant that shows up in his flower shop. Although certain plot points were altered slightly, the musical version (with music by Alan Menken and book and lyrics by Howard Ashman) stayed true to the film's main storyline and dark comic tone. The live version was an immediate crowd-pleaser and introduced audiences to the now well-known 60s inspired tunes "Suddenly Seymour" and "Somewhere That's Green."

For Artistic Director Sean Murray, the horror-flim history of the camp rock musical is part of the fun. To stay true to its black and white, film-noir beginnings, Cygnet Resident Designers Shirley Pierson (costumes) and Sean Fanning (scenic), are designing in black, white and grays. The epic man-eating plant, Audrey II, will provide the production its main source of brilliant, shocking color. This 7-foot-tall, 6-foot-wide puppet, designed by Monkey Boys Productions, has delighted audiences across the east coast but has rarely made a journey to the west coast. "It's really exciting to bring this type of monster to a theatre our size," said Murray. "The thrill for the audience is in watching the plant outgrow its surroundings. It's harder to get that effect in a bigger house. And LITTLE SHOP is a campy horror story. We want those scares and those thrills."

The cast of LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS will include many familiar faces from San Diego Theatre. Resident Artist David McBean (It's a Wonderful Life, Fully Committed, Burn This) will take on the voice of the mean green, man-eating machine, Audrey II; Resident Artist Melissa Fernandes (Cabaret, It's a Wonderful Life, A Little Night Music) will play the tragic heroine, Audrey; San Diego favorite Phil Johnson will play the owner of the flower-shop, Mr. Mushnik; and Brandon Joel Maier will play flower-shop employee and co-dependent plant-feeder, Seymour. Geno Carr (Sweeney Todd) will play the dastardly dentist, Orin Scrivello, DDS. Cashae Monya (Our Town), Rhea Elizabeth de Armas, and Heather Paton will serve as Skid Row's resident Urchins. Resident Artist Jacob Caltrider (Cabaret, Sweeney Todd, The History Boys) will tackle the man-eating plant from the inside-out as the Audrey II puppeteer.

LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS will begin previews Thursday, July 28th, 2011 @ 7:30 pm at Cygnet Theatre located at 4040 Twiggs St. in Old Town San Diego State Historic Park. Opening Night is Saturday, August 6th, and the show runs until September 11th. Special forums and Surround Events are scheduled throughout the run.

Tickets can be purchased by visiting Cygnet's website at www.cygnettheatre.com or by calling the box office at 619-337-1525. Tickets can also be purchased in person by visiting Cygnet's box office located at the Old Town Theatre, 4040 Twiggs St. in Old Town San Diego State Historic Park.

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