Downtown

Where the food is slop

Downtown

Where the hop-heads flop

in the snow

Down on Skid Row

The show begins, introducing you to a cast of characters down on their luck. Seymour, a shop boy in a dead end job, with a crush on a girl who sees right through him.

All because of that strange little plant

Over there

Fame, success, and even a family for our zero turned hero.

Now he is catching the eye of the girl of his dreams, if only her boyfriend wasn't in the picture. The plant is getting hungrier, maybe he can solve two problems at once... if he can find the courage.

 

Now- for the girl, now- for the plant

Now- yes I will... but I can't

Sophia and John pose in front of the largest Audrey II puppet

Meet Sophia Fabiilli and John Campbell. They had never met before rehearsals for Rose Theatre's Little Shop of Horrors began last week and are now in a very unique position with each performing half of a character. Together they are the man-eating plant Audrey II, one of the main characters in the R&B/Doo-Wop/Rock musical hitting the stage July 26. The role is such a complex one to perform, it is traditionally done by two actors. Sophia, an actor and dancer, will be controlling all the movements of Audrey II while John, who has played this role numerous times, provides all the vocals from off-stage. Since it's Sophia's first time manning the carnivorous plant, she called on John's partner in his last production for some tips.  He recommended that they rehearse the role side by side, without the puppet, to learn how to emulate eachother and make the portrayal of the plant appear seamless to the audience.  As an observer of the rehearsal one cannot help but notice how in sync these two are already. Physically they could not be more different, yet as the plant, even with out any costuming or props, their character's intensity and ferocity comes across with crystal clarity.


Singing "The guy sure looks like plant food to me" in Feed Me



Very little improvisation can occur, each intonation and chuckle is carefully timed between the two.

The Audrey II role consists of four puppets that represent the growth of the plant from a cute little hand held bud to the monstrous eight foot plant in the final scenes. Sophia needs to be hidden from the audience and the trickery is done at times with countertops, props and actually working from inside the plant.  The actor who works the movements of the plant requires extreme strength but must also be able to fit inside the confined spaces of the puppet or counter - not exactly a job for the claustrophobic!  This is why the deep, soulful, baritone voice and the movement of the plant cannot be found in just one person. And so this fascinating partnership is born!

Sophia with the smallest Audrey II

Sophia prepares to enter the largest Audrey II for the first time.  She sits on a chair inside a terracotta pot with a seat belt securing her to the base.   A large foam head about three times larger than her goes over her head and she manipulates the puppet from inside using a series of bars and levers.

Now inside, you can see the scale of the prop that she will bring to life.  It's HUGE!

Audrey II, ready for her close up!

This musical is one-of-a-kind and the sets, costumes and talent will blow you away.  Be sure to get your tickets now for the show all of Brampton will be talking about.  Click here to buy now.

Defined by wikipedia, a costume parade is: a test of the costumes against the final stage lighting so as not to produce a conflict in color differentiation in the final product. Also, costume pieces that restrict movement or fit strangely such as shoes, hats, gloves and so on may be added either in their final form or (usually) in rehearsal form approximating size, shape, etc. to allow actors to get used to them in advance.

One by one each boisterous, hilarious actor transforms into a character.  It's as if the sacred act of dressing in costume has literally given them a new skin and they assume the mannerisms of the men they are about to portray on stage. They become refined, their posture changes, their tone of voice slows and some are practicing different intonations. It is really fascinating to watch.  In the dressing room Costume Designer Alex Amini inspects the details of each costume with Director Danny Harvey.  They explain to me that they are trying to portray a sepia tone to reflect an era gone by.

One of the set drawings for 12 Angry Men.  Where it all begins.

From the drawings the team begins to build the set at our workshop on Orenda Road.

Meanwhile, in the rehearsal room, the first read through of 12 Angry Men has begun.

Juror #8, played by Scott Carmichael, argues his point.

Here the artistic team sits in the position of the future audience with a critical eye on the cast.

The audience is left to judge the innocence of the man on trial based on their interpretation of the evidence. What will your vote be?

 

The artistic team are all smiles after the completion of a successful first day.



Signing off for now,
Programmer, Group Sales

Where does inspiration come from? Three of our Summer Theatre Season performances have been reincarnated, re-imagined or adapted. This only goes to prove that a good story can be powerfully delivered in several mediums and that story telling at its very best inspires others to retell it. 

Poster from the 1957 film version of the story

12 Angry Men was broadcast originally as television play in 1954 written by Reginald Rose and was then adapted for the stage in 1955. In 1957 it became an Academy Award nominated film starring Henry Ford. In the 1990s version, Jack Lemmon and George C. Scott co-starred in an acclaimed adaptation presented by Showtime. Most recently, 12 Angry Men was reinvented into a Russian film simply titled 12. (The Russian jurors determine the fate of a Chechen boy, framed for a crime he did not commit). 

Same film, in Spanish



Same film again, this time in German



Russian film version "12"

 Little Shop of Horrors started as a low-budget horror film (released in 1960) written by Charles Griffith and Roger Corman. They wrote the script in ten days, lifting the plot from their previous horror-comedy called A Bucket of Blood.   

Movie poster from Bucket of Blood

    

Jack Nicholson as Wilbur Force

   

Image from the 1986 movie remake

The Melville Boys was originally penned as a book and published in 1986. It would later become Foster's signature play, and the one which would bring his name to the forefront of Canadian theatre. The play has been produced across Canada and in the United States, including a well-received run off-Broadway in New York.

Melville Boys book cover