Little Shop of Horrors
at Los Alamitos High School

Reviewed on April 24, 2015

Siena Yusi
Laguna Hills High School
Submitted for publication to Orange County Register

Los Alamitos's Little Shop of Horrors terrifies and delights

In the midst of urban plight, a peculiar flower shop employee goes nearly unnoticed, until he discovers a seemingly magical plant that soon unveils itself as a wretched curse. In their delightful production of "Little Shop of Horrors" Los Alamitos students help to stretch the imagination and tell the bone-chilling, yet comical story of the man-eating plant from Skid Row.

Opening the show as a nervous botanical nerd, Keith Ahlstrom, portrays an engaging yet goofy Seymour Krelborn. Ahlstrom shares his internal moral battle as he must choose between winning the hearts of his neighborhood while dealing with the guilt of murder, or disposing of the destructive plant and letting everyone down.

The ditsy, but caring love interest, Audrey, played by Rylee Burchett, does a very impressive job keeping a wonderfully created nasal voice and lisp present and consistent throughout the entire show, as she sings about a life she dreams of with Seymour.

From the moment both Tara Virgil as Mrs. Mushnick, and Simon Martin, as Orin Scrivello, step onstage, they make it clear that they are there to take over the moment and get some laughs. Their expressive and exaggerated physical movements make them enjoyable to watch, and clearly portray them as disgusting people who may need to become plant food.

One of the most influential and enjoyable parts of the show is the singing and dancing Doo Wop girls. Never breaking their sassy characters, they react excellently and consistently to the story. Along with the other characters on the street, the Wino, played by Kieralyn Logan, added a wonderful element to the show as she stayed involved in the story without being distracting.

The costumes perfectly depict each character's personality. Although they do not all reflect the time period, Eligia Gonzalez does an impressive job creating an overall color scheme as well as a slight, but effective difference from pre-plant to post-plant times as the neighborhood rises in status.

Adding a very dramatic, but subtle element, the lighting designed by Evan Cusato is essential to the story telling. Cusato uses a different colored scrim to represent certain characters and feelings in the show, as it changes from a collected blue to a lovely purple to a murderous red.

Los Alamitos High School thrills and terrifies in their captivating performance of "Little Shop of Horrors".

Siena Yusi
Laguna Hills High School
Submitted for publication to Orange County Register

Los Alamitos's Little Shop of Horrors terrifies and delights

In the midst of urban plight, a peculiar flower shop employee goes nearly unnoticed, until he discovers a seemingly magical plant that soon unveils itself as a wretched curse. In their delightful production of "Little Shop of Horrors" Los Alamitos students help to stretch the imagination and tell the bone-chilling, yet comical story of the man-eating plant from Skid Row.

Opening the show as a nervous botanical nerd, Keith Ahlstrom, portrays an engaging yet goofy Seymour Krelborn. Ahlstrom shares his internal moral battle as he must choose between winning the hearts of his neighborhood while dealing with the guilt of murder, or disposing of the destructive plant and letting everyone down.

The ditsy, but caring love interest, Audrey, played by Rylee Burchett, does a very impressive job keeping a wonderfully created nasal voice and lisp present and consistent throughout the entire show, as she sings about a life she dreams of with Seymour.

From the moment both Tara Virgil as Mrs. Mushnick, and Simon Martin, as Orin Scrivello, step onstage, they make it clear that they are there to take over the moment and get some laughs. Their expressive and exaggerated physical movements make them enjoyable to watch, and clearly portray them as disgusting people who may need to become plant food.

One of the most influential and enjoyable parts of the show is the singing and dancing Doo Wop girls. Never breaking their sassy characters, they react excellently and consistently to the story. Along with the other characters on the street, the Wino, played by Kieralyn Logan, added a wonderful element to the show as she stayed involved in the story without being distracting.

The costumes perfectly depict each character's personality. Although they do not all reflect the time period, Eligia Gonzalez does an impressive job creating an overall color scheme as well as a slight, but effective difference from pre-plant to post-plant times as the neighborhood rises in status.

Adding a very dramatic, but subtle element, the lighting designed by Evan Cusato is essential to the story telling. Cusato uses a different colored scrim to represent certain characters and feelings in the show, as it changes from a collected blue to a lovely purple to a murderous red.

Los Alamitos High School thrills and terrifies in their captivating performance of "Little Shop of Horrors".

Nathalie Huynh
Fountain Valley High School
Submitted for publication to Orange County Register

Los Alamitos High School thrills with "Little Shop of Horrors"

Demonic, flesh-eating plants with a hankering for blood and world domination are the name of the game in Los Alamitos's "Little Shop of Horrors."

An intriguing mix of comedy and horror, the story begins in a rundown flower shop on Skid Row, where an endearingly awkward and squeamish Seymour Krelborn attempts to improve the store's prospects with a plant he purchases from an Oriental street vendor. The plant, later named Audrey II, quickly brings him fame, fortune, and the girl of his dreams, but he soon realizes that in order to satisfy its appetite, he must pay in blood.

Keith Ahlstrom displays a strong vocal performance as Seymour Krelborn, perfectly maintaining the part of the nerdy flower shop employee with his nasally voice and delightfully awkward dance moves and character walk.

Tara Virgil provides comic relief as Mrs. Mushnik, bringing an unrivaled energy and a refreshing female energy to the traditionally male character. Virgil delivers every verbal assault and one-liner with spirit and voracity, all the while impressively maintaining a New York accent throughout the show.

Jason Johnson's booming voice contributes just the right amount of sass and dread to Audrey II. The plant seems to come alive right on stage, especially through the brilliant puppeteering of Alyssa Hahn and Kaylie Harrington as they flap and maneuver the heavy plaster of Audrey II's enormous jowls, always in sync with the music and action.

Although there were issues with sound and projection throughout the play which made it difficult to understand what some of the characters were saying, the superb comedic timing and the high energy of an already spirited cast more than made up for this.

Los Alamitos's "Little Shop of Horrors" is a delightful take on a twisted classic.

Nathalie Huynh
Fountain Valley High School
Submitted for publication to Orange County Register

Los Alamitos High School thrills with "Little Shop of Horrors"

Demonic, flesh-eating plants with a hankering for blood and world domination are the name of the game in Los Alamitos's "Little Shop of Horrors."

An intriguing mix of comedy and horror, the story begins in a rundown flower shop on Skid Row, where an endearingly awkward and squeamish Seymour Krelborn attempts to improve the store's prospects with a plant he purchases from an Oriental street vendor. The plant, later named Audrey II, quickly brings him fame, fortune, and the girl of his dreams, but he soon realizes that in order to satisfy its appetite, he must pay in blood.

Keith Ahlstrom displays a strong vocal performance as Seymour Krelborn, perfectly maintaining the part of the nerdy flower shop employee with his nasally voice and delightfully awkward dance moves and character walk.

Tara Virgil provides comic relief as Mrs. Mushnik, bringing an unrivaled energy and a refreshing female energy to the traditionally male character. Virgil delivers every verbal assault and one-liner with spirit and voracity, all the while impressively maintaining a New York accent throughout the show.

Jason Johnson's booming voice contributes just the right amount of sass and dread to Audrey II. The plant seems to come alive right on stage, especially through the brilliant puppeteering of Alyssa Hahn and Kaylie Harrington as they flap and maneuver the heavy plaster of Audrey II's enormous jowls, always in sync with the music and action.

Although there were issues with sound and projection throughout the play which made it difficult to understand what some of the characters were saying, the superb comedic timing and the high energy of an already spirited cast more than made up for this.

Los Alamitos's "Little Shop of Horrors" is a delightful take on a twisted classic.

Brooke Taylor
El Dorado
Submitted for publication to OC Cappies Facebook

Feed Me More Los Alamitos High School!

A man eating plant, Audrey II, accidentally created by a Skid Row botanist named Seymour seems like a tragic story, but the performance at Los Alamitos wasn't tragic at all! A fun atmosphere created and amazing talent describes Los Alamitos High School's performance of Little Shop of Horrors. As the Doo-Wop girls prance onstage during the prologue, their dance moves are all in sync and they add flavor to the stage with their different characters and styles. As the rest of the cast enters the stage, there is an evident compassion for performance.

Keith Ahlstrom, playing Seymour, takes control of the stage with his comfortable stage presence. Seymour's character development throughout the play, like when he is shy in the beginning, but then powerful and demanding towards the end, is a nice addition to the plot and Ahlstrom plays the development very smoothly. Ahlstrom not only sings beautifully, but his acting is thoroughly consistent throughout the musical.

Rylee Burchett, playing Audrey, is only a freshman in high school, but she portrays obvious talent. Somewhere That's Green is sung wonderfully, and Audrey's character is never dropped throughout the musical, but instead, Burchett always stays in character even when the focus is not on her. Orin Scrivello, played by Simon Martin, is hilarious! Martin plays the creepiness of the character so well, especially in Now (It's Just the Gas). His audience interaction with asking people to say "ahhhhh" was a great comic relief, and Martin remained in character even throughout jumping offstage and into the audience.

The lighting adds to the mood of the show very well. A flush of red powers the stage when Audrey II is speaking, but when Seymour is present, there a cool of blue flooding the stage. The lightning added during the killing scene of Mrs. Mushnik, the flower shop owner, is a nice touch and creates a spooky atmosphere. Audrey II's voice is impressively synchronized with his movements, and Jason Johnson, doing the voice of Audrey II displays the character effectively, even though he can't be seen.

Overall, this musical is enjoyable and very funny, and remember, Don't Feed the Plants!

Brooke Taylor
El Dorado
Submitted for publication to OC Cappies Facebook

Feed Me More Los Alamitos High School!

A man eating plant, Audrey II, accidentally created by a Skid Row botanist named Seymour seems like a tragic story, but the performance at Los Alamitos wasn't tragic at all! A fun atmosphere created and amazing talent describes Los Alamitos High School's performance of Little Shop of Horrors. As the Doo-Wop girls prance onstage during the prologue, their dance moves are all in sync and they add flavor to the stage with their different characters and styles. As the rest of the cast enters the stage, there is an evident compassion for performance.

Keith Ahlstrom, playing Seymour, takes control of the stage with his comfortable stage presence. Seymour's character development throughout the play, like when he is shy in the beginning, but then powerful and demanding towards the end, is a nice addition to the plot and Ahlstrom plays the development very smoothly. Ahlstrom not only sings beautifully, but his acting is thoroughly consistent throughout the musical.

Rylee Burchett, playing Audrey, is only a freshman in high school, but she portrays obvious talent. Somewhere That's Green is sung wonderfully, and Audrey's character is never dropped throughout the musical, but instead, Burchett always stays in character even when the focus is not on her. Orin Scrivello, played by Simon Martin, is hilarious! Martin plays the creepiness of the character so well, especially in Now (It's Just the Gas). His audience interaction with asking people to say "ahhhhh" was a great comic relief, and Martin remained in character even throughout jumping offstage and into the audience.

The lighting adds to the mood of the show very well. A flush of red powers the stage when Audrey II is speaking, but when Seymour is present, there a cool of blue flooding the stage. The lightning added during the killing scene of Mrs. Mushnik, the flower shop owner, is a nice touch and creates a spooky atmosphere. Audrey II's voice is impressively synchronized with his movements, and Jason Johnson, doing the voice of Audrey II displays the character effectively, even though he can't be seen.

Overall, this musical is enjoyable and very funny, and remember, Don't Feed the Plants!