SBVC Theater’s “Little Shop of Horrors” set to perform one night only before hitting the stage in Las Vegas

San Bernardino Valley College’s theater department is excited to announce their upcoming performance of “Little Shop of Horrors,” directed by Professor Melinda Fogle. 

The celebratory free one-night-only performance is being held on February 10th at 7 PM at the SBVC Auditorium, before they hit the road to perform in Las Vegas at the Westgate Resort and Casino next week. 

“This production of “Little Shop of Horrors” has been selected to perform at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival in Las Vegas. Our student’s production is one of only a few musicals chosen from the Kennedy Center’s eighth region, which includes states like Hawaii and Utah, and countries like Guam. So I’m really proud of them,” said Fogle. 

The Kennedy Center is said to send a representative to watch the show (which was originally in Fall 2022) to provide feedback, and make a selection for the Las Vegas Festival. 

This cast features Ashley Eddie as Audrey and Laurence Romo as Mr. Mushnik along with several students, who at the same time are competing in the Irene Ryan Scholarship Acting Competition. 

During the week of January 30th, the entire cast and crew eagerly continued to build their new version of the show, which included set pieces, props, and rehearsals. 

Dean Leticia Hector and other college administrators have provided funding for travel and hotel expenses, allowing the cast and crew to take their show on the road.

One of the biggest challenges the cast, crew, and department faced was when they had to tear down their set at the end of Fall 2022 to prepare for graduation and a construction project, but days later found out they needed to rebuild the set because they were selected to perform in Las Vegas. 

The free performance on February 10th will be followed by a community send-off at 11:30 AM on February 12th as the cast and crew leave for Las Vegas.

Angel Delrio, the stage manager, said, “I was shocked when I found out that we were selected to perform at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival and needed to rebuild our entire set. But, I was also confident that myself and our crew could get the job done.”

“Little Shop of Horrors” is a musical comedy horror rock musical, with music by Alan Menken and lyrics and book by Howard Ashman. The story follows the life of Seymour Krelborn, a down-on-his-luck florist who raises a flesh-eating plant that brings him success but also spells disaster for those around him. The musical is set in the early 1960s on Skid Row and features a mix of humor, horror, and rock and roll music; it’s a fun and quirky spectacle that appeals to audiences of all ages.