Del Mar Drama’s cast and crew are deep in preparation for the fall production of “Little Shop of Horrors,” which debuts Oct. 30.
“Little Shop of Horrors” is a dark comedy musical based on the 1960 film of the same name. It follows the story of a clumsy flower shop worker, Seymour Krelborn, who discovers an exotic, conscious plant with malicious intentions. Most recently, Aurora Arts Theatre performed the musical in the summer of 2023, and it is coming back to Corpus Christi at the Sue Sellors Finley Theatre on the Heritage Campus. It features ear-catching tunes like “Suddenly Seymour” and “Feed Me (Git It!),” which has garnered a mass audience worldwide.
“The story has a variety of settings: a flower shop, a run-down neighborhood, and a dentist’s office. Each setting is revealed in an unexpected or clever way. Part of the pleasure of doing a familiar show like this is surprising the audience members who may be familiar with other productions they have seen,” said resident director and acting coach Carl Yowell, who is working with the cast on their character performances and overall tone of the production.
In the wardrobe department, costume designer Shara Haghjoo matches the characters’ outfits with their role and personality in “Little Shop of Horrors,” collaborating with others within the department and looking toward how to tell the story through said outfits while still being on a budget.
“We try to pull as much [costume material] as we can from [other shows] we have already done,” said Haghjoo. “And if I have to cut things up, I will, because I have no factory store. I’d rather do it that way because I know what I’m cutting versus something I don’t know what it’s going to look like when it gets here.”
Behind the curtain, actors are doing script read-throughs and coordinating with the director on how scenes should be performed. In terms of staying faithful to the feel of “Little Shop of Horrors,” Finley Hobart, the lead actress for Audrey, is staying true to the description of her character.
“While Audrey is a tragic character, she tries really hard to maintain a positive attitude, which helps with the overall comedy of the show. We can all find times to laugh whilst in tragedy,” said Hobart.
“Little Shop of Horrors” is considered a very vocally demanding production on its actors. For example, the voice actor for Audrey II, Logan Barraza, sings primarily in a low baritone to fit the R&B singing style.
“You got the basic 5-minute warm-up that involves your scale,” said Barraza. “I’ve also been singing about a minute’s worth of music from Elton John’s ‘Saturday Night’s Alright (For Fighting).’ After that I get right into ‘Feed Me (Git It)’ and “Suppertime.’”
The cast themselves are working hard in layering the choreography and staging, as they have covered most of the music. They all enjoy the songs with the most voices, and have good familiarity with one another as drama majors when it comes to working together on stage.
“I’ve been onstage with a couple of them. Kallyn, my co-star and onstage love interest Seymour Krelborn last played my best friend, Ariel the Robot, in ‘Return to the Forbidden Planet,’ as well as Aiden Santillana, who plays Mr. Mushnik, who I’ve done countless shows with,” said Hobart.
“Little Shop of Horrors” will take the stage at the Sue Sellors Finley Theatre from Oct. 30 to Nov. 14 of this year. They perform at 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and a special Thursday performance on Nov. 5. More information about the dates and the tickets can be found at https://delmar.edu/theater.
WHO’S WHO IN THE CAST
Kallyn Garcia (Seymour) previously portrayed Ariel in last semester’s show, “Return to the Forbidden Planet.”
Finley Hobart (Audrey) previously portrayed Miranda in “Forbidden Planet” and Inga in Aurora Arts Theatre’s “Young Frankenstein.”
Aiden Santillana (Mr. Mushnik) is making his Del Mar debut. He previously portrayed The Ghost of Christmas Past in Harbor Playhouse’s “A Christmas Carol.”
Aiden Berglund (Orin) was previously in the ensemble for Aurora Arts Theatre’s “Bonnie & Clyde: the Musical” and “Young Frankenstein.”
Logan Barraza (Voice of Audrey II) previously portrayed a Winkie General in Harbor Playhouse’s “The Wizard of Oz.”
Naomi Sayed (Ronnette) is making her Del Mar debut. She previously portrayed Richie Walters in Harbor Playhouse’s “A Chorus Line.”
Odel Ellis (Chiffon) is making her Del Mar debut. She previously portrayed Cady in Gregory-Portland High’s “Mean Girls Jr.”
Dianalis Leonard (Crystal) is making her Del Mar debut. She was previously in the ensemble for Aurora Arts Theatre’s “Young Frankenstein.”
Tre Rios (Wino #1) is making his Del Mar debut. He previously portrayed Adam
Maitland in Gregory-Portland High’s “Beetlejuice the Musical Jr.”
Giovanni Rodriguez (Wino #2) previously portrayed Doc Myers in the Fall 2025
production, “Leading Ladies.”
SELECT PRODUCTION TEAM
Director: Carl Yowell — Choreographer: Shawnee Bonnette — Vocal Director: Nicholas Mendleski
Stage Manager: Elizabeth Schwarz — Asst. Stage Manger: Adeline Gebert
