Be prepared to be delightfully scared as Cherry Hill East’s theater department puts on a hauntingly humorous production of the classic show, Little Shop of Horrors.

Even with the restrictive COVID-19 guidelines, the cast has persevered and has prepared a spectacular performance of the timeless movie turned Broadway show for the East community.

Due to the ongoing pandemic, this year’s musical will be shown twice live, and there will be multiple opportunities for those interested to livestream it. In-person performances will take place on Friday, April 30th, and Friday, May 7th, both at 7 p.m. on the East Turf. The livestream can be viewed from any device on April 30th and May 1st, 2nd, and 8th at 7:30 p.m., as well as on May 2nd and 9th at 2 p.m. Tickets for the livestream performance can be found at www.showtix4u.com. The outdoor screening will include food trucks beginning at 7 p.m. and live music at 7:30 p.m.

“Little Shop of Horrors is a quirky show with catchy songs, memorable characters, and an unexpected conclusion that will make you look differently at the flowers in your garden forever!” shared Mr. Gambino, director of the musical. The musical follows the main character, Seymour Krelborn, played by Anthony Torrissi (‘23) in the Red cast and Justin Walker (‘21) in the White cast, as he runs a flower shop in a small, poor town. Seymour becomes the owner of a rather peculiar plant… it grows by consuming human blood. This abnormal plant is Seymour’s claim to fame and is how he gets the girl of his dreams, Audrey, played by Alexa Gershon (‘21) in the Red cast and Madeline Reddy (‘23) in the White cast. Seymour is faced with consequences as he must decide if he should continue sacrificing people to sustain his fame or do the morally right thing and put an end to his business.

The theater department is utilizing special effects and other techniques in order to bring the magic from the original movie onto the stage. This production has an appeal for everyone, for “Little Shop is equal parts classic musical and musical-for-people-who-don’t-like-them-but-like-carnivorous-plants-and-rock-n-roll,” as said by Mr. Gambino.

Even with the additional COVID-19 restrictions, the Thespians have put in many hours of effort in order to produce a truly rockin’ performance. Alexa Gershon (‘21) shared how “with masks, [they] have to rely on [their] eyes and body for all of [their] expressions, which [is] a challenge.” Gershon explained how these uncertain times have only pushed the cast and production team even further to create a wonderfully entertaining show.

“It will be a fun and entertaining experience for anyone who chooses to stream it and watch!” said Gershon. Little Shop of Horrors is going to be a performance that no one will want to miss! “I hope our community joins in celebrating the unique effort of our Thespians,” exclaimed Mr. Gambino.