Tips for Casting Little Shop of Horrors

This past spring I participated in Trinity College's production of the musical Little Shop of Horrors as the Puppeteer of the plant. Being in this role allowed me to take a step back and see how the the characters developed, what worked, and more importantly what didn't. Here are some things to look for in the characters of Little Shop of Horrors

Seymour: The Main character. Many people think of Rick Moranis since he is the actor that portrayed Seymour in the movie production of LSOH. The person playing Seymour should look nerdy and act klutzy. Seymour has little to no people skills and is a major push over. Embody Rick Moranis and you will be fine

Audrey: The female lead. Her trademarks are her big blond hairdo and her high pitch New York accent. The woman playing Audrey needs a big voice and should be very expressive with her face. Audrey is ditsy so comedic timing is a must.

Mr. Mushnik: The shop owner. I have heard of Mrs. Mushnik's when males were hard to come by, but in the end it truly does not make a difference. The person playing Mr. Mushnik should also be very expressive and have a good New York Jewish Accent to a T. The more outrageous the " Jewish stereotype " the funnier.

Orin Scrivello: The dentist, and Audrey's boyfriend. Again, many people think of Steve Martin since he is the actor that portrayed Orin in the movie production. The man playing Orin should embody Elvis in voice and especially movement. Good looking, tall, muscular. Clearly easier on the eyes than Seymour.

The Urchins ( Ronette( lead), Krystal, Chiffon ): The Narrators of the story, kind of. The three women should be cool, slick, and be very much in tune with each other. The harmonies are tight and if the three of them can think "Dreamgirls", then they will be fantastic. The girls open the show so it is important they set a good mood in their acting, harmonies, and volume.

Audrey II The Voice: This show is all about the talking plant. Since the Voice is never seen on stage, acting through the voice is imperative. Audrey II has a very deep voice ( think stereotypical Baptist Minister ) that is very expressive. Comedic timing is a must as well as good timing with the puppeteer.

Audrey II The Puppeteer: Again, this show is all about the talking plant. If Audrey II isn't expressive or match up with the voice, then the show bombs. The Puppeteer should have a good imagination and definitely good endurance. Football players or athletes( the first Audrey II puppeteer was a female Olympic swimmer) are not uncommon playing the Puppeteer. Choose wisely.

NOTE: DO NOT cast the Voice the same as the Puppeteer. The Puppeteer gets very winded and trust me, there is no leftover oxygen to sing too.

Extras: We used the voice and the Puppeteer in "Skid Row" as well as the "Customer" in the first act since this is all before the plant has to move or speak. We also had one guy play the " Bum" and "Patrick Martin". As the Puppeteer, it was so great being included in a group number so that I actually got a line instead of just " lip-syncing" the plant to someone else talking.

Have fun and Good luck!