Tara Vocino
Correspondent
August 07, 2008 10:49 am A horror film turned darkly comic play will soon spook audiences at the new and improved Marblehead Little Theatre. The Student Theatre Ensemble at Salem State College will present "Little Shop of Horrors" throughout this weekend. According to Kerrin Rhuda, a 2008 graduate of Salem State College and director of the play, "Little Shop of Horrors" is about a geeky store clerk, Seymour Krelborn, who uses an unidentifiable plant to attract business to his flower shop and his secret crush, Audrey Fulquard. Seymour feeds the plant, which he names Audrey II, human blood to make it grow, and Orin Scrivello, Audrey's boyfriend and a comedic villain, takes matters into his own hands to make the plant prosper. Kevin Blake of New Bedford, a theater major at Salem State who plays Seymour, has seen and studied the 1986 movie version, which affects his portrayal of his plant-feeding character. "I have my own image from the movie, which has very real characters underneath it. If I can find it, it makes the play a lot more powerful. I can bring something new to it every time," said Blake. Based on the original 1982 musical stage version with doo-wop, this dark play will take place in the newly renovated Marblehead Little Theatre, a former brick firehouse with new sound and lighting systems, which the cast will take advantage of. According to Rhuda, this performance will be the second musical to use the remodeled area. "It's interesting to work as director because of the constraints for the space with the mass of the plants," said Rhuda, "It's a cute, little setting that seats 80 people, and actors are almost able to reach out and touch the audience. They'll feel more intimate and involved about what's going on on stage." Blake agreed with Rhuda that an intimate setting is best for this performance. "When I walked into the space, I thought it was one of the nicest I've seen. When I first saw it, my jaw dropped. When I walked in, it got better and better," said Blake, who plays Seymour. Sarah Belliveau of Saugus, a theater performance major at Salem State, plays Seymour's crush, Audrey. "Our ending is different from the movie. In the movie, Seymour rescues Audrey, they kill the plant, and they go off happily ever after," Belliveau said. Students from Endicott and Gordon colleges, Hamilton-Wenham High School, as well as seven Salem State College students and graduates who all make up the Student Theatre Ensemble, will perform in Marblehead due to summer renovations in Salem State's Mainstage Theatre. "Marblehead has a great community. They love the arts, and they can't wait to see something new come in," said Rhuda, a native of Merrimac. While a student at Salem State, Rhuda appeared in biannual plays, including "The Snow Queen," and the summer musical that the Student Theatre Ensemble produced through its status as a college club. Rhuda always had a desire to direct, but Andy Scannell of Georgetown inspired her to produce this tragic musical. Scannell said he made the plant noise two summer's ago, and this performance has been in the planning stages ever since. He used a number sung by Levi Stubbs in the 1986 movie version, in his audition for the voice of Audrey II, which begins at 12 inches and due to Seymour's feeding of the plant, grows to six feet when standing straight. During the play, he will be backstage with a microphone while a puppeteer directs the plant's movement. Anita Fortini, a recent graduate of Salem State College and certified theater teacher, plays Mrs. Luce, "Life" magazine editor's wife, and tries to convince Seymour to put photos of Audrey II into the publication. "I saw the play once in Medford eight years ago at Chevalier Theatre. It was a big production that was very well-done. I was impressed, and it made me want to be in it," said Fortini, who is from Medford.
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