Geva Theatre Center to Continue 2014-15 Season with LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS

Geva Theatre Center presents Little Shop of Horrors - the smash-hit musical by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken, based on the 1960 film by Roger Corman. Directed by Sean Daniels, Little Shop of Horrors begins performances January 13, opens January 17 and runs in the Elaine P. Wilson Mainstage through February 15.

A hapless skid row floral assistant becomes an overnight sensation - and gets the girl of his dreams - when he discovers an exotic man-eating plant. This delightfully demented, charming and tuneful family musical blends doo-wop, rock and Motown into an affectionate cult classic send-up of B-movie horror flicks and the American Dream.

The songwriting team of Howard Ashman and Alan Menken is one of the most celebrated in modern movie and theatre history. In addition to Little Shop of Horrors, together they created the music and lyrics for Disney's The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin, all of which have successfully transferred from screen to stage. As a team, they received two Oscars and two Golden Globes for Best Song ("Beauty and the Beast" and "Under the Sea") and four Grammy Awards. The team received Oscar nominations for Best Song for "Mean Green Mother from Outer Space" from Little Shop of Horrors and "Friend Like Me" from Aladdin.

Little Shop of Horrors premiered Off-Off-Broadway in 1982, in a production directed by Howard Ashman. The show transferred to Broadway where it ran for five years and won the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Musical, the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Musical and the Outer Critics Circle Award. It is the third longest-running and the highest grossing musical in Off-Broadway history. In 1986, a feature film, with the screenplay by Howard Ashman, starred Rick Moranis and Ellen Greene, reprising her role as Audrey. A 2003 Broadway revival starred Hunter Foster as Seymour. Foster was nominated for a Tony for his performance.

Making their Geva Theatre Center debuts in Little Shop of Horrors are Will Blum (Broadway's Book of Mormon and Grease) as Seymour; Danny Rutigliano (Broadway's The Lion King, Billy Elliot, Born Yesterday and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying) as Mr. Mushnik; Bethany Thomas as Audrey II, and Trista Dollison, Talitha Farrow and Gavyn Pickens as the soulful trio of Crystal, Chiffon and Ronette. Raymond Carr makes his Geva debut as the puppeteer. Kristen Mengelkoch (Geva productions of Five Course Love, Company and The Book Club Play) returns to Rochester as Seymour's love, Audrey, and John Gregorio (Geva productions of The 39 Steps, The Book Club Play) returns to the Mainstage as the dentist, Orin.

Little Shop of Horrors is directed by Sean Daniels and the design team includes Michael Raiford (scenic design), Jennifer Caprio (costume design), Brian Lilienthal (lighting design) and Matthew Callahan (sound design). Music Director is Don Kot and the choreographer is Wendy Seyb.

The 2014-2015 Wilson Mainstage Season is sponsored by ESL Federal Credit Union. Little Shop of Horrors is produced with support from Lead Co-Producer St John Fisher College; Co-producers Key Bank and Rockcastle Florist; Associate Producers Yum & Yuk Books and Gray Locey CPA, PC; Honorary Co-Producers Kim and Janet Tenreiro; and media sponsors WHAM TV and WPXY. Audrey II's appearance in Little Shop of Horrors is supported in part by the Hildebrandt Family Artistic Fund, an Endowed Fund of Geva Theatre Center.

Little Shop of Horrors begins performances January 13 and runs in the Mainstage through February 15.