Aurora’s Paramount Theatre, the Nation’s largest musical theater subscription house, has announced the cast and creative team for its 12th Broadway Series opener, the beloved, doo-wop R&B sensation Little Shop of Horrors, August 30-October 15. Opening night will be Friday, Sept. 8 at 8 p.m. For tickets and information, visit paramountaurora.com, or call (630) 896-6666.
Stepping up to the plate in her Paramount directorial debut is Landree Fleming, a rising talent in Chicago’s musical theater scene, and a Paramount favorite for her on-stage appearances as Lucinda in Into the Woods and Penny in Hairspray.
But Fleming has been building her behind-the-scenes resume at Paramount, most recently as co-director of Paramount’s bold production of Fun Home with Jim Corti (“4 stars”- Chicago Tribune) and as associate director of Beauty and the Beast.
Fleming’s cast for Little Shop of Horrors features (at press time) Jack Ball (Seymour), Teressa LaGamba (Audrey), Gene Weygandt (Mr. Mushnik), Tickwanya Jones (Ronnette), Lydia Burke (Crystal), Marta Bady (Chiffon), Russell Mernagh (Orin) and JeShaun Jackson (Audrey II). Ensemble members are Brandon Acosta, Lexie Bailey, Ann Delaney, Adam Fane (primary puppeteer), Sean Patrick Fawcett, August Forman, Darian Goulding, Jared David Michael Grant and Shelbi Voss.
Little Shop of Horrors is written by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken, the duo behind Aladdin, The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast. It’s loosely based on the 1960 low-budget film The Little Shop of Horrors starring Jack Nicholson. The musical premiered off-off-Broadway in 1982, moved off-Broadway where it had a five-year run, and has been produced around the world ever since. It was made into the 1986 cult film directed by Frank Oz and starring Rick Moranis, Ellen Green, Vincent Gardenia, and Steve Martin.
—Jay Kelly PR