GREENFIELD — Leah Olin sat quietly in the middle of the stage. Actors sang and danced around her rehearsing musical numbers for the Ricks-Weil Theatre Company’s upcoming production of “Little Shop of Horrors.”
In theater, it is often said “there are no small parts.” It’s also well-known that to be cast as an inanimate object is a mark of shame. No one wants to be a tree, a lamp post, part of the furniture — except in “Little Shop of Horrors.” The plant — Audrey II — is the coveted role.
And Leah Olin is that plant. She is cast as Audrey II, the star of the dark, musical comedy. But Audrey II isn’t your run-of-the-mill houseplant.
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Audrey II begins the show as a stage prop. Her second incarnation is that of a puppet carried around by hapless florist shop employee, Seymour, played by Steven Allen and voiced by Victoria Kortz.
Audrey II — named after Audrey (played by Ciara Huckeby), a fellow florist shop employee that Seymour has a crush on — develops an appetite for blood when Seymour accidentally cuts his finger. He lets the Venus-flytrap-style plant have a taste of it, and it soon becomes evident that Audrey II is no ordinary shrub.
In the second act, we find a mature plant, no longer a puppet to be carried around the stage, but a monstrosity of nylon, polyester and padding over a hard wooden frame that takes four grown adults to lift to the stage.
It’s into the shell of the plant that Olin climbs, and from a sitting position, works Audrey II’s arms (branches) and mouth.
“I put my arms in the mouth,” Olin said, “and my whole body fits inside the head. My feet go in the pants, which are stems.”
Olin has already worked with the plant and knows that mid-July is not the optimum time to be stuffed into a heavily padded costume.
“I’m sweaty every single time,” she said. There are plans to rig up a straw and water bottle for her so she can drink during the show as needed.
Directed by Dan Scharborough and musical director Kathy Borgman, “Little Shop of Horrors” is the only live theater performance scheduled at the H.J. Ricks Centre for the Arts this summer. Other groups canceled or postponed performances until a later date due to COVID-19 restrictions earlier in the spring.
The cast and crew met early on to discuss the issue. As a group, they agreed to move forward, all the while respecting each other’s boundaries for social distancing and mask-wearing.
“We eventually stopped wearing masks,” said cast member Steven Allen, “but we made sure everyone was comfortable with it.”
As for keeping audience members safe, the troupe plans to follow Gov. Eric Holcomb’s Back on Track guidelines for the state. As of July 4, Indiana moved into Stage 4.5, allowing gatherings up to 250 people as long as social distancing remains in effect. With audience safety in mind, every other row in the Ricks Centre will be blocked off.
“We’ll have a sign at the door that says three seats equal six feet,” producer Beth Ray Scott said. “You can sit with your group, but please skip three seats.”
Ray-Scott also said that all theater staff would be in masks, and precautions would be taken between each show to wipe down sinks, toilets and counters.
“Little Shop of Horrors” plays July 17, 18, 24, 25 and 26.
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“Little Shop of Horrors” by the Ricks-Weil Theatre Company
July 17, 18, 24, 25 at 7:30 p.m.; July 26 at 2:30 p.m.
H.J. Ricks Centre for the Arts, 122 W. Main St., Greenfield
Tickets are $13 for adults and $10 for students available at
ricksweiltheatrecompany.seatyourself.biz
The show is rated PG-13
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