By: Alyssa Wismar  

     The Warren All-County Musicals have been happening for decades now and have truly become an event for all ages to look forward to seeing. Having previously done productions such as Beauty and the Beast, Newsies, Shrek, and more, audiences always leave these shows with positive reviews. Every year the shows alternate between being performed by the high schools and the middle schools of the county, with each year bringing impressive results. This year, the selected show is none other than Little Shop of Horrors, a classic musical based on a movie that blends music and more serious ideas into a comedy that has been loved for generations.  

     The plot follows this young botanist, who is desperately trying to make a name for himself and escape the parameters of a small run-down town. He does this through the help of a new breed of Venus flytrap that he stumbled upon, and throughout many obstacles has to decide what to do with his newfound fame and popularity. To allow others to get more insight of this musical, The Squire asked Jennifer Check, the director of the All-County musical, for her personal opinions on the show.  

     When asked what the musical’s underlying message was, Check replied that it was, “Don’t do whatever it takes to fit in, you have to be yourself and you shouldn’t have to conform for any reason”. Much like many other popular movies and novels, this message can be seen through so many different characters and lines throughout the musical, even if it is cleverly hidden behind comedy. Check also mentioned that her personal favorite part of this musical was the opening, as it is such a strong and fun opening to wath in any variation of the story. This musical is thorough with how many layers of characters they have in the show, with a main character who rises to the top, greedy friends who wish to ride off of his success, a love interest who fights through self-confidence issues and an abusive relationship, and villains who ironically cause more laughter than fear.  

     When directing a show with such complexity, one must be confident in a vision that they have in order to produce the best show possible. And while Check mentions that it is the most stressful thing about directing a musical, she also highlighted that, “… seeing every element come together, from the music, to the actors and the sets and costumes…” is her favorite part of directing shows, as it is rewarding after all of the hard work put into the show. In addition to that struggle, Check shared how casting for Little Shop also turned out to be more of a struggle than she anticipated. Little Shop of Horrors is only written for a cast of nine actors, with many doubling up on parts throughout. Check chose this, for she believed that it would fit how many people were going to audition, as numbers have recently dropped in the years following COVID-19. However, she was shocked to see how many young artists were auditioning for the musical this year! This prompted Check to cut down all of the doubled parts, and double up on others to make the cast of this show sixteen actors, which has also proven to be an interesting addition to her list of roles as a director.  

     Check expressed that one of the reasons she believed that theatre was important for the community was that it brings artists closer together and uses talents arraying from acting to singing and dancing, and to even playing an instrument, as All-County Musicals have live orchestra performances, to convey important messages such as the ones detailed above to teach everyone in a community a lesson or two. Little Shop of Horrors will be showing this March (add dates?) at the Warren Area High School. The Squire wishes the best of luck to all of the people involved in this musical and encourages readers to support the community and see a performance. As Check describes the show, it is ” A hilarious musical with amazing music”. These musical plants and botanists will certainly grow on you.