GUTHRIE THEATER ANNOUNCES CASTING FOR LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS

China Brickey and Will Roland cast as Audrey and Seymour in this beloved musical

(Minneapolis/St. Paul) — The Guthrie Theater (Joseph Haj, Artistic Director) today announced the cast and creative team for Little Shop of Horrors with book and lyrics by Howard Ashman, music by Alan Menken and directed and choreographed by Marcia Milgrom Dodge. In this musical, an employee at a failing florist shop attempts to build business with a peculiar — and bloodthirsty — exotic plant. The show opens on Friday, June 28 and will play through Sunday, August 18. Single and group tickets are now on sale through the Box Office or online at guthrietheater.org. Accessibility services (ASL-interpreted, audio-described, open-captioned and relaxed performances) are also available on select dates.

Artistic Director Joseph Haj commented, “This adored musical from Ashman and Menken is a time-honored classic that has thrilled and entertained audiences for over four decades.” He continued, “We’re honored to have the nationally renowned Marcia Milgrom Dodge at the helm of this immersive production, which will celebrate the nostalgia of 1960s pop culture, the iconic sounds of Motown and the quirky characters who make the story — and the plant — come alive. Marcia’s talents will create an unforgettable experience this summer at the Guthrie.”

Set on Skid Row, Little Shop of Horrors features Mr. Mushnik, a business owner who plans to shutter his failing florist shop until his timid staffer Seymour presents an exotic-but-wilted flytrap named Audrey II. Convinced it will boost business, Seymour encourages Mushnik to display the peculiar plant, which Seymour successfully revives. As Audrey II draws much-needed crowds to the shop, Seymour makes a disturbing discovery: It needs fresh blood (and lots of it) to grow — a secret that forces Seymour into a Faustian bargain to keep his fame and fortune intact. A hilarious mashup of science fiction, horror and musical theater, this cult classic boasts Motown-inspired hits like “Feed Me (Git It),” “Suddenly, Seymour” and “Little Shop of Horrors.”

The cast of Little Shop of Horrors includes China Brickey (Guthrie: A Christmas Carol, Murder on the Orient Express) as Audrey, Time Brickey (Guthrie: debut) as Denizen of Skid Row/Puppeteer, David Darrow (Guthrie: The Tempest, Sunday in the Park With George, The Parchman Hour) as Orin/Others/Denizen of Skid Row, Gabrielle Dominique (Guthrie: Guys and Dolls, West Side Story) as Crystal, Robert Dorfman (Guthrie: The Tempest, Frankenstein – Playing With Fire, Indecent) as Mushnik, Erica Durham (Guthrie: debut) as Chiffon, Yvonne Freese (Guthrie: debut) as Denizen of Skid Row/Audrey II Puppeteer/Puppeteer, Kiko Laureano (Guthrie: debut) as Denizen of Skid Row/Puppeteer, Joey Miller (Guthrie: debut) as Denizen of Skid Row/Puppeteer, T. Mychael Rambo (Guthrie: Sunday in the Park With George, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Music Man) as Denizen of Skid Row/Audrey II Live Voice, Will Roland (Guthrie: debut) as Seymour and Vie Boheme (Guthrie: West Side Story, Refugia) as Ronnette.

The creative team includes Marcia Milgrom Dodge (Director/Choreographer), Denise Prosek (Music Director), Lex Liang (Scenic Designer), Sully Ratke (Costume Designer), Allen L. Hughes (Lighting Designer), Matt Kraus (Sound Designer), Chris Lutter (Puppet Designer), Jason Hansen (Associate Music Director), Carla Steen (Resident Dramaturg), Keely Wolter (Vocal Coach), Annie Enneking (Fight Director/Intimacy), Jennifer Liestman (Resident Casting Director), Lori Lundquist (Stage Manager), Jason Clusman (Assistant Stage Manager), Matthew Meeks (Assistant Stage Manager), Wesley Mouri (Assistant Director) and McCorkle Casting, Ltd. (NYC Casting Consultant).

Howard Ashman (Book and Lyrics) was best known as a pivotal creative mind behind the Disney Animation Renaissance from 1989 to 1999 with films such as The Little Mermaid, Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast. He was a founder of off-off-Broadway’s renowned WPA Theatre, where he conceived, wrote and directed God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater, as well as Little Shop of Horrors (both with music by Alan Menken). In 1986, he wrote and directed the Broadway musical Smile (music by Marvin Hamlisch). Howard Sings Ashman, a compilation of Ashman’s recorded demos, is available from PS Classics. In his short career, he received many awards, including an Outer Critics Circle Award, New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award and Drama Desk Award for Little Shop of Horrors; two Academy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards for The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast; and multiple Grammy Awards. Howard, a documentary about his life, was produced in 2018.

Alan Menken (Music) is an American composer, songwriter, music conductor, director and record producer best known for his work on films produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. His scores and songs for The Little Mermaid (1989), Beauty and the Beast (1991), Aladdin (1992) and Pocahontas (1995) each won him two Academy Awards. He also composed the scores and songs for Little Shop of Horrors (1987), Newsies (1992), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996), Hercules (1997), Home on the Range (2004), Enchanted (2007) and Tangled (2010), among others. He is also known for his work in musical theater on Broadway and elsewhere. Some of these are based on his Disney films, but other stage hits include Little Shop of Horrors (1982), A Christmas Carol (1994) and Sister Act (2009). With eight Academy Award wins, Menken is the second most prolific Oscar winner in the music categories. He has also won 11 Grammy Awards, a Tony Award, an Emmy Award, seven Golden Globe Awards and many other honors.

Marcia Milgrom Dodge (Director/Choreographer) is an award-winning director and choreographer with a career spanning over 40 years at theaters across the U.S. and abroad. She is best known for her acclaimed Broadway revival of Ragtime. Dodge began her regional theater career choreographing the first regional production of Little Shop of Horrors in 1985 at The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis. Other notable work includes directing Tokyo Disneyland’s 40th Anniversary Parade “Harmony in Color,” directing Beauty and the Beast at Olney Theatre Center, directing the regional premiere of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical at The Muny and choreographing an Emmy Award-winning episode of “Sesame Street.” Dodge is the recipient of many prestigious awards and nominations, including the Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Direction of a Resident Musical, a 2010 Tony Award nomination for Best Director of a Musical, two Drama Desk Award nominations for Direction & Choreography and an Astaire Award nomination for Choreography. New York credits include Venus Flytrap (Active Theater), Seussical (TheatreworksUSA), Cookin’, Radio Gals, Closer Than Ever, Romance in Hard Times (The Public Theater) and The Music Man (New York City Opera). Regional credits include Reprise Theatre Company, Flat Rock Playhouse, Sacramento Music Circus, Maltz Jupiter Theatre, Bay Street Theater, Pittsburgh Public Theater, Riverside Theatre, Goodman Theatre, Lyric Stage, Goodspeed Musicals, The Huntington and Arena Stage. Her first play, Sherlock Holmes & The West End Horror, received a 2002 Edgar Award nomination for Best Play. Dodge is a proud member of the Dramatists Guild and the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society. 

The Guthrie Theater gratefully acknowledges principal support from Taft and puppetry sponsorship from Standard Heating & Air Conditioning for this production.

Related Events

Post-Play Discussions
Patrons are invited to stay in the theater following select performances for a 20-minute conversation about the production facilitated by Guthrie staff. Cast members may join the discussion as they are able. Post-play discussions are supported by Fredrikson & Byron. 

Sunday, June 30 at 1 p.m.
Tuesday, July 2 at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, July 7 at 1 p.m.
Saturday, July 13 at 1 p.m.
Saturday, July 27 at 1 p.m.

Accessible Performances

Relaxed Performance – Sunday, July 21 at 1 p.m.

A relaxed performance is intended to be sensitive to and accepting of any audience member who may benefit from a more relaxed environment. It is intentionally modified to accommodate patrons with sensory and vestibular sensitivities, anxiety, dementia, autism spectrum disorders, learning differences and/or other challenges attending the theater.

ASL-Interpreted Performances
American Sign Language interpreters sign the performance as it plays out onstage.

Saturday, July 27 at 1 p.m.
Friday, August 2 at 7:30 p.m.

Audio-Described Performances
Audio describers provide live verbal descriptions of the action, costumes and scenery for people who are blind or have low vision.

Friday, July 19 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, July 27 at 1 p.m.

Open-Captioned Performances
LED screens display text simultaneously with the performance onstage.

Wednesday, July 10 at 1 p.m.
Sunday, July 14 at 1 p.m.
Friday, July 19 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, July 20 at 1 p.m.
Wednesday, July 24 at 1 p.m.

The Guthrie also offers ASL-interpreted, audio-described and open-captioned performances upon request. Requests must be received at least two weeks in advance.

Ticket Information

Single tickets range from $34 to $95. Single and group tickets (minimum requirement of 15 per group) may be purchased through the Box Office at 612.377.2224 (single), 1.877.447.8243 (toll-free), 612.225.6244 (group) or online at guthrietheater.org.

Land Acknowledgment

The Guthrie Theater acknowledges that it resides on the traditional land of the Dakota People and honors with gratitude the land itself and the people who have stewarded it throughout the generations, including the Ojibwe and other Indigenous nations.

The GUTHRIE THEATER (Joseph Haj, Artistic Director) is an American center for theater performance in Minneapolis, Minnesota, dedicated to producing a mix of classic and contemporary plays and cultivating the next generation of theater artists. Under Haj’s leadership, the Guthrie is guided by four core values: Artistic Excellence; Community; Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility; and Fiscal Responsibility. Since its founding in 1963, the theater has continued to set a national standard for excellence in the field and serve the people of Minnesota as a vital cultural resource. The Guthrie houses three state-of-the-art stages, production facilities, classrooms and dramatic public spaces. guthrietheater.org

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