Nicole Citera-Juarez | Reporter
The Lindenwood Theatre department has been granted the rights to show the Broadway musical “Little Shop of Horrors” this semester, including props made by original creators.
According to broadwaymusicalhome.com, the rights to a musical may not be available if it is currently playing or touring on Broadway.
So how did the theater department get the rights? Timeliness and a little bit of luck.
Lindenwood put in their permission request for the show just before a producer in New York announced “Little Shop of Horrors” would be coming back to Broadway.
“Little Shop of horrors” is based off of a low budget 1960 film, which became a comedic musical with scores by Alan Menken and writing from Howard Ashman. The musical has been a part of theater for over 30 years and will now be showcased as a student production here at Lindenwood, directed by theater professor Larry Quiggins.
This performance has been on the theater department’s list to do for some time according to academic production manager, Stacy Blackburn.
“We have been trying to get ‘Chicago,’ and original broadway productions since 1975, for seven years, and we can’t because of the rights,” Blackburn said. “It’s kind of luck of the draw.”
There are seven total performances of the musical scheduled in the Emerson Blackbox Theatre. The first showing is Oct. 9-12 at 7:30 p.m. and then Oct. 12-13 at 2 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online or from The box office inside the J. Scheidegger Center. General Admission costs $15.00 and students get two free tickets.
