RiverRun to Screen - Little Shop of Horrors - September 29
RiverRun International Film Festival will present a free screening of “Little Shop of Horrors” on Sunday, September 29 at 4 p.m. at Hanesbrands Theatre. The screening is part of RiverRun’s salute to the 90th anniversary of the Little Theatre of Winston-Salem and the 75th anniversary of Arts Council of Winston Salem and Forsyth County.
- Location: Hanesbrands Theatre
- Date: September 29
- Time: 4:00 PM
Based on the popular off-Broadway musical, the movie centers around meek flower shop assistant Seymour (Rick Moranis), who pines for co-worker Audrey (Ellen Greene). During a total eclipse, he discovers an unusual plant he names Audrey II, which feeds only on human flesh and blood. The growing plant attracts a great deal of business for the previously struggling store.
In addition to Moranis and Greene, the cast also includes Steve Martin, Vincent Gardenia, Jim Belushi, Christopher Guest, John Candy, Bill Murray, and Miriam Margolyes. Frank Oz directed the film based on the 1982 musical by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken, which, in turn, was based on the 1960 film by Roger Corman and Charles B. Griffith.
“We’re thrilled to present the screening of ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ as our way of honoring the anniversaries of the Little Theatre and Arts Council,” said RiverRun Executive Director Rob Davis. “’Little Shop’ is a great film for the whole family to enjoy.”
At the time of the film’s release, it was unusual for a performer to create a role on stage and then be cast in the film version, but that’s what happened with Ellen Greene. She was a veteran of several New York Shakespeare Festival productions and had made her film debut in Next Stop Greenwich Village before tackling the role of Audrey in the stage and screen versions of Little Shop of Horrors.
Director Frank Oz is also a puppeteer and actor and has provided the voice for a wide range of characters from Yoda in Star Wars to Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, and other characters in The Muppets. His work as a puppeteer came in handy on Little Shop in crafting six “growing” versions of the plant seen in Little Shop of Horrors ranging from four inches tall to a 12-foot tall version used in the finale.
Tickets for the free screening are available on the Little Theatre website at ltofws.org. Tickets are also available from the Little Theatre for its stage production of the musical, which opens for its full run on October 18.
Special thanks to Austin Temple, DDS for sponsoring RiverRun’s free screening of “Little Shop of Horrors.”
