The Iona College Players performed the horror comedy rock musical “Little Shop of Horrors” in the Murphy Auditorium on Oct. 26 and 27. The show – directed by senior Erin Collins – kept the audience entertained with its equally comical and heart-warming aura.

Set in the ‘80s, the musical focuses on the story of nerdy florist Seymour Krelborn (freshman Noah Darden) who works in a flower shop owned by Mr. Mushnik, a stingy, self-interested man played by junior Thomas Hoehmann. Seymour also works alongside Audrey (freshman Sydney Zanca), his secret love interest who is caught up in an abusive relationship.

Located in Skid Row, an urban city surrounded by poverty, hardship and barrenness, Mr. Mushnik’s business is failing until Seymour presents an unusual, exotic plant (played by freshman Seamus Townsend) that begins to attract customers. Unbeknownst to the other characters, the only way Seymour keeps the plant alive and well is by feeding it human flesh and blood, resulting in the deaths of a number of significant characters.

The first act began with the presentation of the setting by six street urchins dressed as school girls. Singing “Little Shop of Horrors,” the urchins set the scene and introduced the storyline.

In a touching solo, Seymour explains that he wants to leave Skid Row and do something great with his life. When his rare plant begins to attract attention, Seymour realizes that this is his way out of Skid Row. In a solo called “Grow for Me,” he encourages the plant to grow so that business can boom.

Seymour soon becomes famous for his plant, and the Skid Row flower shop attracts a great deal of business. In a comic scene, the plant – named Audrey II – reveals that it can talk and pressures Seymour into killing Audrey’s abusive boyfriend, Orin Scrivello, D.D.S. (freshman Brendan Bohan), so that it can eat him.

Witnessing how Orin mistreats Audrey, Seymour eagerly makes an appointment with the dentist to get the opportunity to kill him. Seymour and Orin sing “Now (It’s Just the Gas),” and the crazed dentist dies after he is unable to take his laughing gas mask off. Seymour takes Orin’s body and feeds it to Audrey II.

The moment the audience had been waiting for was presented in “Suddenly, Seymour” where Audrey and Seymour express their love for each other. Audrey and Seymour captivated the audience with their love and adoration and ended the scene with a kiss.

Later, Mr. Mushnik discovers that Seymour was involved in Orin’s death and threatens to turn him in. Thinking that Audrey will leave him, Seymour tricks Mr. Mushnik, and the flower shop owner is eaten alive by the plant.

Seymour is consumed by guilt and plans to kill Audrey II. Before he can proceed, the evil plant attempts to eat Audrey alive. Seymour is able to remove Audrey from the plant but she dies due to her injuries. Before she dies, Audrey asks to be fed to the plant so she can always be a part of the success that Audrey II brings Seymour.

Miserable and full of anger, Seymour retrieves a gun and attempts to kill the plant, but to no avail. In a moment of resentment, he grabs an ax, jumps into the plant and tries to destroy its insides. The plant remains strong, and Seymour too is finally eaten.

After this dire scene, a business man attempting to multiply Audrey II and sell the plant to people everywhere enters the scene. He addresses the street urchins and tells them to take leaves from the plant and place them in pots, which he will take and grow. The audience is left distraught at the thought that the destructive plant will achieve world conquest.

The musical ended with a finale by the entire company. Singing “Don’t Feed the Plants,” they recap the story and its message that our bad actions can come back to haunt us and that while something may be seemingly innocent, it can turn destructive.

The Iona College Players did an excellent job at taking on the role of their characters. Not only was the cast’s acting professional and showcased each performer’s talent, but the singing was admirable and perfectly in tune. Everything from the stage to the props and the costumes set the scene and created an animated environment.

If you missed seeing the Players in “Little Shop of Horrors,” look out for their variety show later on this semester and their next musical in the spring!