ANNOUNCE RESERVATIONS AND THE CAST OF  ITS 2023 SUMMER MUSICAL PRODUCTION OF PRESCOTT PARK ARTS FESTIVAL IS PROUD TO
LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS
Presented by Service Credit Union

Premiering on the Wilcox Main Stage on Friday, June 23
running most Thursdays through Sundays until August 13
all shows will be at 7pm with two matinees on July 1 and 16 at 1pm.

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Event Image for Little Shop of Horrors

Prescott Park Arts Festival, a non-profit arts organization, is thrilled to announce the full cast for their 2023 production of LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, which will be performed in their waterfront home of Prescott Park in downtown Portsmouth. Presented by Service Credit Union, Little Shop of Horrors will premiere on the Wilcox Main Stage Friday, June 23rd and run most Thursdays through Sundays at 7pm until the show closes on August 13th.

Feed the need for musical hilarity with this delicious sci-fi smash about a man-eating plant, featuring the 2003 Broadway orchestrations. A deviously delicious Broadway and Hollywood hit musical, Little Shop Of Horrors has devoured the hearts of theatre-goers for over 30 years. 

The Arts Festival is excited to fill the summer air of Prescott Park with doo-wop hits from this retro classic. Little Shop of Horrors will be directed by Tom Alsip, Director of the Musical Theatre Program for the University of New Hampshire Department of Theatre & Dance. This will be Alsip’s second summer directing the main stage musical in the park. This production welcomes back Festival favorites, Choreographer Mary Beth Marino, and Music Director Kathy Fink. The three collaborated last summer on Footloose and look forward to joining creative forces again. 

“I am so excited to get to work with this cast. The talent is staggering. We've got a few locals who have been in shows with us before, and also a few gifted performers who are new to the park this year as well," explained Tom Alsip, Director of this season's musical. "Little Shop is a fun show that allows people to shine, and I know this cast will astound the Seacoast this summer." 

Prescott Park Arts Festival strives to bring a diverse and dynamic cast of theatre professionals to the Wilcox Main Stage each season. This production is no exception, with a cast of 13 performers, some returning and many making their Festival debut, all incredibly talented.

Long-time member of the Arts Festival family, Tia Marie Apicella will return to the park this summer to play the role of Audrey. Tia is an alum of Camp ENCORE!, the Festival’s youth arts education program, and was seen in Footloose last summer on the main stage. Another familiar face from Footloose is Andrew Johnson, who will play protagonist Seymour Krelborn, as he performs for his second summer in the park. Portsmouth native, Liam Henry Ellis, will take on the role of the dentist, Orin Scrivello, DDS. Seymour was famously played by Rick Moranis in the 1986 film, Audrey by Ellen Greene, and Orin was played by Steve Martin. Mr. Mushnik, the owner of the flower shop, will be taken on by fan favorite, Zeke Solis, who played Snoopy two summers ago in the park and also “cut loose” last summer. 

Newcomer to the Arts Festival, Darrick Brown will be the voice of the carnivorous plant, Audrey II. Darrick is currently earning a BFA in musical theatre at Boston Conservatory. Audrey II’s other half will be played by seasoned puppeteer out of Brookline’s Puppet Showplace Theater, Chris Ryan, who will also make his Arts Festival debut. The urchins, Chiffon, Crystal, and Ronnette, will be played by Kira Whitehead, Armani Ponder-Keith, and Emerese Noel respectively. Kira is a rising senior studying musical theatre at the University of Buffalo. Armani joins the cast all the way from her home state of Ohio, where she currently studies musical theatre at Ohio Northern University. Emerese is also a musical theatre student studying at Marymount Manhattan. All three are first timers on the Wilcox Main Stage. 

The ensemble highlights four versatile actors who will bring so much talent to this production. Abby Berry, making their Arts Festival debut, was adopted from Bogotá, Colombia, grew up in Boston and now attends the American Music & Dramatic Academy (AMDA) in LA. Wolfeboro, NH native John Campbell, also joins the Festival for the first time, and is a senior at UNH with a focus on acting and directing. Aidan Leach, recent graduate of Wagner College’s theatre performance program, hails from Peabody, MA and is an Arts Festival newbie. Lastly, Greta Swartz, a recent UNH graduate who many will recognize from the 2021 main stage musical, You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown, rounds out the ensemble. All four performers will be serving as understudies as well. 

All of the cast members bring rich and dynamic vocals, amazing physicality, and serious acting chops making this year’s production of Little Shop of Horrors a campy and outrageous musical comedy that you and your family are sure to love!