Santa Fe High School theater will present Little Shop of Horrors!, a musical directed by Mr. Reed (Meschefske) with musical direction by Mr. Heaton, on Feb. 22, 23, and 24.

Theater teacher Mr. Reed encourages Santa Fe High students and staff to dive deeper at this year’s newest musical. The audience should expect a play based on “The meek floral assistant Seymour Krelborn [who] stumbles across a new breed of plant he names ‘Audrey II’ – after his coworker crush. This foul-mouthed, R&B-singing [carnivorous plant] promises unending fame and fortune to the down-and-out Krelborn as long as he keeps feeding it blood. Over time, though, Seymour discovers Audrey II’s out-of-this-world origins and intent towards global domination.” 

According to the Music Theater International website, this musical is one of the longest-running Off-Broadway shows: “The charmingly tongue-in-cheek comedy has been produced worldwide to incredible success with technical aspects running the gamut from Broadway to PTA budgets.”

According to The New York Times, the musical first played on Broadway in 2003. Now, Santa Fe High theater is making an attempt to bring the popular, worldwide musical back to life in 2024.

About the rehearsals and preparation for the show Mr. Reed says, “It’s been a super good process so far. The cast has been really great – everybody has been totally focused and on board. It’s been relatively – knock on wood – stress free.” 

Mr. Reed teaches many students a day and yet he’s still excited to work on the musical. He states that theater is an enjoyable experience, explaining, “Musicals are always fun, you know, the process – every show is different. It’s like a season or a sport.”

Mr. Reed explains that there have been musicals at SFHS since he started teaching here in 2010. “[Musical theater] used to be a class. Now it’s just an afterschool program,” he explains, making it clear he is happy to take this on for another year and present yet another musical to the SFHS audience.

Mr. Reed said he misses aspects of the class but prefers having the musical a volunteer effort. “I enjoyed working with my fellow co-workers, but the thing I didn’t like about it was it was a class, so even the kids who really loved doing theater treated it like a class. People weren’t as focused as they are now with the afterschool program.”

As one might expect, Mr. Reed really enjoys the theater process and working with students to pursue their dreams and ideas. He explains, “Students find enjoyment in the theater, and I’m glad to be a part of that process.”

Annalysia Montoya, who is playing the role of Crystal, says, “I think the cast all works together really well. The energy is there. Personally, this has been one of the funnest shows to be a part of.” Anna, a junior, has been in several other shows at Santa Fe High. “This one is really special because there are so many unique props, the music is super fun, and the costumes are great.”

Pieta (Pip) Bunker-Ruiz, who plays Agent Ski Snip, says, “I would say that the musicals are the most lighthearted of the three productions we put on every year. ‘Little Shop’ has been so smooth and fun! The cast is amazing, and it’s inspiring to see how talented and committed my fellow castmates are.”

However, since Pip is a senior, the play also represents an end for her. “It is all very melancholy though,” she says. “I will likely never do theater after high school because it is purely a hobby of mine – I do it because of the people I am surrounded by. I’m unlikely to find such an accepting community in the future!”

For more information, check out the school’s performing arts website. 

Tickets are available for advance purchase at this site. 

Anybody who would like to support the theater can make donations at this site.