Thursday night, I saw the opening performance of FHC’s spring musical, Little Shop of Horrors. The show is set in Skid Row: an urban area that offers virtually no opportunities for its inhabitants. Seymour Krelborn, an underachieving botanist, works for a failing flower shop in Skid Row along with Mr. Mushnik, Seymour’s soon-to-be adoptive father. They are preparing to shut down their business for good when suddenly, Seymour brings out a new plant that he has been working on. The plant, which resembles a venus fly trap, has stopped growing and Seymour seems to have figured out a deadly solution.

Little Shop of Horrors requires a large selection of vocal ranges and intensity. I was pleasantly surprised with the students’ performances and how well they were able to handle the difficult singing requirements. The three urchins, played by Amanda Riffe, Sutton Steensma, and Ashlyn Fitch, successfully stayed in perfect harmony throughout the show and were entertaining to listen to. Caroline Whyte conquered the role of Audrey and hit every note with noticeable perfection. The first time theater performer, Jake Lorke, performed like a professional with no slip ups or forgotten lines. The chorus came in with excellent harmonies when needed. The entire cast and crew put on another show up to the FHC community’s standards, and the show concluded with a standing ovation from the audience. Director Robbin Demeester always makes sure that her shows are top-notch and again, she did not disappoint.

Even though the talent of the cast members stole the show, there were a few times during the performance that caused the audience a few unadministered chuckles. The first was when a cast member walked through a door on set and when he closed it, a prop clock and broom fell over causing a racket on stage. A few minutes later, another cast member closed the door, the clock fell again, but this time, the glass on the clock shattered and flew all over the stage. Despite the interruption that happened, the performers on stage at that moment didn’t miss a beat and continued like it never happened. Needless to say, that added a bit of unintended comic relief to the show. Other than those prop errors, the rest of the show ran as smoothly as possible and those mistakes were handled with grace and professionalism.

Overall, FHC’s Little Shop of Horrors was a must-see and an enjoyable way to spend a night out.