Little Shop of Horrors Musical to Make Debut on Clawson High School Stage Thursday

It's the moment 18 students have been waiting for.

For the past two months, these students, grades 6-12, have practiced their hearts out, three hours each day to be exact - nailing their lines, dressing the part and molding into their characters.

Their hard work will all pay off Thursday night as the winter musical Little Shop of Horrors premieres on the Clawson High School stage.

"We have athletes, honor students, young aspiring musicians and actors, and a few professional musicians in the pit orchestra," said Thomas Pavlovich, Vocal Musical Director for Clawson Public Schools. 

Little Shop of Horrors tells the story of a man named Seymour, who, down on his luck, wants nothing more than to impress the girl of his dreams. After finding a rare plant, Seymour places it in the window of the Skid Row florist shop where he works and suddenly finds himself surrounded by fame and fortune. Always a catch, the plant is actually an alien that needs to eat human blood to survive, taking on a mind of its own as it manipulates Seymour into killing people to feed it. Once the plant attacks Seymour’s love, Audrey, he decides he has had enough and tries to kill it. But by then, it is too late as the plant has already plotted to take over the world.

This is the first time ever that a group of Clawson students will perform the musical.

Pavlovich notes that even though the students had a small budget to work with, the quality of the play has tremendously exceeded expectations.

"The students have really taken ownership of the characters and the music making it a very unique performance; their singing and acting is really impressive," he said.

Angie Peters, whose daughter, Lauren, acts in the show, has had the pleasure of watching the cast grow since their try-outs in mid-October.

"This is a great group of kids who have all worked very hard," said Peters. "It has been fun to watch the production come together; it's a great show with great music from our own talented Clawson kids."

"Supporting the students in the arts is an important gesture," adds Pavlovich. "The collaborative work from these people will make for an amazing production."

If you go:

What: Little Shop of Horrors Musical

When: Dec 6, 7 and 8 at 7:30 p.m.

Where: Clawson High School Auditorium

Cost: $7 for adults, $5 for senior citizens and students (with valid ID)