GCC Department of Theatre Arts and The Forum Players Present: "Little Shop of Horrors," Book and Lyrics by Howard Ashman and Music by Alan Menken
Batavia, NY (04/09/2026) — Genesee Community College's Department of Theatre Arts and The Forum Players are presenting Howard Ashman and Alan Menken's musical, Little Shop of Horrors, this April as part of their 2025-2026 theatrical programming. With book and lyrics by Howard Ashman and music by Alan Menken, this zany horror-comedy rock musical has become an award-winning theatrical production. Feed the need for musical hilarity with this delicious sci-fi smash hit! Performances take place April 23, 24, and 25 at 7:30 p.m. and April 26 at 2:00 p.m. in the Stuart Steiner Theatre on GCC's Batavia Campus.
Little Shop of Horrors follows Seymour Krelborn as he struggles in his duties as a floral assistant. He dreams about what life would be like outside of urban skid row. Seymour wrestles with his crush on Audrey, his pretty co-worker, and his desire to impress his cranky boss, Mr. Mushnik. During a sudden solar eclipse, Seymour finds a mysterious plant, which he names Audrey II. This unique plant offers Seymour a way to get everything he wants out of life; a thriving career, a life with Audrey, and a way out of skid row. The only thing he has to decide is how far he is willing to go to "feed" the plant.
The musical is based on the 1960 movie of the same name (directed by Roger Corman and screenplay by Charles Griffith). Alan Menken's score features a wide variety of music, including 1960s-style rock and roll, doo-wop, and early Motown. The musical first premiered off-off Broadway at the WPA Theatre in 1982. Book writer and lyricist Howard Ashman felt the story was best told in a small, intimate theatre, which is why the show continues to run off-Broadway.
The show is directed at GCC by Maryanne Arena, with Sandy Nagar as technical director and set designer. The cast features Joel Fahnbulleh, Weston Kirsch, Grace Wheeler, Jazz Wessel, Deb Mallery, Quincy Henning, Kiera Zambito, Xwanjah Hunt, Annabella Fanara, Felix Espada, Joseph Milner, Dustin Wheeler, Alex Cole, Hina Nakatani, Moka Toida, Chloe Walker, Lily Kasprzak, Reziah Allen, Elijah Johnson, Brett Jurewicz, Maya Web, Sadee Dillion, and Kenzie Olmstead.
Little Shop of Horrors is classified as a horror-comedy musical, so it may not be suitable for young audience members. Some scenes may include strobe lights, sudden loud noises, and flashy lights. The horror and violence are meant to be campy, as is expected in a musical about a man-eating plant from outer space. Though it's thoroughly entertaining, there are some scenes in Little Shop of Horrors that may not be appropriate for some viewers and could potentially be scary/creepy to viewers under the age of 13. Pre-teens should attend at a parent's discretion.
Tickets are $10 general admission, $5 for non-GCC students/seniors 55+/children under 16. GCC students & staff are free when ID is shown at the box office. Tickets are on sale online at www.genesee.edu/tix.
For more information, please contact the GCC Box Office at boxoffice@genesee.edu.
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GCC Forum Players students rehearsing for "Little Shop of Horrors"