Ever since little, it has been my dream to be a part of a big musical, and I’ve been so lucky for my dream to come true. This year’s musical was chosen to be Little Shop of Horrors and before this, I had never heard of this piece and knew nothing about it, much less musicals.
The main characters consist of: Seymour (the main protagonist), Audrey (the female romantic interest), Mushnik (the old shopkeeper), Audrey II (the blood-thirsty plant), and the Dentist (the abusive boyfriend).
I was lucky to play the character of the Plant, a character which I resonated a lot with, of course not the human-eating part. In the original 1986 production of Little Shop of Horrors Audrey II is in the form of a plant, and there is physical actor supporting that role, however in our interpretation, and in my opinion more unique, it was decided that someone should embody the Plant. I was very happy to find out that that person would be me. Doing this production has developed me as a person and I have gained numerous skills that I am grateful to now have.
The first skill I wanted to outline was my improvement in singing. Although singing and music has been something I’ve always been very passionate about, I think that through the course of this production I have taken this hobby more seriously and worked on it. I have spent a lot of time practicing and also listening to other versions of my songs, so that for the show I’d be able to create my own interpretations, which I believe I did well, especially on the last night. My favorite song was Get It (first appearance of my character) because it is a very upbeat, hyper jazzy song that leaves a catchy phrase in the audience’s head, and especially in mine. Get It is a duet between Seymour and the Plant, as he tries to get Seymour to feed the Dentist to him because he is dying of hunger. There is so much te
nsion and excitement in that song, an
d I was lucky to have such an amazing partner like Akhil because that song wouldn’t have been so climactic and life-changing without our chemistry and our great singing. The reason this song has been very important to me is because not only was it hyped up as the best song in the musical and I was honored to sing it, but also because it included important techniques that I want to apply in future performances. One of these techniques is growling, usually encountered in jazz, and it has been a technique that I’ve always been intrigued by and wanted to learn and I’m happy I had the opportunity. Overall for my singing, I have developed a wide range ranging from lower notes to high A’s which I am proud to have reached. The reason for this is because the music and songs were written for a male part, so lifting it even an octave can be low but I achieved it and I couldn’t be happier.
Next, I want to also outline how much my acting has improved. I had been told that I created an ominous and aggressive atmosphere which resonated through every single watcher. I was so happy to hear that because before, I have always been embarrassed to act in character and especially like mine, an aggressive loud character that requires a lot of exaggeration and motivation to play well. I was impressed with myself on my improvement and I am forever grateful to Ms Jackson and Mr Kim who both helped me with that equally. A final highlight that I wanted to talk about is the ability to both sing and act at the same time. In previous theatrical/musical performances that I have acted in, I had always struggled to express the emotions when I am singing, and I forget to act; I couldn’t simultaneously do both at the same time. Which is why I am very proud of this goal I’ve achieved, and I am eager to participate in more musicals, in or outside of school.
This act of creativity was very impactful to my development as an artist because I discovered my love for theatrical works and especially singing. To continue singing and improving, I plan on joining Senior Voice when the activity opens so that I can keep performing and gaining experience for the future.
