October 20, 2021

Skylight Music Theatre Announces Cast, Team for Hit Musical 'Little Shop of Horrors'

Hilarious Family Entertainment for the Holidays and New Year

November 19, 2021 – January 2, 2022

Milwaukee, Wis. (October 20, 2021) — Skylight Music Theatre presents the hit musical Little Shop of Horrors November 19, 2021 – January 2, 2022, offering hilarious entertainment for the whole family during the holidays, including special family-friendly early show times and a New Year’s Eve performance at 6:30 p.m. In-person performances take place in the beautiful Cabot Theatre at the Broadway Theatre Center, 158 N. Broadway, in Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward. Safety requirements are in effect, including masks while indoors and proof of vaccination or negative Covid test.

This quirky and beloved musical is a disarmingly funny love story featuring what is probably the most famous carnivorous plant in musical theatre history. The show has become a worldwide phenomenon, devouring the hearts of theatregoers for over 30 years.

The score, by creative geniuses Howard Ashman and Alan Menken (Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Beauty and The Beast, and Aladdin), blends pop, doo-wop, Broadway, and Motown into heartfelt songs including “Suddenly Seymour” and “Somewhere that’s Green.”

Artistic Director Michael Unger will mark his Skylight mainstage directorial debut with Little Shop of Horrors.  Unger was appointed as Artistic Director in September 2019, but his inaugural mainstage season was impacted by the pandemic. Little Shop was originally scheduled for November 2020 but then postponed.

Skylight recently celebrated its return to live, in-person musicals with their first show in the Cabot Theatre since the shutdown, a smash hit run of The Full Monty, which left audiences cheering.

Skylight Revival of Hit Broadway Musical

“Little Shop has been on our list to revive ever since it was a hit at Skylight in 2003,” said Unger. “We were getting close to opening this show over a year ago, but it was delayed due to the pandemic. Our wonderful and diverse local cast is thrilled to pick up where we left off. I think we are all ravenous to return to this timeless, fun and beloved musical.” 

Music Director David Bonofiglio, who has worked with Skylight frequently, will lead the band. Broadway choreographer Lisa Shriver will make her Skylight debut.

Little Shop of Horrors was made into a 1986 film of the same name, directed by Frank Oz. An acclaimed revival starring Jeremy Jordan (Newsies) is currently generating buzz off-Broadway.

The New York Times said Little Shop of Horrors “leaves the audience... feeling just like Audrey II between victims – ravenous for more.” Variety praised a “score that’s timelessly sweet and soulful.” Deadline called it an “international theatrical staple” and “an invigorating blast.”

Skylight Revival

LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS

Nov. 19, 2021 – Jan. 2, 2022

Book and Lyrics by Howard Ashman

Music by Alan Menken

Directed by Michael Unger

Based on the film by Roger Corman, screenplay by Charles Griffith

Sponsored by Private Asset Management – Baird

LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS CREATIVE TEAM

Director - Michael Unger***

Music Director - David Bonofiglio

Choreographer - Lisa Shriver***

Scenic Designer - Brian Prather**

Costume Designer - Kristina Sneshkoff

Lighting Designer - Graham Kindred**

Sound Designer - John Tanner

Production Stage Manager - Kate Ferdinandi*

*Appearing through an agreement between Skylight Music Theatre and Actors' Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

**The Scenic and Lighting designers are represented by United Scenic Artists, Local USA-829.

*** A member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, a national theatrical labor union.

LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS CAST

Audrey II (Puppet) - Gabriella Ashlin

Audrey II (Voice) - Aaron Reese Boseman

Ronnette - Raven Dockery

Mushnik - David Flores

Orin - Seth K. Hale

Chiffon - Kristen Jeter

Audrey - Ashley Oviedo

Crystal - Brandite Reed

Seymour - Kevin James Sievert

CREATIVE TEAM BIOGRAPHIES

Michael Unger (Director) joined Skylight as Artistic Director in 2019. He has directed several virtual productions for Skylight including Being Earnest, which is available for streaming worldwide. Unger is also Producing Artistic Director of NewArts in Newtown, CT; started in response to the Sandy Hook tragedy. For NewArts, he has directed a dozen large-scale musicals involving over 650 local children. He was also Associate Artistic Director and Director of Education for Off-Broadway’s York Theatre Company. Unger has directed benefit concerts honoring Susan Stroman, Andre DeShields, Maltby and Shire, as well as for the Sandy Hook, CT and Parkland, FL communities. World premieres include 25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Caligula, and A ROCKIN’ Midsummer Night’s Dream, which is featured in the award-winning documentary film, Midsummer in Newtown.

David Bonofiglio (Music Director) holds a BFA in piano performance from Cardinal Stritch University.  Selected credits as musical director: The Full Monty, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Oklahoma, Urinetown, and Pippin for Skylight Music Theatre; Little by Little, Scrooge in Rouge, A Cudahy Caroler Christmas, and Jesus Christ Superstar for In Tandem Theatre; Sunday in the Park with George for Windfall Theatre. As assistant music director: A Christmas Carol for Milwaukee Repertory Theatre. As cover piano/conductor: Once on This Island and La Cage Aux Folles for Skylight Music Theatre.  As keyboardist and programmer: Powder Her Face, Les Misérables, In the Heights, Newsies and La Cage Aux Folles for Skylight Music Theatre.

CAST BIOGRAPHIES

Gabriella Ashlin (Audrey II Puppet) holds her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. Recent acting credits include Sleeping Beauty in Disenchanted! and Frieda in Carrie: The Musical with Outskirts Theatre Company, Sebastian in The Tempest with Mad Rogues, understudying Dull Gret/Jeanine in Top Girls with Renaissance Theatreworks, and performing in Renaissance Theatreworks’s Br!nk Briefs.

Aaron Reese Boseman (Audrey II Voice) is a Chicago native and graduate of Columbia College Chicago. Boseman is co-founder/artistic director of Pulse Theatre Chicago. He has been nominated for multiple BTAA and Black Excellence awards and a Jeff Award. Acting credits: Benny in In The Heights at The Miracle Center, Shrek in Shrek at Windy City Performs, Flick in Violet at Loyola, Senator Lowell in Do Re Mi and Ronnie in Golden Boy at Porchlight Music Theatre, Jim u/s, in Big River at Theatre at the Center, and Coalhouse in Ragtime at The Drama Group.

Raven Dockery (Ronnette) previously appeared at Skylight as Ismene in The Gospel of Colonus, Lula Buffington in Violet, Velma in Crowns, Asaka in Once on this Island and Dionne in Hair. She was also in KidsWrites: Me, Myself and I and Cabaret Series: Raven and Ryan on Shuffle. Dockery has a Masters Degree in Music Vocal Pedagogy for Music Theatre Singing from Carthage College. She received her B.F.A. for Music Theatre Performance from UW-Milwaukee. Dockery has performed with First Stage, Milwaukee Rep and Black Arts MKE.

David Flores (Mushnik) has performed with many Milwaukee theater, music, and dance companies including Alchemist, Boulevard, Cornerstone, First Stage, In Tandem, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, Milwaukee Shakespeare, Off The Wall, Optimist, Renaissance, Theater X, Theatre Gigante, Windfall, Florentine Opera, Milwaukee Opera Theatre and Wild Space Dance. Appearances at Skylight include Wilbur Turnblad in Hairspray, Zoltan Karpathy in My Fair Lady, Kevin Rosario in In the Heights, The Barber in Man of La Mancha, and Hives in Animal Crackers. Flores studied music and dance at Harvard University and is a long-time member of the City of Milwaukee Arts Board.

Seth K. Hale (Orin) makes his Skylight debut in Little Shop of Horrors. Some of his most recent roles in the Milwaukee area include Byron in Not Today with Forge Theater, Sholem Asch in Indecent with Music Theatre of Madison and Kenny in Laughter on the 23rd Floor at Next Act.

Kristen Jeter (Chiffon) hails from Smyrna, GA. She studied Musical Theatre at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in NYC. National Tour: Swing/Nabulungi Understudy in The Book of Mormon. Favorite regional credits include Rory in A Hundred Words For Snow at Theatrical Outfit, Mercy in School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play at True Colors Theatre, Dionne in Hair at Playhouse on Park, and Sister Robert Ann in Nuncrackers at Circa '21 Playhouse.

Ashley Oviedo (Audrey) is a recent graduate of the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee, with a BFA in musical theater. She has most recently been seen as Cecily in the virtual musical Being Earnest at Skylight. Other credits include Anna in The Green Room Zoom with Round Earth Entertainment in association with RnD Productions; as Aquarius/Harper/Dana/Adia in When We Were Stars at Next Stage Theater; and as Maggie in the workshop reading of The Mill on the Potomac at First Flight Theater Company. She is part of the workshop cast of The Boy from Troy at The Creative Co-Lab.

Brandite ‘Brandi’ Reed (Crystal) grew up in Milwaukee's Bronzeville and studied classical and jazz music at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music. She was introduced to musical theater through community arts organizations such as African American Children’s theater and Milwaukee Inner-city Arts Council. She performed in Black Arts MKE’s 2018 & 2019 productions of Black Nativity at the Marcus Performing Arts Center. At Skylight Music Theatre she was seen in The Full Monty and Three Sisters Named Flo at Skylight’s Cabaret. Reed is currently a Teaching Artist at Black Arts MKE, First Stage Children’s Theatre and the Milwaukee Repertory Theater.

Kevin James Sievert (Seymour) is an actor, singer, choreographer and musician based in Wisconsin. Sievert has been seen previously in Skylight productions of Hot Mikado, Urinetown, Disney’s Newsies, The Gospel at Colonus and Five Guys Named Moe as Little Moe. Other Milwaukee credits include Carrie: The Musical with Outskirts Theatre and choreographer for Waukesha South’s 2020 production of Pippin.

PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

Performances of Little Shop of Horrors are Friday, November 19, 2021 through Sunday, January 2, 2022 in the beautiful Cabot Theatre at the Broadway Theatre Center, 158 N. Broadway in the Historic Third Ward of Milwaukee.

BOX OFFICE

Single tickets and subscriptions are on sale. Subscribers get the best seats at the best prices. Purchase at the Broadway Theatre Center Box Office. Call (414) 291-7800 or visit 158 N. Broadway, Monday – Saturday, from noon - 6 p.m. or email tickets@skylightmusictheatre.org.

• Please let the Box Office know if accessible seating is needed, or if patrons will have a wheelchair or walker.
• Box Office hours are Mon. – Sat. Noon - 6 p.m. The Box Office window is also open two hours prior to performances.
• Group discounts are available for parties of 10 or more by calling (414) 299-4972 or emailing emilyf@skylightmusictheatre.org
• If you have ADA needs please contact the Box Office (414) 291-7800 or tickets@skylightmusictheatre.org.
• Skylight offers a risk-free guarantee to exchange, credit, or refund tickets for any canceled performances.
• For more information visit skylightmusictheatre.org or email info@skylightmusictheatre.org

SPECIAL EVENTS

Skylight Insights. In-depth discussions with directors and special guests take place one hour before Wednesday and Sunday performances.

ASL Performance. Little Shop of Horrors will be interpreted in American Sign Language on Thursday, Dec. 9 at 7:30 p.m. To purchase tickets for this performance, email tickets@skylightmusictheatre.org or call Skylight Music Theatre's Box Office at (414) 291-7800. Mention ASL performance for seating in the appropriate section. Support for ASL performance provided by UPAF Connect.

Sensory Friendly Performance. A sensory-friendly performance of Little Shop of Horrors will take place Wednesday, Dec. 15 at 6 p.m. Support for Sensory Friendly performance provided by UPAF Connect.

For more information visit www.skylightmusictheatre.org, email info@skylightmusictheatre.org or call the Box Office at (414) 291-7800.

SKYLIGHT BAR & BISTRO

The Skylight Bar & Bistro is open two hours prior to showtime and features a pre-theatre menu by Sabrosa. Conveniently located on the second floor of the Broadway Theatre Center, reservations are available online here or at https://sabrosa.cafe or call 773-485-9975.

PARKING

Purchase $5 parking vouchers from the Broadway Theatre Center Box office for use in the Historic Third Ward

parking garage at 212 N. Milwaukee Street (one block east and one block north). Vouchers are valid between 5 p.m. and 11:59 p.m. for evening performances. Matinee vouchers are valid 12-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Not valid for Wednesday matinees. Voucher sales stop 30 minutes before showtime. Advance purchase recommended so that vouchers can be mailed with tickets. No refunds.

Meter parking is available on the street (free after 6 p.m. and on Sundays).

HEALTH & SAFETY PROTOCOLS

Skylight Music Theatre has joined other Milwaukee performing arts organizations in requiring proof of vaccination or negative Covid test within 72 hours of performance for all audience members ages 12 and up. In addition, Skylight requires audiences to be masked at all times while indoors, regardless of vaccination status. For up-to-date information, please visit www.skylightmusictheatre.org/health.

ABOUT SKYLIGHT MUSIC THEATRE

Founded in 1959, Skylight is Milwaukee’s professional Equity music theatre company and the largest employer of Wisconsin actors in the State. Skylight produces the full spectrum of music theatre ranging from blockbuster Broadway musicals to reimagined operas, and from exciting world premieres to contemporary off-Broadway hits. Skylight’s mainstage home is the Cabot Theatre in the Broadway Theatre Center, which was built by Skylight in Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward in 1992. Considered to be one of Milwaukee’s most beautiful theatres, the Cabot Theatre is based on the design of an 18^th-century French opera house. With just 350 seats it offers audiences great views of the action onstage. Skylight Music Theatre marks its 62nd season in 2021-2022.

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