TUTS LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS Closes 7/18

Theatre Under The Stars (TUTS) announces the cast of the carnivorous cult classic, Little Shop of Horrors! This marks TUTS' 43rd summer of free musicals at Miller Outdoor Theater (100 Concert Drive). Little Shop Of Horrors plays every evening July 13 - 18, 2010 at 8:15 p.m. With show-stopping numbers like "Somewhere That's Green" and "Suddenly, Seymour", Little Shop of Horrors combines rock-and-roll, doo-wop and Motown for a night of free family fun!

A down-and out skid row floral assistant becomes an overnight sensation when he discovers an exotic plant with a mysterious craving for fresh blood. Soon "Audrey II" grows into an ill-tempered, foul-mouthed, R&B-singing carnivore who offers him fame and fortune in exchange for feeding its growing appetite, finally revealing itself to be an alien creature poised for global domination!

"This presentation of Little Shop will be different than versions you've seen in the past. Audrey II will take shape in a new way and there are a few unexpected twists I think the audience will love. It's a classic but this version will definitely be fresh. This mainly local cast for such a treasured crowd favorite has some of Houston's most established as well as emerging comedic singers....I'm looking forward to a wonderful time both backstage and in performance!" says Director, Roy Hamlin, who is joined by creative team member and long-time TUTS Choreographer, Shay Rodgers.

The role of Seymour is played by Sam Houston State University senior and Humphreys School of Musical Theatre alumni, Mark Ivy. Seymour's leading lady, Audrey, is played by Ivy Castle-Rush, who you may recognize from TUTS' most recent presentation of The Sound Of Music and Disney's When You Wish.

Native Houstonian Jimmy Phillips, last on stage with TUTS' in the 1981 production of The Music Man, plays Mushnik, the cantankerous florist. Performing the voice of Audrey II (the plant) is none other than Deborah Duncan, talented vocalist and host of KHOU-TV's Great Day Houston!

Other cast members include Ven Daniel as Orin, last on the TUTS' stage as the flirtatious UPS Man in Legally Blonde The Musical, and Marybelle Chaney as Chiffon. Chaney was recently in TUTS' presentations of The Sound Of Music and Irving Berlin's White Christmas. Lindsey Gee, most recently seen in Miss Saigon, will perform as Ronnette and Trisha Jeffrey, formerly in Hair, will play the role of Crystal.

Rounding out the ensemble are Patrick Amos, Chris Canal, Lisa E. Harris, Carolyn Johnson, Sofia V. Mendez, Adam Pena, Corby Sullivan, and Erin Wasmund.

Local Humphreys School of Musical Theatre Students included in the ensemble include Alyssa Arizpe, Mallory Bechtel, Meredith Bechtel, Sam Burkett, Jack Delac, Rebecca Eckert, Gabby Gillespie, Raiya Goodman, Brooke Humphrey, Dylan Lambert, Libby Malone, MerEdith Miller, Madeline Reid, Jacqueline Touchet, Sandy Valles, and Christian Warner,

For more information on Little Shop of Horrors, visit Theatre Under The Stars on the web at www.tuts.com or Miller Outdoor Theatre at milleroutdoortheatre.com. To contact TUTS by phone, call (713) 558-TUTS (8887). Free tickets for the covered seats are available on the day of performance between 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. at the Miller Theatre Box Office. Any tickets remaining will be given out one hour before curtain. No tickets? Bring a cozy blanket and enjoy the show from the Miller Theatre lawn, the perfect place for a picnic and a show!

Before the July 17-18 performances of Little Shop of Horrors, Target will provide a free arts station where children can decorate their own canvas school bag. TUTS is one of 80 organizations nationwide partnering with Target for Arts and Wonder weekend, in hopes of making the arts more accessible for families.

Sponsors for TUTS' presentation of Little Shop of Horrors include Miller Theatre Advisory Board, The Wortham Foundation, Inc., The Brown Foundation, Inc., Wells Fargo, the George and Mary Josephine Hamman Foundation, Texas Commission on the Arts and Target.

Founded in 1968, Theatre Under The Stars (TUTS) is Houston's acclaimed non-profit musical theatre company and is currently under the direction of President and CEO John C. Breckenridge. TUTS was the first theatrical organization in Houston to perform free to the public in 1968 at Miller Outdoor Theatre in Hermann Park, and is the only Houston arts organization that has performed there free to the public every year since the building opened. Since its founding by Frank M. Young, TUTS has produced more than 300 musicals including many local, national and world premieres such as Disney's Beauty and the Beast, as well as International tours including Debbie Reynolds in The Unsinkable Molly Brown, Juliet Prowse in Mame, Robert Goulet in Man of La Mancha, the Tony Award-winning revival of Carousel and the Deaf West Theatre production of Big River. As a way to continue the tradition of musical theatre, TUTS' Education provides instruction and stage experience for more than 1,700 students annually, allowing students to flourish in a year-round schedule of classes. With a common goal - to expand arts access to children of all abilities - The River Performing and Visual Arts Center (The River) merged with Theatre Under The Stars (TUTS) in 2010, creating a unique, barrier free, arts education model for non-profit musical theatre performing arts organizations. With the merger, TUTS Education now provides extended on-site programming as well as off-site programming for children in schools, hospitals and other community-based sites. Housed in the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, TUTS also annually presents the Tommy Tune Awards, honoring the best and brightest in Houston's high school musical theatre programs.

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