When Benjamin Hanna assembled the schedule for his first season as artistic director of Indiana Repertory Theater, he identified Little Shop of Horrors as the closing production for the 2023-24 season. His IRT, founded in 1972, had never performed “Little Shop of Horrors” before. This work premiered in New York in his 1982 and was made into a film in 1986.
Perhaps more notable is that “Little Shop of Horrors” is a musical. The last time IRT staged a traditional Broadway musical was in 2013, when Stephen Sondheim's “A Little Night Music” was included in the schedule.
In this podcast, IBJ arts reporter Dave Lindquist speaks with Hannah and Little Shop of Horrors cast member Rob Johansen to preview the production, which opens on April 17th. Johansen has appeared in over 50 of his productions for his IRT. This time, he's a puppeteer who controls Audrey Two, an otherworldly plant that requires human blood to thrive.
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