LYNN — Spooky season is upon us and Arts After Hours is ready to wow audiences with their take on Little Shop of Horrors.
Samantha Gambaccini started her journey with AAH as an actress in 2016 and now she is gearing up for her directorial debut. The rock musical, based on a 1960 comedy film, is about a nerdy flower shop worker and his human-eating Venus flytrap.
“This play is one of the biggest cult classics and it’s just been waiting for an Arts After Hours touch,” said Gambaccini. “I think this is the biggest Halloween show we have taken on.”
The show has a cast and crew that consists of a number of North Shore natives. Gambaccini said they are telling the cult classic story but through a slightly magnified lens, one that includes more dance numbers than any production has tried before. It is a big step into the mainstream world of production, she said.
The playwright was written by Howard Ashman, music by Alan Menken, and has entertained audiences for more than three decades. AAH’s star cast includes Revere’s Jason Hair-Wynn as Seymour as well as Amanda Raponi and Nick Raponi, of Saugus, as Audrey and Audrey II. Lynn natives Lauren Hall, the choreographer, and Jen Ryan Gelzleichter, the stage manager, are part of a long list of crew members.
Also in the cast representing the North Shore is Kent Walters of Revere and Paul Stickney and Ali Sarnacchiaro of Saugus.
“We don’t have a traditional auditorium style,” said Gambaccini. “It is a very up close, personal, intimate, and in-your-face experience. It will be a production no one has ever seen before, especially since we turned it into a huge dance show, which is not typical.”
AAH does three major stage productions a year and a youth workshop. As the final show of the season, Little Shop of Horrors is their biggest one yet, according to the director. She said there are regular AAH attendees that come from all over the world. Many of them have reached out to Gambaccini and stated their excitement for the “spooktacular” show.
The Lynn production company is ready to debut their funky and dangerous take on something already so popular within other genres.
“Audiences are in for a surprise with this one,” said Gambaccini. “We’ve got a lot of new tricks up our sleeves for this production.”
Opening night is Friday, Oct. 19 at 8 p.m. and will run for three weekends, ending with a 2 p.m. show and an 8 p.m. show on Saturday, Nov. 3. Tickets can be purchased at artsafterhours.com, by calling the box office at 781-205-4010, or by emailing [email protected].
