'Little Shop' to Open at QCC

The leaves may be falling, but a very special Venus fly trap is about to blossom out in northeast Queens.

This weekend, will unveil its fall production of "Little Shop of Horrors," an ambitious undertaking that involves the coordinated efforts of students and staff members from multiple departments.

"This time out, the theater department has worked closely with faculty from the music department and pulled in students from multiple disciplines. So, it's great to see students from such diverse backgrounds integrating and working together," said Liisa Yonker, the play's director.

Yonker, who also teaches in the Speech Communication and Theatre Arts Department at Queensborough, said choosing "Little Shop" for this production was an easy decision. 

"The material is just so accessible, the music is incredible and everyone has had a really great time working on this production," she said. 

Highlights of Queensborough's production will include a live house band that plays alongside some very talented and hardworking students, Yonker said

"I think that's probably the most remarkable thing about our production - we have such a diverse cast and crew. Just like Queens, we have people from all walks of life up on stage," she said.

Indeed, with the main stage at the Humanities Theater on campus at Queensborough set to feature a larger-than-life plant that's part butterwort, part flytrap and part maneater, Yonker stressed this production of 'Little Shop' will be a fun, family-friendly evening.

"It's really just a classic piece and I think audiences will appreciate what we've done with it," she said.

Yonker believes fans of the original film by Roger Corman will also notice some similarities between QCC's production and the cult filmmaker and producer's original vision.

"We really tried adhering closely to [Roger] Corman's original work with this play. It's dark, but not gory," Yonker said.

Looking forward to opening night, Yonker said she's can't wait until the curtain draws and the cast gets to feast upon the audience for the first time.

"They've all worked real hard and we've all had a lot of fun doing this," she said.

Queensborough Performing Arts Center is located on campus at 222-05 56 Ave. in Bayside. For ticket information, call (718) 631-6311.