By Brooke Mantone, Sherman Hall, Lianna Levine, and Paola Santos

“Gee, it sure would be swell to get outta here/Bid the gutter farewell and get outta here/I’d move Heaven and Hell to get outta Skid/I’d do I don’t know what to get outta Skid Row,” eerily sings the male protagonist Seymour Krelborn of the musical, “Little Shop of Horrors,” in its opening number.

Through the musical direction of Terry LaBolt, Indiana University Summer theatre has put on Howard Ashman’s musical rendition of “Little Shop of Horrors.” The show runs from July 5 to 28 in the Wells-Meltz Theatre. Although the actors dazzle on stage, it is essential to know this production is no easy feat. Behind the scenes, dedication and creativity have made its success possible.

For instance, the renowned talking-plant, Audrey II, comes to life thanks to the puppeteer, Michael Bayler, a …
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Sitting in the soft, cushiony seats surrounding the “thrust stage”, the audience for Indiana University’s production of Little Shop of Horrors was in great spirits; they appropriately roared with laughter at Audrey’s crazed, nightmare-of-a-dentist boyfriend Orin Scrivello, and squirmed with fear at Audrey Two’s sinister, human-like persona in the form of a monstrous plant. The audience seemed pleased – but probably did not see the show on the same mechanics level as Wicked or The Phantom of the Opera. 

However, what the audience does not see is the intense and agonizing lengths that the actors behind these beloved roles go to behind the scenes, just for a smile. Upon speaking with some of the people behind the craft, a multitude of surprising behind-the-scenes secrets were revealed.

Michael Bayler, a third-year MFA student at IU, is the talent behind the wise-cracking plant …
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