Little shop of treats
Halloween’s not over ’til School of the Arts says it’s over!
School of the Arts’ production of Little
Shop of Horrors, a musical sci-fi spoof, chronicles the perils of bonding with
sweet talking houseplants from outer space. But don’t judge Seymour, an amateur
botanist, too harshly. Even if you’re not a geeky orphan living in a
broken-down florist shop on Skid Row, it’s hard to resist fame, fortune, and
the chance to get the girl. Of course, you must pay the piper, or in this case,
feed the plant. | “I liked how they actually changed Audrey II’s — the
plant’s — size,” says 12-year-old Mike, “and the dentist is hysterical!” His
9-year-old sister, Julia, notes, “I like the girls’ costumes, and they have
really good voices.” | Both kids loved the songs, ranging from boppin’ 50’s pop
to funky, old school r&b. At our house, “Feed me Seymour!” has replaced,
“Give me some of your tots, Napoleon.” | Julia doesn’t recommend this show for
kids under 7. “They feed Audrey II some plastic body parts, and there’s a
couple swear words.” Nothing she hasn’t heard me say occasionally. Also, the
abusive dentist is addicted to nitrous oxide, but his fate reinforces the
message that drugs are for losers. | Funny and oddly touching, Little Shop of Horrors continues
November 3 to 5 at 7 p.m. at SOTA, 45 Prince Street. You won’t pay a pound of
flesh to see it. Tickets, available at Wegmans’ video departments, are $9, $7
for children, students, and seniors. Call 324-3535 for info.
— Linda Kostin (www.junkstorecowgirl.com)
Rochester children read books
I distinctly remember the moment that I fell in love with
the Rochester Children’s Book Festival (www.rochesterchildrensbookfestival.org).
Standing in the back of a crowded room, I watched as Vivian Vande Velde read
her picture book, Troll Teacher. The
Festival provides the rare opportunity to enjoy that delightful synchronicity
of an author who can read aloud, a book worth reading aloud, and an enthralled
audience.
The 9th Annual Rochester Children’s Book Festival falls on
Saturday, November 5, in the R. Thomas Flynn Campus Center at Monroe Community
College (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.). The event is geared to the entire family, but it
definitely emphasizes the children of its title.
The pre-reader in your family can enjoy continuous picture
book readings by the likes of Robin Pulver (Axle
Annie and the Speed Grump, Author Day
for Room 3T), Cat Bowman Smith (Auction!),
Will Hubbell (Snow Day Dance), Daniel
Mahoney (A Really Good Snowman), Stu
Smith (My School’s a Zoo!), and
Michelle Knudsen (Carl the Complainer).
Members of the Blackstorytelling League of Rochester will tell African
folktales, legends, and more.
When the listeners get the fidgets, there are crafts,
puppets, and other artsy pursuits available. Or head to Presentation Place,
which will feature digital photography, sculpted chicken models, tall tales, a
poetry slam, horse bartering, and life in a lighthouse, presumably not all at
the same time. From 1 to 3:15 p.m., the young adult readers in your clan can
consult with Vivian Vande Velde (Now You
See It…, Witch Dreams), Chris
Crutcher (The Sledding Hill, Whale Talk), Mary Beth Miller (Aimee), Laurie Halse Anderson (Prom, Speak), and Linda Sue Park (Project
Mulberry, A Single Shard).
— Craig Brownlie
This article appears in Nov 2-8, 2005.
