Students bring Broadway to valley

Musical comedy takes the stage this week, as both Aspen and Basalt students produce a pair of Broadway classics.

The Aspen High School Department will present “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” on Thursday through Saturday, March 8-10, at 7 p.m. Meanwhile, student thespians in Basalt will stage “Little Shop of Horrors” on Friday through Sunday, March 9-11, and again March 16-18.

For several years, stage director/choreographer John Goss, with a crew of dedicated parents, has been helping the student thespians at Basalt High School put on ambitious musical productions.

This year’s “Little Shop of Horrors,” is the irresistible, doo-wop-soaked tale that has made its way from B moviedom to Broadway stage and back to the big screen in a polished 1986 film starring Rick Moranis. Set on Skid Row, “Little Shop” tells of a fragile girl, a man-eating plant with visions of world domination, and Seymour, a nebbish struggling with how far he’ll go to rise up the social ladder.

For his production, Goss has gone so far as to rent his menacing plant, Audrey II, from a professional company in Utah. “Little Shop” ” featuring such songs as “Suddenly Seymour,” “Dentist” and “Feed Me (Git It!).”

Curtain time in the Basalt Middle School auditorium is 7 p.m. for the Friday and Saturday shows, and 2 p.m. for the Sunday matinees. Tickets are $12 for adults and $6 students; senior citizens will be admitted free.

The well-known farce, with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, has been produced on both Broadway and as a motion picture. Set in Rome, the play telling the bawdy story of a slave and his attempts to win his freedom by helping his master woo the girl next door (rated PG for adult humor).

Tickets to the Aspen High production are $10 for adults and $8 for seniors, and are available in advance at the Aspen District Theater Box Office by calling 925-3760 (ext. 3230) or by visiting http://www.aspenk12.net/theatre. Tickets will also be available at the door.