'Little Shop of Horrors,' 'High School Musical' take the stage at Aurora, Harbor

Aurora Arts Theatre and Harbor Playhouse will put on musical productions for the community starting Friday and continuing through August.

The theaters will present "Little Shop of Horrors" and "High School Musical," respectively.

Director Peter M. Lopez said the decision to show "Little Shop of Horrors" was due to end of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The show is about the loss of innocence, the loss of life and the loss of love," Lopez said. "We lost so many loved ones the past few years and at the same time found ourselves. I think it's appropriate for the current times."

The musical, loosely based off the 1960 film, premiered in 1982 and tells the story about a hapless florist shop worker who raises a plant that feeds on human blood and flesh.

The two leads, Christopher Salinas and Sarah Beth Rodriguez, play the roles of Seymour and Audrey, respectively.

Rodriguez said she's enjoyed bringing her own twist and perspective to her character with the production. She said she is able to relate to Audrey.

"She's very insecure," Rodriguez said. "She can be shy but she can be strong, and I don't think she knows that."

Salinas said he's excited for people to come watch the show and be amazed by fresh faces and puppetry.

"Our team has been working on the plants for weeks," Salinas said. "It is a dark comedy, but it's so much fun."

Jordan Bruster has directed 13 shows before, but will direct his first show at Harbor Playhouse with "High School Musical."

The musical debuted in 2007 and quickly became a popular choice for high school musical theater productions. The play is based on the 2006 Disney Channel Original Movie "High School Musical" and is about a basketball team captain and an academically-gifted transfer student trying out for the lead parts in their school musical, causing division among the school's cliques.

Bruster said, as a director, he enjoys the collaborative process he has with his cast.

"They come to me to talk about choices like where to walk on or off," Bruster said. "They collaborate with me on that, which very much fits with the show. It's about teamwork and breaking through cliques and the mold and coming together as a team and finding what each person brings to the table."

Rachael Salinas plays the role of Gabriella Montez, originally played by Vanessa Hudgens in the Disney film. She said as a child, she loved the movie and knew she had to audition when casting was called for at Harbor Playhouse.

"I wasn't expecting to get the part, but I'm so happy I did," Salinas said. "I'm excited to show people what we've all been working hard on."

Playing the role of Troy Bolton, originally played by Zac Efron, is Ricky Martinez. He said while he might not be visually-relatable to Troy, there are other parts of his character he relates to.

"I'm not athletic, but there's some moments we share that anyone can relate to," Martinez said. "Like first loves and wanting to do stuff you're afraid to do because you were raised in an opposing view. It speaks for multiple things − not just basketball and singing. It speaks for being true to yourself."

If you go

WHAT: "Little Shop of Horrors"

WHEN: Friday through Sunday, Aug. 27; Friday and Saturday evenings with Sunday matinees

WHERE: Aurora Arts Theatre, 5635 Everhart Road

COST: $20, auroraartstheatre.com

WHAT: "High School Musical"

WHEN: Friday through Sunday, Aug. 27; Friday and Saturday evenings with Sunday matinees

WHERE: Harbor Playhouse, 1802 N. Chaparral St.

COST: $10-$20, harborplayhouse.com

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John Oliva covers entertainment and community news in South Texas. Contact him at john.oliva@caller.com or Twitter @johnpoliva. 

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This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Community theater: 'Little Shop of Horrors,' 'High School Musical'