Central Oregon is home to a plethora of theater companies, spanning from educational theater to community theater. The Greenhouse Cabaret is a relatively new theater company in Bend, opening its first production in October 2022.
The Greenhouse Cabaret has just opened its third main stage production with Little Shop of Horrors, directed by John Kish, founder of The Greenhouse Cabaret and plant shop Somewhere That’s Green.
Little Shop of Horrors has become considered a cult classic and a popular show for high schooler’s.
“It’s become a cookie cutter show where everyone does the same thing and everything looks the same. If I’m gonna do it, I want to make it different and put my own twist on it,” Kish said.
Kish’s rendition of Little Shop of Horrors leans into the realism, grit and poverty of Skid Row, as well as the mental health of the characters.
Little Shop of Horrors is a musical that follows the story of a young man named Seymour, who works in a plant shop on Skid Row in New York City. Seymour fosters a strange and unusual plant that becomes the shop’s main attraction that brings them money and prevents them from going out of business.
The Greenhouse Cabaret’s production consists of a small cast of eight individuals, accompanied by a single pianist for every song. The small theater holds around 65 people, creating a more intimate atmosphere for the audience.
The Greenhouse Cabaret Theater shares a building with the plant shop Somewhere That’s Green on Greenwood Avenue, bringing to life a long-term dream of Kish.
“I wanted to use my plant degree, and I wanted to use my theater degree so I knew I had to do something with theater and plants,” said Kish,
Little Shop of Horrors has been a relevant part of Kish’s life throughout the process of building his businesses. His original idea for his business was to make a coffee and plant shop, as a nod to the plant in Little Shop of Horrors, which is found in a coffee tin. The name of the shop shares a title with a song in Little Shop of Horrors.
“Song titles don’t really have legalities around them, and so it was totally fair game. We got it and we actually copyrighted it as a business name,” said Kish. So far, Kish has decided to just stick with the plant shop and theater.
The opening of The Greenhouse Cabaret’s Little Shop of Horrors marks one year since the theater opened its first show and the fifth anniversary of Somewhere That’s Green opening for business.
“It feels like a homecoming almost where we have this show that means so much to the beginning of my ideas, and also the beginning of my musical career. It just feels like it’s all meant to be,” said Kish
Little Shop of Horrors at The Greenhouse Cabaret runs until November 18th, and tickets can be purchased online at thegreenhousecabaret.com or by calling The Greenhouse Cabaret.
