We caught up with assistant professor John Carden to talk about his vision for our department's production of "Little Shop of Horrors."
Learn more about Jon Carden here: https://tisch.nyu.edu/about/directory/drama/1352075229
Learn more about our production here: https://theatreandfilm.olemiss.edu/olemisstheatre.html
From The Department of Theater and Film at the University of Mississippi, this is Stage & Screen.
Katherine Stewart
Hello. Hello and welcome back toStage & Screen. I'm your host, Katherine Stewart, and my guest today is John Carden, assistant professor of musical theater and director of our upcoming production of little Shop of Horrors, which is the closing production of our spring 2023. That show is probably familiar to a lot of you listeners, and really it could not be more fun. John and I talk all about his vision for the show our departments take on it, and more so stick around. Well, uhm. John, hi, it's so nice to see you. And I'm. So excited to. Get to speak with you again this semester. I think you're the first person I've done two interviews in one semester.
John Carden
Well, I'm and you're the first person that I've done two interviews with here since I moved to Mississippi, so.
Katherine Stewart
Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful.
John Carden
Hear that together?
Katherine Stewart
Well, so just just First off for any listeners who might not be familiar with little shop of horrors which you are directing for us is our big finale show this semester. Can you as a director just kind of tell us what the show is about?
John Carden
So this is a story that's been told many times in many different ways. It's it's based on if, if, if our listeners out there know the story of Faust, it's it's about the hero making a deal with the devil and. And in this case, the devil happens to be a plant from outer space, and the hero happens to be a young man named Seymour Krelborn who works in a flower shop on Skid Row. And anyway he he starts doing things. Or the plant feeding the plant certain things and as he feeds his plant certain things, the plant starts to grow and Seymour's bank account starts to grow and everything starts to become prosperous. But then what he finds out is. That no matter how much he feeds the plant, it's never enough and the plant just wants more and more in exchange. So that's sort of a a story, I think a heroic story, a hero's tale we all know, and it's set, it's set in the year 1960 and it's it's all set. With wonderful music from that period, all of the really great do. Pop music from the late 50s, early 60s. And it's a really fun score by by Alan Menken, who our listeners might know the The Little Mermaid or Beauty and the Beast or the Hunchback of Notre Dame. He's the composer of all of these different musicals, and the book was written by Howard Ashman, who unfortunately is no longer. With us, but was really a wonderful, wonderful, a wonderful man and a really wonderful, wonderful artist. And as director, it's been really wonderful to to he, he, Howard, really kept meticulous notes which he was generous enough to put into the script, which gives all of us a place to jump off from. There's no questions about what his intent or what he what he wanted. He was very meticulous in that. So this is the world we're living in.
Katherine Stewart
Thank you. Thank you for. That so I'm curious about your experience, your personal experience with this show? When, when did you first encounter it? Have you ever performed in it? Have you directed it before that? Sort of thing.
John Carden
Yeah, I'm. I'm guilty of everything that you've just said, except for directing this. This is the first time I have directed it. I was. I was Seymour krelborn. Yeah, many years ago. I I I did the role and it was a really wonderful experience. For me, it was at the time when I was starting to crossover out of opera into musical theater, and it was one of the first roles I did. And so it has a a special place in my heart and I. Think it's, you know, with with our wonderful cast right now, I think it's taking a special place in their heart as well.
Katherine Stewart
So, so directing it now to the University of Mississippi. What is your, your vision or your concept for for this production?
John Carden
My vision, you know, I I think one thing that is always really important is to remember that people, the reason people theater, and I think one reason we go to theater is to not only be entertained, but to be moved. And I think it's even though little shop of hearts. It's a comedy and it's it's a really, really funny show, but it's also a show that has a big heart. And I think each of each person who sees this will see themselves in it. One thing that I think is really wonderful about. Our current cast is the students who are doing a wonderful job. We have a a large diverse cast and we've expanded the cast. And so all of our actors are coming to the piece in a real spirit of celebration. And so that's. That's the the thing that I would want to leave our listeners with.
Katherine Stewart
So So what will audiences enjoy about this show and? And also, what do you hope they'll take away from it?
John Carden
I hope that everyone, I I I know people are going to enjoy the music. The music is absolutely beautiful. It's fun.
Katherine Stewart
Such a show.
John Carden
Yeah, it's really fun. It's really, it's lighthearted and it's and I think. You know the tunes are are are really the type of tunes that you know, they're earworms, they really stay in your ear. I know that every night when we're we're leaving the theater, everybody's still singing the songs, you know, they they just stick with you and that. And that's one of the really lovely things about it. And then I think hopefully. You know people will leave with a real sense of joy, you know? It's it's it's an interesting tale. It's a cautionary tale, but it's also. A joyful tale. It has so much joy in it in the way that it's told. And it's really interesting when you take something like Faust, you know that that tail it could be very serious and dark, but this is told in a very light and fun way. But that but the aspects of the tale. It's still the same. Right.
Katherine Stewart
So, so you've mentioned Faust twice now is, is there a way that you're you're translating that as a director to your performers, maybe for some who are not familiar with that?
John Carden
You know, I I think this is the first time I've actually brought it up and it was just cause I was thinking today about, you know, the parallels of of what it is. With the performers, I think the one thing that that is really interesting in the discovery is for them is to really to really bring it home to themselves and to think and. And I always say to the actors, they say, really allow yourself to be in a in a place of discovery. That and you want to imagine that this character you're playing is in this real world, and that they've never said these words they've said before. More right, so it's it's the way of finding that and realizing that each night is an opportunity to tell this story in a new and interesting way. So a lot of times I know people, they really strive to keep things completely the same night after night, and I think I think there is a responsibility to do that on one level. But on the other hand, I think what keeps it alive and exciting is allowing the actors to really each night clean the slate and start again. And discover. And then we as an audience, no.
Katherine Stewart
Sorry, I was going to say that must be harder in this day and age when we have access to so many recordings and and video recordings and and to not reproduce what's been done before and not just sort of. Try to live up to a standard that has. Already been presented.
John Carden
Right, right. Well, I, I mean, the people who originated this show and and created it. I I I couldn't begin to fill their. Do is but what I I do endeavor to do is to allow these actors to really get up there and play and experience this for many of them, many of them were not born when this show first opened. So for them it's a whole new world and and you know. You can't really repeat other past experiences. I think it's important to come from your your own point of view. That's what what keeps something original.
Katherine Stewart
And has your has your experience having played, Seymour informed your directing in any particular ways?
John Carden
It's, you know, that the thing I would say is that. When you've when you've been in a show, it really kind of lives in you in a really deep, organic way and at the same time, what I have been really, I've made sure of is that I don't. I don't bring that to this production. Cause it wouldn't be fair to the actors. I want them to be. You know? I don't want them to be. Having to carry any of that, but what it but the good thing is is that. I think that's been helpful to me. Is that because I've been on stage? I know what it feels like to be up there, so I have that that type of I can have empathy for the for the characters and for the actors that are playing those roles. Now I'm on the other side of it, where I'm actually watching it and and I'm shaping it. So I think there is something really helpful to have been on a show and then to direct a show just because it lives. It's so deep in your solar plexus.
Katherine Stewart
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Great answer. So is there anything? Is there anything you'd like to add about the show? Anything you want our audience or listeners to know?
John Carden
I just. I just hope people will come and have a joyful evening. I can't wait for people to see what our actors are doing. We have just amazing talent in this show. It's just an incredible cast and they have worked so incredibly hard. One thing that we did. Was over the winter break. I asked them to all learn their parts and be off book, music and WordPerfect. And that was a new way for a lot of them to to work on a on a production, but the resounding feedback has been that that is one of the best things that they've ever been charged to do. And as they've come into these rehearsals, being off, book being word and no perfect. It's allowed them to really go a lot deeper because they're not having to to hold a book and think about this and think about that. They're really able to get in there and allow this this work to open up. So I just, I can't wait for people to come and share in this really, really. Extraordinary joyful event that we're getting ready to to open up.
Katherine Stewart
Well, I can't wait to see it. I have not seen it in a million years.
Speaker
Then one.
Katherine Stewart
Probably the last time I saw it was the. Film version.
John Carden
Yeah, and the film version is absolutely fantastic and it's different, you know, it has a different, actually. The film has a different ending than the origin.
Katherine Stewart
And I had forgotten that that's actually that's a that's a great thing to know actually for audiences who maybe have seen the film but. Not seen the actual state. Production, yeah.
John Carden
And so it's it's very interesting to see the different ways that the story has been told. And I think this is going to be a really exciting new way, so.
Katherine Stewart
Well, thank you so much, John. This has been fun to. Talk about again. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
John Carden
My pleasure. And I can't wait to to see everybody.
Katherine Stewart
Once again, that was John Carden, assistant professor of musical theatre and director of Little Shop of Horrors. The show runs April 18th through 21st in film Chapel each evening at 7:30 PM. The final performance on Friday, April 21st will include ASL interpreting and live captioning services, and it will be followed by a closing. Reception in Bryant Hall, which for those of you familiar with all Miss Campus, is just across the street from Fulton Chapel. For more information about John Carden and about the show, including where you can get tickets, please check the show notes until next time. This is stage and screen.