Landmark is thrilled to be a part of Long Beach Gives 2020. Early Donations begin on September 17 and the big day is September 24.
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Upcoming – A “Summer Celebration” & Assassins!
Next at Long Beach Landmark Theatre Company will be a summertime special event on June 27 – Landmark’s “Summer Celebration”. Details about this event will be forthcoming, but save the date!
Landmark’s next major production will be Stephen Sondheim’s Assassins – opening October 23 and running into November. A multiple Tony Award-winning theatrical tour-de-force, Assassins combines Sondheim’s signature blend of intelligently stunning lyrics and beautiful music with a panoramic story of our nation’s culture of celebrity and the violent means some will use to obtain it, embodied by America’s four successful and five would-be presidential assassins. Bold, original, disturbing and alarmingly funny, Assassins is perhaps the most controversial musical ever written.
REVIEW: “Little Shop of Horrors” — Long Beach Landmark Theatre Company
“A perfect date night for horticulturists, horror-cultists, sci-fi fans and anyone with a taste for the outrageous.”
“The show, presented by the Long Beach Landmark Theatre Company, has been extended due to wild popularity through November 24th, and is the hot ticket centerpiece of this fall season’s offerings, helmed and choreographed by Landmark’s Artistic Director Megan O’Toole, with near-perfect craftsmanship.“
Theatre review: Little Shop of Horrors at the Long Beach Landmark Theatre
An excellent review for Little Shop of Horrors!
“it’s quite difficult to point out any weak spot of this production”
“bound to impress audiences through and through.”
“kudos must be paid to the team behind the Long Beach Landmark Theatre: they consistently present strong material worthy of a much larger space. That said, the intimate setting paired with the world class performances is a marvel that should not be changed.”
Run Extended with a Twilight Matinee!
The opening weekend of Little Shop of Horrors was a smashing success! We broke our attendance goals and audiences were gushing with praise. With that, we are proud to announce the EXTENSION of the show for an additional weekend Nov 22-24.
We are also excited to announce that the final Sunday performance will be at an earlier time – 5:00pm. The Courtyard Cafe will be open for a sunset snack and beverage before the show begins just after sundown.
In the News: Theatre Troupe Brings Horrors To First Congregational Church
A featured article in the Grunion Gazette
Theatre Troupe Brings Horrors To First Congregational Church
A “Little Shop Of Horrors” will be found this month in the sanctuary of Long Beach’s landmark First Congregational Church.
A musical, and one dealing with demonic doings, might seem incongruous to an historic church. But the Landmark Theatre Company has successfully produced plays for the last three years at First Congregational, and artistic director Megan O’Toole has found some justification for this play to be in church.
In the News: How does human-eating (and showtune-singing) plant Audrey II come to life in Long Beach? It takes two talents…
A featured article in the Long Beach Press Telegram:
How does human-eating (and showtune-singing) plant Audrey II come to life in Long Beach? It takes two talents…
Beginning this Friday, Nov. 8, Long Beach Landmark Theatre Company opens its own production of the cult classic at the First Congregational Church Long Beach.
“Feed me!”
These are the first words uttered from the bulking, ravenous plant that feeds on the flesh and blood of humans in Roger Corman’s ultimate B-movie, the 1960 dark comedy “Little Shop of Horrors.” Alan Menken and Howard Ashman turned the movie into an uproarious musical that became a hit movie and one of the most-produced shows of recent years.
Beginning this Friday, Nov. 8, Long Beach Landmark Theatre Company opens its own production of the cult classic at the First Congregational Church Long Beach…
The History of “Little Shop of Horrors”
Before it ever reached the stage, the characters and ideas of Little Shop were front and center in popular science-fiction and horror storytelling. In 1956, sci-fi author Arthur C. Clarke took inspiration from the horror stories of H.G. Wells to write “The Reluctant Orchid,” about a man who tries to use a deadly plant to murder his aunt without a trace. Then in 1960, Screenwriter Charles B. Griffith took inspiration from “The Reluctant Orchid” story to write The Little Shop of Horrors– a cult classic horror movie about a humble florist who uses a man-eating plant to get rid of his enemies and raise his status.
Roger Corman’s 1960 The Little Shop of Horrors
The movie had no singing or dancing, but a young writer named Howard Ashman became enamored with the film’s characters and irreverent tone. Years later, Ashman worked with the composer Alan Menken to bring the fun of the campy classic to the musical stage. The pair wanted to capture the retro feeling of their cinematic inspiration, and opted for a musical style inspired by doo-wop and early rock and roll. By marrying raucous musical fun to a grimly fascinating thematic tradition of greed and misused power, Ashman and Menken produced the enduring musical we know today.
The original Off-Broadway production of Little Shop of Horrors
After the show premiered in May of 1982, people took notice quickly. After just 24 performances in the humble, 98-seat WPA Theatre, the show moved to the much bigger Orpheum Theatre, where eager audiences enjoyed a run of over 2,000 performances. The show toured all over the nation and beyond, bringing man-eating plant-based mayhem to London’s West End and Sydney’s Theatre Royal within three years of its New York premiere. Since then, the phenomenon that is Little Shop has seen a film adaptation and a Broadway run, and has arguably become the most popular horror comedy rock musical of all time- though in a category that unique, it doesn’t have much competition.
The 1986 Feature Film of Little Shop of Horrors
Auditions announced for “Little Shop of Horrors”
Long Beach Landmark Theatre Company is proud to announce an upcoming Open Call for “Little Shop of Horrors”. Details can be found at https://lblandmark.org/auditions/
Community and Civic Leaders Take the Stage… to Spell!
Long Beach Landmark Theatre Company is proud to announce that multiple community and civic leaders will be taking the stage as competitive spellers in the upcoming 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, opening May 10.
The production is a hilariously irreverent affair as a quirky group of pre-teen spellers (portrayed by adult actors) vie for the spelling championship of a lifetime. As each contestant steps to the microphone, they open their hearts – in sometimes hilarious and often touching stories of life as a 12-year-old.
It’s an unpredictable evening, as some members of the audience just might find themselves a part of the craziness on the spelling bee stage. And Landmark is proud to announce that our line-up of guest spellers includes such notable Long Beach community and civic leaders as: community activist Justin Rudd, 3rd District Councilwoman Suzie Price, and Director of Economic Development John Keisler. Each performance will feature at least one different surprise guest – it’s an evening not to be missed.