A mutant talking plant isn’t what many theatergoers would expect to see in a stage musical, but that’s exactly what the students of Talawanda High School’s (THS) Drama Club are providing in their latest production.

“Little Shop of Horrors” opens Friday, March 14 at the THS Performing Arts Center. Shows will run 7 p.m. Friday, March 14, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday, March 15 and 2 p.m. Sunday, March 16.

 It tells the story of Seymour, a florist who discovers a deadly sentient plant that threatens to take over the world. Seymour initially embraces the celebrity status that comes from this, but he soon becomes weary as it begins consuming people around him, even targeting his love interest Audrey.

It’s a weird, wacky and wonderfully oddball show, one that Melanie Mortimore, THS’s theater program director, says the club’s students are passionate about bringing to life.

While “Little Shop” wasn’t the first choice for a spring production, students quickly rallied behind it.

“We were all scheduled to do ‘Clue’ this spring, and then my seniors wanted to do a musical,” Mortimore said. “And we sort of settled on ‘Little Shop’ as being a show that we could probably pull off.”

Senior Bryce Wortman, who plays Seymour, came into production as a huge fan of the show. His prior knowledge of the character helped him bring his own interpretation to life.

“I try to make myself cringe when I think about how awkward Seymour is,” Wortman said. “He’s supposed to be this shy little guy … He tries to impress a lot of people, but it just comes off as, ‘Yeah I’m this cool guy,’ but I’m not.”

Standing next to Wortman on stage is senior Ysabella Anders, co-lead and close friend, who plays Audrey. Anders also found methods to conceptualize her character in ways that inform her performance.

“Audrey, she’s kind of this very sweet and loving character, but she’s very self-conscious and she doesn’t feel very good about herself,” Anders said. “So I’ve been listening to 50s music type of vibes, and more, I guess, sadder songs, because she’s a bubbly personality, but underneath it all she’s struggling a lot.”

Anders and Wortman have been friends since middle school, which helps them act off each other naturally. This also cuts through some potential awkward tension caused by playing love interests.

“I know sometimes people, if they have a love interest on a production, it might seem a little awkward as friends, but we’ve never struggled with it,” Wortman says. “It’s really fun to get to be her friend off-stage and then play Seymour with her on-stage.”

The plant, Audrey II, takes two students to operate – one to say lines and one to puppeteer.

Junior Amari Sanford, who does the latter for Audrey II, is used to acting on-stage, and has found her new role to be a challenging transition.

“I’ve never been in tech, I’ve never puppeteered in my life,” Sanford said. “I’m inside a cabinet, I can’t see anything … I have to be quiet, and I have to just get it done. But I’m also so excited to make that come to life, because everyone says I’m doing a pretty good job making it look realistic. And I’m hoping that’s true.”

Audrey II’s model, along with several other props featured in the show, were rented from the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. As a club and not a formal department within THS, the group does not receive funding from the district. It relies on outside donations, grants, sponsors and ticket sales to pay for everything.

Mortimore, who worked as a costume designer before coming to Talawanda, understands the value of programs like this.

“Theater is always that group that seems to have a home for kids that don’t feel like they have a home anywhere else,” Mortimore said. “I’m glad that it has all worked out so that we got the sponsorship that we needed to come up with the funding so we’re not totally reliant on ticket sales, because all theaters are hurting, struggling for people to actually come in.”

Mortimore has some worries about everything coming together, as the show’s premiere is right around the corner. But she also feels a lot of excitement and enthusiasm.

“My biggest concern is, I want them to feel comfortable Friday night,” Mortimore said. “Every day, it feels like there’s something else that we’re having to overcome. And so the fact that we’ve already overcome as much as we have is great.”

Audiences should “expect the unexpected” from “Little Shop of Horrors,” says Wortman.

“It’s not something you think about when you think about musicals, it’s out-there, it’s crazy,” Wortman said. “But I think they should expect to have a great time, and expect to be weirded out and disgusted and amazed all at the same time.”

Tickets can be purchased online or at the door for $10, or $8 for students and seniors.