A man-eating plant is about to take root in Southwest Orlando. Theatre South Playhouse will present a professional production of Little Shop of Horrors running from September 18 through October 4, 2026, with 12 performances spread across three weekends in the company's 99-seat black box space.
The musical, written by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken, will be staged inside the Antoinette David Theater at The Marketplace at Dr. Phillips, 7601 Della Drive in Orlando, according to WFTV. The intimate venue sits inside a commercial marketplace in the Dr. Phillips area, and it functions as the only standalone theater in that part of Southwest Orlando, per West Orange Times & Observer. The stage itself is named after founding board member Antoinette David, and the company has occupied this Dr. Phillips location since 2016, after founder Hillary Brook launched Theatre South Orlando back in 2009 out of a small office at the Rosen JCC.
A Familiar Face Behind the Director's Chair
Nick Bublitz is directing this run of Little Shop of Horrors, bringing credentials from his day job as Associate Artistic Director at Orlando Shakes. Bublitz has directed multiple previous shows at the Playhouse, including Puffs, Stranger Sings, Firebringer, and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, according to the same WFTV report. Seth Durbin serves as musical director for the production, while Dayja Le'Chelle is choreographing the show.
The cast blends Playhouse regulars with newcomers making their venue debuts. Dallas Maginn plays Seymour, Daisy McCarthy plays Audrey, Mark Ferrera plays Mushnik, Scottie McLaughlin voices Audrey II, and Alex Gerard plays Orin. Rounding out the urchin trio are Sam Vidal as Chiffon, Taylor Rawlinson as Ronnette, and Assata Davis as Crystal. Several returning performers bring history with the company: Ferrera previously appeared in The Sound of Music and Annie, McLaughlin also appeared in Annie, and Pat Clark, who joins this cast as an ensemble member and swing, previously performed in Ride the Cyclone and Matilda at the Playhouse.
Malcolm Gibson and Saadya Amel Byrd also join as ensemble members and swings, with Gibson previously appearing in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Several other actors are making their Theatre South Playhouse debuts with this production, blending fresh faces into an ensemble built largely from company veterans.
Showtimes, Prices and a Special Industry Night
Performances run Fridays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m., giving the show both evening and matinee slots across its three-weekend run. General audience tickets start at $40, with seniors receiving a $5 discount. Arts and theme park workers can get 20 percent off with proof of employment, a nod to the Dr. Phillips area's proximity to Central Florida's tourism industry.
The production also includes a special industry night scheduled for Friday, September 25, 2026, giving fellow theater and entertainment workers a chance to see the show together. The Playhouse has previously mounted sold-out runs of Matilda in both 2019 and 2023, per Broadway World, suggesting the venue's track record with popular musical revivals extends well beyond this fall's booking.
Where Little Shop Fits in a Packed 2026 Season
Little Shop of Horrors slots into Theatre South Playhouse's 2026 mainstage calendar between an extended run of Ride the Cyclone that stretched from April through August and a revival of Roald Dahl's Matilda: The Musical set for November. The show's origins trace back to Roger Corman's low-budget 1960 B-movie, which featured a young Jack Nicholson; Ashman and Menken's musical adaptation premiered off-off-Broadway at Manhattan's WPA Theatre in May 1982 before transferring to the Orpheum Theatre that July, where it ran for five years and 2,209 performances, according to Newsweek.
Theatre South Playhouse is far from the only regional company betting on the killer plant musical this year. Marietta Theatre Company opened its 2026 season with the show in Georgia back in January, and Chicago's Porchlight Music Theatre is staging its own revival this fall, reflecting a broader trend of mid-sized regional theaters programming the Ashman and Menken classic throughout the year.
A Nonprofit Balancing Art and Overhead
Running a 99-seat black box theater is not cheap. Theatre South Playhouse reported facility rent exceeding $10,000 per month with annual 5 percent increases as of 2024, while live professional productions can cost upwards of $20,000 each to mount, the West Orange Times & Observer reported. The nonprofit leans on public grants, individual donations, and ticket sales to keep the lights on.
Beyond its mainstage productions, the Playhouse runs an academic conservatory and community center that drew more than 5,000 patrons and awarded $14,500 in youth scholarships in 2023, along with 32 student internships that same year. The organization also opens its doors to teen volunteers: ushers and concessions workers aged 16 and older can earn community service hours approved by Orange County Public Schools toward Florida's Bright Futures Scholarships, provided they arrive 45 minutes before showtime.
