By DHARMENDER SINGH

ALICE SMITH school's recent musical recital kicked off with the sound of classical horror music, while the rising curtains unveil the Little Shop of Horrors, taking the guests into a world of comedy and horror.The story is about Mushnik's Flower Shop in downtown Skid Row, where business is lousy for Mushnik and his two misfit employees, Seymour and Audrey.

When Mushnik threatens to close down the shop down, Audrey manages to persuade Seymour to show him the strange and interesting new plant he has been nurturing in secret as a last attempt to bring in business.

The business soon blossoms when the plant is placed at the window but that is also when trouble began as the plant feeds on blood.

With the simple backdrops and costumes, the student cast was excellent, especially Niall Walsh as Seymour, Aiman Hussein as Mushnik, and Richard Durant as Audrey's psychotic and abusive dentist, and not forgetting Kennie Dowle's as the growling and evil voice of Audrey Two.

It was difficult to imagine how the students put together the play even if it was under the careful planning and guidance of producer and director Alan Crombie and musical director Francesca Buttle.

Buttle said it took about 100 students and two years of planning to put the performance together as the school had to first get the approval of a US-based company, which holds the rights to the musical.

"The students are in charge of everything, as seen tonight, from the lighting effects, stage handling and acting. They did not miss a single lesson,'' she said, adding that the students had to sacrifice a lot of their free time during preparation.

She said the students had slogged for months to make the event perfect and it felt good to play to full house on all three days.

Crombie said he was touched by the students' dedication, the fact they were not professionals did not stop them from giving a superb performance.

"They might be young but they were committed to making sure that they did not come up with a mediocre performance and wanted it done as professionally as possible,'' he said.

Crombie said the students took criticisms well as they knew that it was the only way they could improve and put up an excellent performance.

He said he really enjoyed the experience, especially because the students involved were as young as 11 years old.