Saturday, September 5, 2026

Altadena Music Theatre Plays “Little Shop of Horrors” Sunday Night, Rain Policy in Hand

Altadena Music Theatre performs “Little Shop of Horrors” at 8 p.m. Sunday on the temporary outdoor stage the company built at Mountain View Mausoleum, 2300 N. Marengo Ave. in Altadena.

The performance is the fourth of eight in a run that closes Sept. 13, and it falls on a day forecasters expect a chance of showers. The stage has no roof, and the company has published a policy setting out what a ticket is worth if weather delays or stops a performance.

Performances run Thursdays through Sundays at 8 p.m., on Sept. 3 through 6 and Sept. 10 through 13. Four remain after Sunday.

The National Weather Service zone forecast covering inland Los Angeles County calls for mostly cloudy skies Sunday with a 40 percent chance of showers. The weather service’s Los Angeles and Oxnard office has flagged tropical system Marie in its Labor Day weekend messaging for the region.

The company says the start time may be delayed or a performance interrupted because of inclement weather or other reasons, and that theatre management decides the length of any delay or interruption case by case. If a performance is canceled before one hour of playing time has elapsed, including scheduled intermissions, the ticket serves as a rain check. If the performance is given after a delayed start, or resumes after an interruption, rain checks are not valid and may not be exchanged or refunded.

A rain check may be redeemed for a ticket of the same value at any remaining performance of the same production, for a full refund, or donated back to the company, and must be redeemed by Sept. 13 by email. The company says notice of a delay or cancellation is posted on its social media and at the theatre gates, and emailed to patrons who bought a ticket for that performance directly from the company.

Single tickets start at $40 and are sold through OvationTix, linked from the company’s website. Season passes covering both productions of the season are offered at a 25 percent discount.

The company says the Eaton Fire displaced Altadena Music Theatre from the Charles Farnsworth Amphitheater, and that for 2026 it returned with a temporary outdoor venue at Mountain View Mausoleum featuring custom-built staging and seating. Board members, performers, designers, technicians, volunteers and supporters built the theater. It stands a little more than a mile from where the amphitheater stood, on grounds across Marengo Avenue from Mountain View Cemetery, an Altadena burial ground established in 1882. The amphitheater had been the company’s home since 2022.

“What has emerged is more than a performance venue,” Azcarate said of the volunteer-built theater.

The musical, with book and lyrics by Howard Ashman and music by Alan Menken, follows Seymour, a florist’s assistant whose life changes after he acquires a plant that craves blood. The score includes “Suddenly Seymour” and “Somewhere That’s Green.” Sarah Azcarate, the company’s founder and producing artistic director, directs, with Chris Wade as music director and Noel Bajandas as choreographer.

Ruby Lewis, who played Sandy in the company’s “Grease” in August, plays Audrey. James Byous plays Seymour, and Lord Kraven plays Audrey II, a 10-foot-tall puppet he voices and accompanies. Robert Manion plays the dentist Orin Scrivello, and Auriaa, Avela Fongoqa, Mueen Jahan and Luz Rodriguez are also featured.

“Audrey has horrible taste in men,” Lewis said of her character. The production looks beyond the comedy to poverty, addiction, abuse, trauma, ambition and loneliness. The company says the show contains strobe lighting effects, theatrical haze, simulated gunfire and depictions of violence.

Andrew Hull designed the set, Michael Mullen the costumes, Rachel Gold the props and Toby Tittle the sound, according to the company’s team listing. Ernest McDaniel is technical director and Bosco Flannigan is lighting designer. Olivia Riddle is production stage manager and Elisa-Belle Tremblay is assistant stage manager. Bouket Fingerhut, who is also production manager, and Brian Justin Crum are associate producers.

Street parking is available around the grounds and through the neighborhood, and parking on Marengo Avenue is permitted for the length of a performance. Patrons may pack a picnic or dinner to eat in the park or at their seat. The company says it tries to partner with local restaurants to serve and sell food before the show but does not always have a vendor available. Its license does not allow attendees to bring their own alcohol, though beer and wine are sold on site to patrons 21 and older, along with snacks, candy and non-alcoholic drinks at a concessions table. Only service animals are permitted inside the theatre itself, and the company asks that everyone in a party, regardless of age, be able to sit quietly through a performance.

Azcarate founded the company in 2020 after moving to Altadena, and the 501(c)(3) nonprofit has since staged “Hair” in 2022, “Cabaret” in 2023, “Guys and Dolls” in 2024 and, last month, a sold-out “Grease” that ran Aug. 6 through 16. It also runs a kids summer camp and an after-school program, and serves local families through youth musical theatre programming, arts education for children and teens, and community productions for adults.

The company says its 2026 summer season is sponsored by Warner Bros. Discovery, and that the production is presented by special arrangement with Music Theatre International. After Sunday, the season has four performances left, Sept. 10 through 13.