Tomorrow is opening night for Sumner High School’s production of “Little Shop of Horrors,” the musical about a Skid Row botanist who makes a deal with a floral devil for fame, fortune and a chance at love.

The story is an adaptation of the original 1960 comedy movie, an homage to the era’s science fiction and monster movies. Seymour (played with pitch-perfect fumbling aplomb by Nick Rogers) is a mild-mannered employee at Mushnik’s Flower Shop, hopelessly infatuated with fellow employee Audrey. The shop is constantly at risk of going under, and Audrey is spoken for by a sadistic dentist.

Seymour’s luck turns around when he puts a  “strange and interesting plant,” which he calls an Audrey II, in the shop window, attracting sales, success and fame. The catch? Audrey II grows big and strong by drinking blood, and comes to life to demand more than a pound of flesh for the fortune he’s brought Seymour.

The show’s allusions to sex, drugs and violence have made it the first show put on by Sumner Drama recommending parental guidance. All original scenes from the play remain, but the strongest language has been changed.

“It’s a lot of fun and it’s not bad at all,” Senior Kenneth Valenta said. Valenta plays one of the Doo-wops, the narrative chorus of the show. “The stuff in there is really only alluded to.”

The all-original choreography of the show was arranged by a student, Junior Nicki Clifford, who plays Doo-wop Chiffon. She has had nine years of dance training, but had not sung with a group since middle school choir; “Little Shop” is her first turn in a high school musical.

“I knew (Director Rachel) Street previously through her advanced acting class,” Clifford said. “She knew about my dance experience, and she came to me and said ‘Would you mind choreographing something for an audition?’ without saying what show it would be.”

Working with the cast on dance moves went surprisingly smoothly, she said. In turn, they helped her get back into singing, which “scared the bejeezus” out of her, she said.

Of course the real star of “Little Shop of Horrors” is Audrey II, the carnivorous talking plant. What appears on stage is four different puppets—each one a different stage of the monster’s growth—rented from Olympia Playhouse. The creature is brought to life by the combined effort of Sophomore Lauren Ode and Senior Bryce Helle. Ode is the puppeteer, controlling Audrey II’s movements first by hand, then, as the plant grows to full size, with her entire body.

“It’s a pretty beastly contraption,” Ode said. “Inside there’s a swivel chair to sit on, and I control the lower jaw with my hands, and the upper jaw with my head.

She joked: “If you ever want to get in shape, that’s the way to do it.”

Helle played the voice of Audrey II in his first turn as a musical lead. During the show, he hides in a balcony with a microphone, carefully watching Ode’s movements to sync his voice to the puppet’s mouth movements.

“It was a little strange (performing from off stage) at first, but it was more fun,” Helle said. “There’s a lot more tension. The audience hears the voice and the look around and wonder ‘Where’s that coming from?’ They wonder where I am.”

It was challenging to practice the angry, gruff voice of the character, Helle said, but he worked hard to make it his own; he hadn’t seen a previous production of the show or the 1986 musical film until late in the rehearsal process.

On the musical side of the production, the pit has a sparse five-person orchestra: a drumset, an electric guitar, two keyboards and a piano. The guitarist doubles as Audrey II’s “voice” as a sapling plant. The instrumental director is Joe Carl; the vocal director is Karlene Miles.

The show opens at 7 p.m. Thursday in the Sumner Performing Arts Center, 1707 Main Street Sumner. It will play again at the same time Friday and Saturday, with one 2 p.m. matinee performance on Saturday.

Tickets are $8 for seniors and students, $12 for adults. Box office opens one hour before the show.