The Summer Academy at Marysville Charter Academy for the Arts brings the ravenous Audrey II to town with its production of the cult classic musical “Little Shop of Horrors.”

“‘Little Shop of Horrors’ is basically a spoof on early 1960s horror films,” said director Keith Buck, who also teaches introductory drama at MCAA . “It is a musical and it’s a comedy, but then it has a dark side because — well, it’s about a plant from outer space that’s eating people. But there’s a love story mixed in with that, and it also has a blob-type of science-fiction thing.”

The darkly funny musical is based on the 1960s sci-fi movie of the same name. The hero, Seymour (Derek Olsen), is toiling his life away in a failing Skid Row flower shop alongside his grouchy boss, Mr. Mushnik (Ben Olsen and B.J. Rivera), and the lovely but clueless Audrey (Autumn Buck and Mariah Kuhn).

Seymour gets a chance to transform his life and win Audrey’s heart when the curious plant he has been nurturing — Audrey II, voiced by Stephenie Rodwell — flourishes under his care, bringing him worldwide fame. Seymour’s good intentions go awry, however, trapping him in a frenzy of greed and deception that spirals out of control.

“There is a definite edge to this musical,” Buck said. “I think people respond to this show because it’s funny, it dares to be dark and it has a wonderful, rock music-inspired score. There’s even a trio of backup singers (Ronnette, Gabrielle Hayes and Anastasia Mathews; Crystal, Sarah Kuhn; and Chiffon, Jaslyn Paige) who doo-wop their way through the show like a Motown Greek chorus.

“Most people know ‘Little Shop’ as a movie,” Buck added. “The play is a little bit different than the movie. But it has several songs from the movie that people know, including ‘Suddenly, Seymour’ and the ‘Dentist!’ song.”

The fantastically cruel dentist, Orin Scrivello, is played by Cameron Day.

A central figure in the “Little Shop,” the plant, Audrey II, is portrayed by four puppets created by Jim Day. “I have too many parents who have worked on this to mention all of them,” Buck said, “but the puppets that are a big part of this production were made by Mr. Day.

“He’s the father of the boy who plays the dentist, and he is just an amazing man,” Buck said. “There were four puppets that we had to have — our largest puppet is 13 feet tall by about 4 feet wide — and it’s just amazing what he was able to do. He dedicated so many hours to this show.

“When you come out to see it, part of the miracle is: The show would not have happened if not for Jim Day,” Buck added.

The cast includes Shelby Broderick, Billy Cochran, Robert Denny, Rae Diamond, Nicollette Frias, Ashley Helton, Allena Jeremiah and Cora Rickert. Buck said some characters are double cast, so you will see different people in some of the roles depending on which performance you attend.

“This is the first time the academy has had a summer program, and it’s all volunteer — that’s what made it possible,” Buck said. “But this is the first time we’ve done a production over the summer to have something ready to perform so early in the school year. The idea was student generated, and it really came together because of them.”

Buck said people should support the students’ work by coming to see the show. “You’re always looking for something to say to children to be successful. And since this was something the students did on their own — they organized it, they ran it and they dedicated so much — they really deserve our support. To have done this on their own … Support the good. And you’ll have fun doing it.”

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