It  began  50 years ago in the murkily menacing mind of B-movie mogul Roger Corman. Today, his 1960  black and white (remember?)  film “Little Shop of Horrors” is  a classic.

The movie inspired a 1982 off-Broadway musical (same name) which led to still another   (1986) cinematic version (also same name), this time in Technicolor, and, most recently, a  2003 revival on Broadway.  ”Little Shop” has become one of the favorites (i.e. solid at the box office) of community theaters around the world. Judging by the production which opened Friday evening in South Bend Civic Theatre’s Wilson Mainstage Auditorium, it shows no signs of fading.

Seymour (Justin Williams) and Audrey (Abbey Frick) find love over the blossoming Audrey II (David Rozmarynowski/Marty Golob) in this scene from the South Bend Civic Theatre production of "Little Shop of Horrors."

Led by Ted Manier, veteran actor making his directorial debut, the allegorical tale (the wages of greed are deadly) of Seymour Krelborn and his rapid advancement in the field of alien horticulture, this is one of the more successful SBCT musical productions.

The music by Disney favorite composer Alan Menken (“The Little Mermaid,”  “Beauty and the Beast,” “The Princess and The Frog”), with book and lyrics by the late Howard Ashman, sticks in your mind, especially the title song, another appropriately titled  “Dentist” and anything assigned to the rapidly-growing plant, Audrey II.

As Seymour, employee of Mushnik’s floundering Skid Row flower shop, Justin Williams delivers a solid baritone and works very hard at being nerdy. The love of his  lonely life is fellow employee Audrey (Abbey Frick), whose clear soprano more than does justice to her most familiar solo, “Somewhere That’s Green,” a satirical ode obviously inspired by tract housing a la Levittown. The duo’s boss, who gets just too greedy, is played by Allan W. Holody.

Seymour suffers in silence watching Audrey’s battered relationship with sadistic dentist Orin Scrivello (Josh Griffin), who delights in inflicting pain on his patients and his girlfriend. He more than deserves his hysterical end.

Tracking Seymour’s rise from slavish assistant to gardening genius are Chiffon (Sophie Plunkett,) Crystal (Madeline Eastman) and Ronnette (Tabitha Lee) , a trio  that dispenses  vocals a la Motown, as it moves the action along.

Seymour (Justin Williams) is encouraged by (from left) Chiffon (Sophie Plunkett), Crystal (Madeline Eastman) and Ronnette (Tabitha Lee) in "Little Shop of Horrors."

The undeniable star turn in any “Little Shop,” however, belongs to the plant, Audrey II. Discovered by Seymour during “a total eclipse of the sun,” it thrives on a selective diet — human blood. It is solely responsible for the instant stardom of  Seymour and the flower shop which can only continue, the young man learns, by feeding Audrey  II’s increasingly insatiable appetite. Not surprisingly, this has disastrous consequences for all concerned, proving once again that greed equals trouble for all.

The man behind or, in this case, inside the plant is puppeteer David Rozmarynowski, who built and operates the two final incarnations of the carnivorous  creature. Combined with the basso profundo of Marty Golob, when Audrey II bares her teeth and demands “Feed Me,” everyone listens.

Frick’s  face concealing wig and her too-obvious  mike pack  are only minor flaws, but the difficulty in keeping singers and musicians together remains an unsolved problem for SBCT musicals. The instrumental trio led by Rebecca Wilson is parked off stage right in the hallway (indicated by an arrow during curtain calls). It was almost impossible for us to hear them and must have been even more difficult for the singers. (Note to stage crew members: if you can see the audience, we can see you.)

“Little Shop of Horrors” plays Wednesday through Sunday and March 17-21 in the theater at 403 N. Main St. South Bend. For show times and tickets, call 234-1112 between noon and 6 p.m. weekdays or visit www.sbct.org

In 2009, playwright Lynn Nottage won the Pulitzer Prize for drama with her play “Ruined.” It was the latest in her theatrical portrayals of African Americans and, most especially, women.

One of the most popular is her 2003 look at a turn of the century seamstress who created “Intimate Apparel” for society women but found her own life unraveling at the hands of a careless man. The beautiful South Bend Civic Theatre production of “Intimate Apparel” went all the way to national competition where  it took second place.

Leslie Ann Boyden (right) and Laurisa LeSure are teen-age sisters who struggle to adjust to 1950 Brooklyn in "Crumbs From the Table of Joy," current production at South Bend Civic Theatre.

No wonder then, that SBCT elected to begin its 2010 Studio season with an earlier Nottage drama, 1995’s “Crumbs from the Table of Joy.” For whatever reason, the story of a widower and his two teen-age daughters who move from the South to the harsh reality of 1950 Brooklyn  lacks the emotional  impact of her later work. The quintet of actors handles the frequently repetitive text well and creates a solid ensemble under the direction of Deborah Girasek-Chudzynski.

Some knowledge of the tenor of the times is helpful here. Segregation was still a noxious given. Father Divine, whose photo hangs in the living room much like that of the absent father in “The Glass Menagerie,” was a definite force among the black community in the 1940s and ‘50s and Godfrey Crump’s  blind devotion to the self-proclaimed “God” was not unusual.

While his daughters struggle with their new and frequently hostile environment, Godfrey (the solid Quinton McMutuary)  constantly writes down questions for “Sweet Father” to answer and even renames his daughters at the recommendation of the Harlem preacher.

Into this already tense household comes Lily Ann Green (Natalie Davis Miller), sister of the deceased mother, a smoking, drinking self-proclaimed communist. She obviously has an eye for the widower who, unfortunately, has none for her. In spite of this, she moves in.

The abrasive interaction is exacerbated by Godfrey’s return from an attempted flight with a new wife, Gerte Schulte (the marvelous Melissa Manier), who is white and German. The resulting upheaval takes its toll on Ernestine, 17 (Leslie Ann Boyden), who serves as frequent narrator, and Ermina, 15 (the delightfully spunky Laurisa LeSure), who is determined to go with the flow.  Ernestine has dreams of her own, enhanced by hours spent in the local movie theater, which do not include following her father into a dead end job in a local bakery.

The epilogue, although not as M-G-M-ish as Ernestine dreams, nevertheless offers glimpses of hope for the determined young woman.

“Crumbs From the Table of Joy” plays at 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday in the theater at 402  N. Main St. South Bend. For reservations call 234-1112 between noon and 6 p.m. weekdays or order online at www.sbct.org.