Trio from John Cooper's ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ wins Best Supporting Actress

THE WOODLANDS, Texas – The cast, crew and directors of The John Cooper School’s November 2014 production of “Little Shop of Horrors” received eight nominations from the Tommy Tune Awards, a Houston-based awards program that recognizes excellence in high school musical theater. At the formal awards ceremony held on April 21 at The Hobby Center in Houston, the trio of Muna Uzodike, Celeste Terni and Natalie Holley, won the award for Best Supporting Actress. The production was also nominated in the categories of Ensemble/Chorus, Direction, Stage Crew/Technical Execution, Choreography, Musical Direction, Costume Design and Scenic Design.

Uzodike and Terni, both seniors, and Holley, a junior, have been singing together for four years and attribute their friendship and love of singing together to their success as a trio. As nominees in an acting category, they were part of the opening number that included Tommy Tune, singing and dancing to “I’ve Got Rhythm.” Senior Emily Spaulding, who played the lead female role in Cooper’s production and sophomore Peyton Hayes, who was the voice of the carnivorous plant, Audrey II, were both part of the award show’s closing number, “Keep Your Eyes On the Goal.”

Musical theater students from 45 Houston-area high school productions attended the awards ceremony. Uzodike summed up the excitement of the evening by saying, “We were told not to run to the stage or scream if we won, and to have a speech prepared. We totally didn’t think we’d win, so we wrote the acceptance speech in the car on the way there, screamed as soon as we heard the 'Na…' in Natalie’s name announced, and immediately ran up to the stage! We were over-the-top excited!”

Cooper Choir Director Rae Moses said that as the “Ronnettes,” the trio reflected total unity. “Although they were made up of three singers, they were one entity at all times,” he said. “They supported and complemented each other so well that they were united and seen as one, which I feel had much to do with why they were recognized with this award.” Unity was reflected in the entire show, according to Director Joseph DeMonico, as evidenced by being nominated in the Best Ensemble/Chorus category. “Every aspect of the show – lighting, costume, direction, sets, staging, makeup, choreography – contributed to making this trio stand out as one, and it is wonderful that they have been recognized.”

Uzodike plans to study humanities with plans to attend med school and will attend either Rice University or the University of Pennsylvania in the fall. Terni will study business at Claremont McKenna College in California, and Holley will be a leader in the music program and plans to audition for Cooper’s next musical, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Cinderella,” scheduled for November 2015.