REVIEW: ‘Little Shop’ has highlights, but still average
There’s been a recent rash of television and big-screen versions of unhuman things trying to take over the planet, so it is right in step with current media-pop culture for a revival of “Little Shop of Horrors” by the Old Lyric Repertory Company.
“Little Shop” is a staple of summer theater, with it’s popular rock-musical score, simple plot and stereotypical characters. It’s one of those rare theater experiences when the audience members can’t take their eyes off of a, well, sort of inanimate object — an ever-growing, living fly-trap flower planted in center stage.
The OLRC production has tapped Stefan Espinosa and Vanessa Ballam to carry the bulk of the load, as they portray Seymour Krelborn and his co-worker Audrey. Both work at Mushnik’s Skid Row Florists, which has fallen on hard economic times and is on it’s last leg, or it’s last leaf, in this case. Their only hope is a new variety of plant that Seymour is nursing along, a type of plant that the budding botanist can’t find in any reference book.
While Seymour falls deeper in love with Audrey, admiring her and her post-date black eyes from across the room, he discovers the plant can help dreams come true as long as it is fed. No, not Miracle-Gro for this fly-trap. Rather, it has developed a taste for blood, starting with Seymour’s pricked fingers.
And thereby hangs the musical.
Intended as a sort of glue to tie the production together are a trio of singers — Ronnette, Chiffon and Crystal, played by M. Belen Moyano, Marza Warsinske and Felicia Stehmeier — that double as street urchins and help move the story along. The production opens with a number by the trio which, at least on opening night, failed to wow the audience. The trio were directed in this production to present a rather casual, melancholy and almost-pedestrian demeanor and attitude. While their intermittent solos were quite good, as a group the trio was often, well, pitchy.
The pedestrian feel and tone set early by the trio did in fact act as a glue, and while the production as a whole was certainly likable, it never broke out from being quite average.
An exception, though, was Espinosa, whose Seymour is mousey and hapless when he needed to be and lovable and fun when that was called for. His voice is clear and strong and his solos are a highlight. Espinosa’s duet with Mr. Mushnik, played by W. Lee Daily, “Mushnik & Son,” is one of the production’s memorable moments. All in all, Espinosa is a perfect cast.
Jeff Allen Pierce is also quite memorable as Orin, the sadistic dentist who is dating and using Audrey for a punching bag at the same time. It’s hard to take your eyes off of Orin when he is on stage, as he demands your attention.
But it might be Lance Rasmussen and Justin Ivie — who make Audrey II, the name Seymour’s gives to his blood-hungry plant, come to life — who are the real headliners. It’s hard to miss the work that goes into making a talking plant the star of this musical and the pair received a nice curtain-call reception from an opening-night audience.
And it is doubtful any of those audience members went right home and fed their plants … just to be sure.
Little Shop of Horrors”
Old Lyric Repertory Company, Caine Theatre, 28 West Center, Logan
Tickets: http://arts.usu.edu
Running time: 2 hours 10 minutes, with one 15-minute intermission