Little Shop of Horrors Oh, what we mere mortals will do for love! Within the arts, so much is written, composed, choreographed, and painted about the many facets of love, from falling in love to what we will do for that emotion and feeling - no matter what the consequences may be. Even if it means you have to feed blood and humans to an ever-growing plant who apparently doesn't give a damn about carbs or her waistline. Little Shop of Horrors originated as a 1960 Roger Corman horror flick that starred an unknown actor named Jack Nicholson. The lovely plant girl began her stage life in the tiny WPA Theatre Off-Broadway in May 1982, moving in July of that year to the slightly bigger Orpheum Theatre on Second Avenue. And that's where she devoured audiences for 2,209 performances over a 5-year period. I have seen Little Shop done at every level of theater, from high school all the way up to professional. In November 2003, I sat in the Virginia Theatre in New York to see Audrey's big Broadway debut, in what I consider to be the definitive production of this musical. Dallas is the first official stop for the national tour of this campy, kitschy, yet tender musical. I was extremely relieved to find 90% of the Broadway production's physical elements intact, as well as some new elements (particularly in the casting of the principal roles). I noticed only three major changes within Scott Pask's scenic design. In the Broadway version, the Skid Row backdrops were full size slums and apartment buildings with broken windows, etc. For the tour, the background consists of a painted backdrop. Another difference is one I actually missed seeing - on Broadway, when the trio of urchin girls began to sing the finale, they sang in front of the show curtain which had the logo emblazened on it. Then, slowly, huge drops of "blood" came from above and dripped down the show curtain. It was a great effect, but alas for the tour it has been deleted. A final change is in the physical creation of the second act Audrey II. The plant actually goes higher and further out into the audience now. That's over a million dollars worth of metal, fabric and computer wizardry you are watching on stage! This bloodthirsty creature weighs 3,500 pounds and her mouth is a pod the size of a Mini Cooper (approximately 6 feet from the tip of her snout back to her stem). When hungry, Audrey II's stem can stretch 20 feet from her roots. It took the Jim Henson Workshop and Martin P. Robinson over 18 months to design and develop Audrey II, using orchids such as the Venus Ladyslipper as inspiration. In performances, it takes a stagehand and two puppeteers to bring Audrey II to life. They use a "Waldo," which creates her unique live performance. This is the first time the technology used to operate monsters in feature films has been used for stage performances. Everything else remains intact from the great white way mounting, from Pask's soiled and decaying Mushnik flower shop to William Ivey Long's appropriate, colorful costumes to Donald Holder's dazzling, eye-popping lighting design. One of the best elements that has been achieved in the revival is the sound of the refreshing, exciting, and vibrant orchestrations by Danny Troob and new arrangements by Michael Kosarin. The orchestra has been expanded from four to ten, and the sound coming from them is heart pounding rock 'n' roll and Motown soul. The score is alive and exciting under the slick and toe-tapping musical direction of Brent-Alan Huffman and his talented orchestra. For the very first time in all the productions I have seen at the Music Hall, they have covered up the orchestra pit and have put seats on top. It is so much fun watching big ol' Audrey thrust out into the audience overhead. Jerry Zaks, director for the tour and the Broadway production (and in attendance here on opening night) has an astonishing keen sense and eye when it comes to comedy. I am always left wiping laughter tears from my eyes due to Zaks's magnificent creation of comic bits, physical gags, pace, timing, and so on through his direction. He never fails to surprise me. His attention to detail in adding freshness and laughter to book scenes and musical numbers is sublime. Zaks knows that quick, determined pace is required in this piece, and it shows. He is a master when it comes to creating fresh, animated, and exciting new life in well-known plays and musicals. With Little Shop he once again succeeds. Up next for this four-time Tony winner will be the Broadway revival of the much anticipated La Cage aux Folles. Boyishly handsome Anthony Rapp portrays Seymour, the loveable, nerdish flower shop clerk who discovers Audrey II. It is gratifying to see in Rapp's performance the new shades, colors, and subtext that he brings to the role. His Seymour is subtler and not as over the top as past actors. He gives the character a more honest, natural, organic, and truthful approach than what I've ever seen before. Mind you, he does go for the laughs and succeeds hands down in that department as well. Rapp has some hysterical bits of comic staging, dancing, and shtick that earn loud laughter throughout the evening. Watch his side-splitting comedic work in such scenes as the trip to the dentist's office or the handling of little Audrey II as a potted plant. He also uses his face and body to brilliant comic effect. The honesty and commitment that he brings to Seymour is mesmerizing to watch unfold. The scene work and chemistry between Rap and Tari Kelly (Audrey) is superb. Rapp's singing voice also earned loud rounds of applause from the opening night crowd. Listen to him rip into to the vocal rock riffs in "Get It" or the soaring power ballad "Suddenly Seymour," in which he sings with a clean, crisp tenor voice that contains a robust belt that knocks out those high notes to the top balcony. I first saw Rapp as the original Mark Cohen in the landmark rock opera Rent on Broadway, and he overwhelmed me that day as well with his talents. To see this actor smoothly and with great ease go from an angry soul in Rent to the sweet, loving, and shy Seymour is a testament to this actor's powerful talent. The first thing you notice when Tari Kelly first appears on stage as Audrey is that body - this young woman is one hot, sexy bombshell, oozing with sex appeal. I have to admit that I enjoyed Ms. Kelly's performance much more than the the Broadway Audrey (Kerry Butler). Kelly stays true to the basic elements that make her character so hysterical, but she still is able to bring her own special comedic gifts and talents to make the role her own. Kelly has perfected the kewpie doll voice that sounds like she snorted a couple of canisters of helium backstage. She also has mastered the bouncy walk on those massive pumps. The actress has terrific comic timing, pace, delivery, and energy encased in those tight skirts and blouses. She knows exactly how to milk those laughs with just a slight change in face or vocal tone. Kelly's singing is impeccable; she has an exquisite lilting soprano voice that melts you away. Her version of "Somewhere That's Green" is just ravishing. A musical highlight is the duet with Kelly and Rapp, "Suddenly Seymour." Both belt to the back wall with outstanding singing, then out of nowhere they grope and make out like they were in the hot tub on "The Bachelor." That's what you will adore about these two thespians; they sing so incredibly, and then create rip roaring laughter with their comedic talents. And then there are those three divas from Skid Row - Yasmeen Sulieman, Amina Robinson, and Latonya Holmes bring down the house as the soulful Greek chorus. All three possess powerful vocal instruments that leave you begging for more. Each girl can belt with ease and finesse, and they create hilarious performances as well. I was so thrilled that they kept the "Dreamgirls" sequence from the Broadway production. In the number "The Meek Shall Inherit," the three girls float up on a platform behind a metal fence, dressed in crystal beaded gowns, dripping in diamonds. Just another brilliant Zaks touch! You will fall head over heels for these three astounding ladies. James Moye has the difficult task of erasing from the audience's memory the image of Steve Martin's performance (in the film version) as the Dentist. Douglas Sills easily achieved that on Broadway. Many (including myself) felt that Sills was robbed of a Tony nod. This time around, Moye doesn't quite succeed as Sills did; he is funny, but he seems not able to break out of the box and go all the way as the role truly requires. He just doesn't fully grasp the comedy subtext within the zany chemical-snorting Dentist. I'm sure once he gets more settled into the role Moye will go for the comic gusto as Sills and Martin did. Lenny Wolpe is a familiar face fom television, films and stage. He does a solid job as Mushnik, the Jewish flower shop owner who adopts Seymour just to save his store. Wolpe and Rapp have a delightful turn with the duet "Mushnik & Son." This tour of Little Shop of Horrors has practically all the bells and whistles seen in the Broadway production, but it's the work of the actors that you will treasure the most. Not only will this Little Shop plant laughter in you, but also the macabre musical has warmth and compassion. Little Shop of Horrors will be presented by Dallas Summer Musicals at the Music Hall at Fair Park through Saturday August 21. Tickets are available now at The Box Office at 542 Preston Royal Shopping Center with no added service charge. For groups of 20 or more, call 214-426-GROUP. For more information, call 214-691-7200. Tickets are also available at all Ticketmaster locations, including Fiesta, Foley's, Wherehouse Music, Tower Records, and The Majestic Theatre Box Office at 1925 Elm Street. Tickets may also be purchased by phone by calling Ticketmaster at 214-631-ARTS, or online at www.ticketmaster.com. LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS Directed by Jerry Zaks CAST: Chiffon: Yasmeen Sulieman |
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