Fabulous and funny.
Little Shop of Horrors, now at the Hanna Theatre in Playhouse Square through October 9, exploits and embraces musical (and other) delights packed into the now-classic Howard Ashman (book and lyrics) and Alan Menken (music) creation. Under the direction of Victoria Bussert, this Great Lakes Theater production revels in the story’s comic glories.
Retro tunes peppered throughout spice up the “horror” shown onstage as Seymour (Andrew Faria), a hapless, nerdy shop assistant, discovers what he has unknowingly created: a plant that turns into a blood-loving monster. When Seymour names his plant “Audrey II” in honor of his secret crush, fellow employee Audrey (Sara Masterson), he has no idea what is to come.
But then, neither does skid row Audrey, who always wanted to be, as she sings, “Somewhere That’s Green.” A flower shop job for such a dreamer sounds like a good idea — but maybe not this flower shop. Masterson’s first-class singing (and “urban” accent), acting, and outfits combine to help us love her almost as much as Seymour does.
And in return, Faria’s hapless Seymour is also so cute that we’re not shocked when Audrey (the human) falls for him. When she rejoices with “Suddenly, Seymour,” we applaud her good taste. What a find!
Before their love can bloom, however, she’s got to dump Orin Scrivello (Alex Syiek), the Elvis-style, sadistic dentist. Syiek brings bad boy Scrivello to evil-over-the-top life with zest and glee. The capable Syiek also excels as several other characters, from a drunk under a blanket in the opening scene to flower shop customers and wicked PR reps.
Flower shop owner Mr. Mushnik (Aled Davies) goes from worry to elation (and beyond). Davies gives an outstanding, utterly convincing performance as the man who (unwittingly) controls the outcome.
The “Greek chorus” (three beauties decked out in retro outfits from the 1960s and named after pop faves) lays plenty of sass and good vibes onstage when they open the show with “Little Shop of Horrors” followed by “Skid Row.” Chiffon (Kris Lyons), Crystal (Sydney Alexandra Whittenburg), and Ronnette (Savannah Cooper) — all Baldwin Wallace University students — dance in and out of the story, helping to tell it sometimes, cheering us up other times. This chorus is one an audience can’t help but fall in love with (something not always true in sad, Greek dramas where they always forecast doom — here, doom may come, but it’s a funny doom in the hands of these three chicks).
One must never forget Audrey II, fabulously voiced by Elijah Dawson and cleverly manipulated by puppeteer Chad Ethan Shohet.
Music Director Matthew Webb led a small ensemble (tucked under the stage) that kept the music flowing. The simple set designed by Jeff Herrmann consists of brownish/red brick wall with a closed door set in the middle. To the side we see tenement steps. When the door is unlatched, we see the flower shop. A chair placed center stage, closer to the audience, serves as the dentist’s lair.
Appropriate costumes designed by Danae Iris McQueen and hair and makeup by Nicholas Lynch-Voris revealed the characters who wore them.
Bottom Line: One of the best musicals yet in the Hanna. The cast, largely made of BW music theatre students past and present conveyed a fresh take on this classic light-hearted horror musical (is there such a genre? If not, there should be). Of course, there’s a moral: beware of feckless scientific exploration and moral rationalizations. But who cares in the face of such delightful exuberance? (Don’t know about you, but exotic potted plants in my house don’t do all that well anyway.)
Parents: For the younger ones, take them home after the first act or they will never go into a flower shop again.