‘Little Shop Of Horrors’ Was A Horrifying Triumph For The New Tampa Players! 

The first time I saw “Little Shop of Horrors,” the campy, award-winning sci-fi/horror musical (based on an original 1960 film by “The King of Cult” Roger Corman) about a man-(and woman-) eating plant named Audrey II and the bumbling “Skid Row” flower shop employee who earns fame because of the voracious plant, I was sitting about eight rows back in the show’s original Off- Broadway Orpheum Theatre in the Little Ukraine section of Manhattan’s East Village in late 1982 or early 1983, only a few months after the show first opened to rave reviews. 

Sitting directly in front of me were Liza Minelli, Sean Penn and Madonna. Yes, that famous trio (no one called them a “thruple”). We were all among the packed house of nearly 350 people who took in the spectacle of this flytrap-looking plant that grows from a pot on a counter to take up most of Mushnik’s Flower Shop — and plans to take over the entire world. 

Four years later, “Little Shop” was made into a hit 1986 movie starring Rick Moranis, Ellen Greene (who also created the role of Audrey, the love interest of geeky Seymour Krelborn, who also loves “strange and interesting plants”), Steve Martin as Audrey’s sadistic boyfriend Orin Scrivello, DDS, and Vincent Gardenia as the failing flower shop owner, Mr. Mushnik. 

Fast-forward nearly 40 more years and Jannah and I are sitting in a theatre almost as large as the Orpheum — the New Tampa Performing Arts Center — on what turned out to be opening night of the New Tampa Players (NTP)’ production of the show (Oct. 18), because the first weekend of performances got canceled following Hurricane Milton. 

I have to admit that NTP’s “Little Shop” very much rang true to the original version I saw more than 40 years previous. 

Yes, a show where four people are “eaten” by a giant plant is a little disturbing, but an outstanding cast performing great songs (with book and lyrics by Howard Ashman and music by Alan Menken, the same creative team behind Disney’s “The Little Mermaid,” “Beauty and the Beast” and “Aladdin”), great direction by NTP’s Thomas Pahl, musical direction by Rick Barclay and choreography by Makayla Raines, made NTP’s “Little Shop” an amazing tribute to that Off-Broadway original. (By the way, the Broadway revival production lasted only 372 performances between Oct. 2003 and Aug. 2004.) 

And Away We Go! 

NTP’s “Little Shop” opened with the title theme, sung by “the urchins” — (photo #1, l.- r.) Paige Alter as Crystal, Sara Gutierrez as Chiffon and Patty Smithey (who portrayed Lorrell Robinson in NTP’s “Dreamgirls”) as Ronette. 

We then meet (photo #2, l.-r.) Mushnik (Luis Graham), who is threatening to close his flower shop on Skid Row because he can’t do any business, the oafish, love-sick Seymour (Richard Brown) and Audrey (Madison Pulica, who has the original cartoon-ish speaking voice and mannerisms of the role’s originator down to a “T”). 

Seymour shows Mushnik the “strange and interesting plant” that he found following a recent total solar eclipse and says that maybe displaying the plant will bring in customers — which it immediately does. 

But soon, when Seymour cuts himself on a rose thorn, the plant — which Seymour names the “Audrey II” after his unrequited beloved — first shows its thirst for blood, so Stanley squeezes a few more drops into its open maw (photo #3), after which, Audrey II first begins to grow. Meanwhile, Audrey continues to display the painful results of the “affections” of her dentist boyfriend Orin (portrayed with very much Steve Martin-esque vigor by Tom Bronson), and sings (photo #4) to the urchins about her dream to move to “Somewhere That’s Green.” 

We (and Seymour) then meet Orin for the first time, after Orin sings “(“You’ll Be A) Dentist” to the urchins (photo #5). Seymour also sees Orin “rough up” Audrey for the first time and, realizing that he can’t continue to drain himself of his own blood for Audrey II, also wonders for the first time if maybe Orin should end up “providing” the blood for the now-much-larger plant. 

Mushnik is now so impressed with Seymour (who is revealed early on to be an orphan), that he tells Seymour in the song “Mushnik & Son” (Photo #6) that he will re-name the now-much-more successful flower shop and adopt his now-star employee. 

But next, we find out for the first time that Audrey II can talk — in the booming baritone of Christan McLaurine (at right in photo #9, who also was a scene-stealer as James “Thunder” Early in NTP’s “Dreamgirls”) in the song “Feed Me.” 

Act I ends as Seymour brings a gun to his visit to Orin’s dental office, which is replete with rusty, medieval-style torture appliances. Orin can’t wait to ply his trade inside Seymour’s mouth, so much so that he gets his “special gas mask” (photo #7) — not to sedate Seymour, but so Orin can “enjoy” his work. Seymour now realizes he doesn’t have to shoot Orin, who can’t get the mask off and, without assistance from Seymour, asphyxiates and dies in the most authentic scene of the entire show. 

Act II – “Suddenly, Seymour!” 

With Orin now out of the way (and chopped into pieces by Seymour, so he can feed the dentist to Audrey II), it doesn’t take long for Audrey to realize that Seymour has always loved her and (she thinks) that he’s a good man who shares her dream of moving to the country, despite his newfound (and unwanted) fame, which comes with Life magazine and TV interviews. The duet between Audrey and Seymour — “Suddenly Seymour” is probably the most famous song in “Little Shop.” 

But, of course, everything falls apart quickly from there. Seymour next sacrifices Mushnik, who discovered Orin’s bloody lab coat in the store’s garbage can, to Audrey II, even though Mushnik says he won’t tell the authorities, as Seymour still needs to feed the now-monster-sized plant (photo #8). 

Next, Audrey, who reveals she was an exotic dancer before coming to Mushnik’s, sacrifices herself by having Seymour throw her into Audrey II’s mouth. Then, Seymour, who now realizes that Audrey II’s plan is to take over the world, also jumps into the plant’s maw. With all of the main characters now dead and plans to spread Audrey II seeds all over the country (as the plant planned all along), the show ends on a seriously ominous note. 

Congrats to the Audrey II puppeteers (Joseph Conrad, at left in photo #9), Lily Sanford and Yoanivette Davila Aguiar, as well as to James Cass of Picture This Photography for the scenic art, scenic dressing and props, and Shelly Giles for the great costumes — and everyone else associated with the Players and this show. “Little Shop” was super-creepy but it was also super-fun! 

For more info (including about ticket sales and audition info) about the 2025 New Tampa Players shows “Into the Woods” and “The Music Man,” visit NewTampaPlayers.org. 

TGI Friday’s Closes In Highwoods Preserve; Nothing Bundt Cakes & Cookie Plug Coming Soon? 

When I lived in Manhattan, New York, in the 1980s, my apartment was a couple of blocks from the original TGI Fridays on 1st Ave. Not only was it the location where Tom Cruise and Bryan Brown served drinks in the movie “Cocktail,” it also was a truly great non-chain restaurant. 

Then, when I moved to Tarrytown, NY, one of the first TGI Fridays franchises opened and I was disgusted by the “chain-ing” of this fabled eatery. My favorite potato skins on earth went from giant, crispy spuds filled with real cheddar cheese and topped with crumbled hunks of real bacon to mini-potatoes with low-quality American cheese and fake bacon bits. I swore to never visit a Fridays again. 

But, when the Fridays on Bruce B. Downs Blvd. in Highwoods Preserve opened nearly two decades ago, I still visited fairly frequently, as it often had live music, a hoppin’ bar and the food seemed better than it was in Tarrytown, even though the potato skins were still less than overwhelming. 

So, I wasn’t surprised to hear that the New Tampa Fridays was one of nearly 50 to close its doors on Oct. 24 (see notice, above), following a purge of 36 locations in January, leaving the chain with 164 remaining links and the parent company reportedly ready to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. 

Hopefully, something good will replace Fridays in this prime BBD location, but can a mom-&-pop even afford to move in there? 

The better news is that zip code 33647 is about to get its just desserts, as Nothing Bundt Cakes (NBC) will open a location about eight miles south of its popular location in The Shops at Wiregrass. Although NBC is limited to moist bundt cakes with amazing icing, it will still be a better choice in the former Subway location next to China City in the City Plaza at Tampa Palms shopping center. 

The most interesting news is that Cookie Plug, which also is getting ready to open in The Grove at Wesley Chapel (next to the Ice Dreammm Shop), also is getting ready to open in the former Weight Watchers location about 11 miles to the south in The Walk at Highwoods Preserve plaza. 

We had no further information as to when NBC or Cookie Plug were expected to open, but we will keep you posted. — GN

Aftermath Of A Disaster! Flooding, Debris & Free Gas After Hurricane Milton

Cypress Creek’s Record Flood Stage Wreaks Havoc At The Enclave Community Off Wesley Chapel Blvd.

Carter Hoch, in his lifted side-by-side, drives by Paul Stevenson as they ferry residents in and out of the Enclave subdivision along Wesley Chapel Blvd. several days after Hurricane Milton roared through our area. Much of the Enclave was flooded by a record flood stage of the nearby Cypress Creek after Milton dumped a reported 16 inches (or more) of rain overnight from Oct. 9-10. The Florida National Guard and local law enforcement had to evacuate 100+ Enclave residents (Photo by Joel Provenzano)

After living in this area for more 30 years, I thought that living at least 25-30 miles from anywhere along the Gulf coast was enough to ensure that our area would never have to deal with the full brunt of a major hurricane.

Wrong again, G.

Even though Hurricane Milton made landfall in Siesta Key, five miles or so south of downtown Sarasota and more than 60 miles south and 30 miles west of here, the Category 3 storm brought winds estimated at about 100 miles per hour for several hours as it rumbled across Florida. Those of you who hunkered down in your homes here will probably never forget the roaring freight train sound that pounded our area from Wednesday night well into Thursday morning, Oct. 9-10.

But, when the smoke cleared, our area clearly had suffered its most direct hit, at least in the three decades that I have lived here, and it’s likely that no one will ever ignore the warnings to evacuate when it’s clear to every meteorologist on every TV station that another storm has us in its sights.

Hurricanes Debby, Helene, and Milton caused the perfect storm (no pun intended) for flooding, creating record amounts of rainfall almost never seen before in the Wesley Chapel area.

Many parts of Wesley Chapel received around 10” of rain with Debby, 4” with Helene, and 13”-16” (or more) with Milton, on top of an already wetter-than-normal summer. One storm in September set an all-time record dumping of 4.7” of rain in only two hours, causing flash floods in older areas of Tampa. Weather stations were reporting that before Milton hit, much of the Tampa Bay area had already seen 50% more rainfall year-to- date than average.

With Milton making landfall south of Tampa Bay, that helped reduce potential storm surge impacts but put us in perhaps the worst part of the storm for rainfall. The day Milton hit was recorded as the second wettest day EVER recorded for Tampa (in total rainfall), and officially made 2024 as the wettest year (with 77 inches) since records started in 1890, even though the year still has more than two months left!

All of this rain had to go somewhere. It doesn’t just magically disappear overnight. New lakes have been created all over Florida where none had existed before, and these flood waters eventually found their way into rivers, creating historically high river levels that continued to rise even after the storm was gone. In short — it’s still kind of a mess out there.

Enclave In The News

Pulling into the entrance of the Enclave community along Hyde Park Dr. (off Wesley Chapel Blvd.), nearly a week after Milton made landfall, the smell of dead fish and sewage was still lingering in the air. The water was still high in the street, a little over 2 feet, making it look more like a river. Technically it was, as Cypress Creek topped its bank, flooding into the nearby community.

The storm was gone but the water kept rising, the river gauge maxing out a full 4’ above the major flood stage (at a record 15 feet), days after the rain had stopped falling.

The Pasco Sheriff ’s Office, the Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission and the National and Florida State Guard were gone, a few days after performing more than 100 water rescues, and now the locals were stepping in to help each other. After all, even Gov. Ron DeSantis mentioned the Enclave’s historic flooding during one of his post-Milton updates. The community was now famous…or infamous, at least.

Getting out of the vehicle to take pictures we immediately heard, “You wanna go back there?,” asked Paul Stevenson with Roofing & Sheet Metal Services. “I’ll take you.”

It was almost 7 p.m., and Paul (an Enclave resident himself ) had been giving rides to other residents in his big Dodge Ram 2500 since 2 p.m., ferrying them slowly down the flooded streets trying hard not to make a big wake. As big of a truck as it was, and all decked out for work, it was just barely tall enough, with the water level coming right up to the bottom of the doors.

“A lot of people left, but then, surprisingly, we got power back a few days ago,” Paul said while driving and pointing out the worst. Paul has lived in Enclave for four years and said he has never even seen flooding on the streets before at all. Many were lucky, because as deep as the water got, the houses were all built a few feet above the level of the road, so the water came right up to a few door steps, but never made it inside.

Residents were being cautious though, as many had parked their cars sideways, right up against their garage doors to avoid the flood waters, which was a smart move. A few residents parked vehicles up at the entrance to the community in a makeshift parking lot, where Paul and another helpful citizen, Carter Hoch (see top photo), were picking people up and dropping them off.

Carter lives in Lutz and brought over his custom high-water vehicle, a lifted side-by-side with massive, chest high tires. “I did 10 hours yesterday, got back to help one more day. Been here for an hour,” Carter said after lifting a suitcase out the back for a resident he had just picked up from the back of the community.

Paul chimed in that, “It looks like regular pickup trucks might be able to make it in tomorrow,” and both agreed that their extremely helpful services might not be needed much longer.

Wesley Chapel Effects

As far as the Wesley Chapel area was concerned, Enclave (which actually has a Land O’Lakes address), got the worst of the post-Milton Cypress Creek flooding, although many local streets were severely flooded in the immediate aftermath of the storm, which saw gusts of 100 mph and higher, and received hurricane-force winds throughout the evening hours of Oct. 9 through the early morning hours of Oct. 10.

The flooding in front of the Publix-anchored Shoppes at New Tampa (right photo by Jeremy Frakes on the Wesley Chapel Residents Facebook page) subsided within a day or so after the storm passed, leaving downed signs and non-working traffic signals in its wake. Trees and power lines were also down everywhere, like at the home of Jason and Sarah Contino (below left), where a large tree that fell missed their home by only a few feet. Down fences were a common scenario.

But, some people with the newer PVC -style fences were able to replace and put back the panels that had blown out within hours of the sun coming up the next morning.

Equally frightening scenes were recorded by local residents across our area, although the above left photo the previous page was posted by WFLA-TV (News Channel 8) of a portion of Curley Rd. that completely buckled.

Most (but certainly not all) homes in the Wesley Chapel area (and more than 3.5 million statewide) lost power for at least a day or more, which caused the need for many people to throw out the perishable food in their refrigerators. Of course, restaurants were probably the hardest hit by this, but many seemed to barely skip a beat in terms of reopening within a couple of days.

As gasoline became scarce in the first few days after Milton passed, the Florida Department of Emergency Management (FDEM) opened up five free gasoline distribution stations across the Tampa Bay area, including one in the Dillard’s parking lot at the Shops at Wiregrass (bottom photo) from Oct. 14-17, where motorists could receive up to 10 gallons in free gas. The lines were long — up to three hours at the busiest times — and some online commenters didn’t understand why people still needed gas

a week after the storm, when the gas stations did finally all get to refill, apparently not realizing that many homes were still running gas generators in order to be able to have power in their homes.

And finally, a lot of people have been wondering why they were turned down for the $750 in assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), so I asked FEMA media specialist Sara Zuckerman that question.

“If a disaster survivor gets a letter that they are ineligible for disaster assistance, it may not be a final decision,” Zuckerman said, “Sometimes, FEMA just needs more information or supporting documentation from the survivor. Make sure you read the letter carefully to see what items may be pending from your first attempt to apply.”

Zuckerman also said that homeowners and renters in a declared county (like Pasco) can apply for FEMA assistance online by visiting DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-(800) 621-3362. Mobile access also is available through the FEMAApp.The latest Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) schedule and locations can be found at FEMA.gov or by texting 43362-DRC{yourzipcode} to find your closest DRC. There also are Disaster Survivor Assistance (DSA) crews working in Florida neighborhoods helping people apply.

Dylan Crume’s Eagle Scout Project Also Benefits Heritage Elementary 

Older Brother Davis Crume’s Eagle Project Also Benefited Heritage; Younger Brother Donovan Also Is Expected To Go For His Eagle 

New Tampa Troop 148 Eagle Scout Dylan Crume, with his grandfather Rodney Hawkins and one of the four bird feeders Dylan installed at Heritage Elementary for his Eagle Project. (Photos provided by Dylan Crume) 

Our heartfelt congratulations go out to Meadow Pointe resident and Wiregrass Ranch High junior Dylan Crume, age 17, who recently earned the prestigious rank of Eagle Scout. 

Dylan’s Eagle project was the installation of four bird feeders at New Tampa’s Heritage Elementary. According to Heritage Gifted K-5 teacher Jean Josephson, Dylan and many of his fellow Scouts in Troop 148, which meets at St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church, installed “bird feeders/boxes with flower boxes to attract more birds and pollinators to our campus. Dylan researched ideas for his project, put together a fund raiser to purchase all of the supplies, met with me several times in person and by email to discuss his ideas and beautifully executed the installation.” 

“Mrs. Josephson needed some help, so I offered my services to help make their outdoor classroom look better,” Dylan says. 

Dylan, whose older brother Davis also earned his Eagle Scout rank and also did an Eagle project that benefited Heritage (he created a micro-irrigation system at the school), says that the project took about three months to complete, from conception to conclusion, and that he appreciated the help of his Scoutmaster Jay Sheridan, his Eagle mentor David Thompson and all of the other Scouts in Troop 148 (see photo below) who helped him with the project. 

The Troop 148 Scouts who helped Dylan with his Eagle project. 

For those who don’t know, Eagle is the highest rank a Scout can achieve, and only 5 or 6% of all Boy Scouts earn the recognition. An estimated two million Scouts have earned the rank since the Boy Scouts of America were founded in 1912. Here are the requirements for earning the Eagle: 

• Earning at least 21 merit badges, including 13 Eagle-required ones, covering subjects like personal fitness, environmental science, public speaking, citizenship and financial management. 

• Learning valuable morals and life-lessons alongside friends, as they work together to overcome challenges. 

• Serving as a leader within their troop by taking charge of a patrol. 

• Learning to independently plan itineraries for campouts, backpacking trips and troop excursions. 

• Competing as a unit against other troops in exhilarating, large-scale scout “camporees.” 

• Involving themselves in service by volunteering with local organizations and making valuable connections with community leaders. 

(l.-r.) Dylan, Davis, Alison, Donovan & Donny Crume 

• Coordinating and leading a large-scale volunteer project for the betterment of their community (the Eagle Project). 

Colleges, businesses, the military and community service leaders all respect an Eagle Scout. This performance-based achievement has high standards that not everyone will earn. 

Dylan’s parents told me they are “super proud of Dylan and his Eagle Project,” and that their youngest son Donovan also plans to go for his Eagle. I don’t know what the numbers are, but I’m betting there are very few families with three Eagle Scouts. 

Dylan says he plans to become a firefighter, so service to the community is obviously in his blood. He also says he plays varsity lacrosse and plays tenor sax in Marching Bulls marching band. He also is on the Youth Ministry Team at St. Mark’s. 

So, congrats again, Dylan. The Neighborhood News salutes you!

Kohl’s Opens Behind Tampa Premium Outlets 

After reading some of the not-so-nice online comments about the new Kohl’s (and Sephora) store located at 1854 Sun Vista Pl., behind the Tampa Premium Outlets, next to At Home, I have to admit that I wasn’t expecting too much. 

Whereas some commenters in local online communities railed that Kohl’s was less of a “department” store than they remembered and more like a Ross or TJ Maxx, what I found was very much more like a Macy’s or Dillard’s but with lower prices. The men’s department is many times larger than any discount retailer, with large selections of brands from Nike and Under Armour to Columbia, Izod, Dockers and many more. 

And, the prices (with Grand Opening specials throughout the store) were more reasonable than I expected, too — especially when you sign up for a Kohl’s membership or credit card (or both). I ended up buying an Apt. 9 sports jacket for myself for less than $100, a nice silk tie to go with the jacket for around $20 and a V-neck T-shirt for less than $10. 

The women’s department was even larger (and the Sephora beauty supply area was bigger than I remember at the JC Penney at the Shops at Wiregrass) and the departments for kids and babies (I bought some Bluey and Spider-Man pajamas for the grandkids) were as large or larger than what I’ve seen at, say, Target. There also was a selection of Halloween-themed merchandise (and clothing) available in several departments. And, again unlike Ross or Marshall’s, everything is well organized and clearly marked. 

Is Kohl’s the department store of my dreams? Maybe not. But, considering how close Jannah and I live to it and the prices I’ve already found, I think we’ll both be visiting regularly. 

For more information, call (813) 501- 2601 or visit Kohls.com. And, please tell them I sent you! — GN