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.
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