Graham Whitehead is the type of director who is known for making distinct choices, leaving his fingerprints everywhere. While I generally don't agree with many of his visions, there's no getting around the fact that he's constantly thinking as a creator, which is better than the alternative. His helming of ASU Lyric Opera Theatre's production of the tongue-in-cheek comedic horror musical Little Shop of Horrors is no different. He has made several broad changes to the piece, moving it away from the traditional staging and presentation. The three-woman 60s girl group-style chorus, the Ronnettes, has grown to a six-woman ensemble of various periods and states of undress. Performer Matthew Paustian inexplicably drops the old Jewish guy shtick and instead offers a Mushnik in the style of 70s King of Confetti comedian Rip Taylor . In another break with tradition, Whitehead has had Music Director Elizabeth Nantais transpose the music for Larry Ray's Audrey II up quite a few steps, so that the plant no longer sounds ominous, but more like Weird Harold on Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids. Despite this incomprehensible and seemingly unjustified tinkering, there are many good things that make this an enjoyable offering.
One of the highlights of the evening is Christopher Ayres' Seymour, who makes his character less nebbishy, and more animated, which is actually closer to the original Off-Broadway production. Mr. Ayres lets us see his character making some of those choices, rather than having it all happen to him, which is more interesting to watch. Another success is Lindsey Jager's Audrey, who is as sweet as pie and gives a full-voiced rendition of her key song, "Somewhere That's Green." The two leads, despite never quite discovering a complete connection, still do a very good job selling the show. Finally, supporting Ayres and Jager and weighting the leads in favor of success is Tyler Parkinson's hilarious presentation of sadistic dentist Orin. His swagger alone gets the audience laughing before he ever sings a note. These three are successful, while Paustian prances around the stage, waving a brightly colored handkerchief that always matches his ever-changing socks and making the audience wish that the "Time to make the doughnuts" guy would beat him up and replace him.
In addition to Ray's inappropriately high voice for Audrey II, the three unfortunate performers required to work the puppets' various incarnations never seem able to get Audrey II's movements to match Ray's vocalization, which just makes it look phony. It's known that this is a difficult job, but having the top of the plant swing its pod from side to side is no workaround solution. Perhaps to blame is Gary Campbell's set, which piles on the debris for Skid Row, but whose fixed point revolve for Mushnik's flower shop results in awkward sight lines and ever-increasing problems as the plant continues to grow.
By doubling the size of the Ronnette ensemble, Whitehead has undercut the characterizations of the original trio, making it difficult to connect with any of his resulting hooker-brood. Christyn M. Schroeder's slinky dance numbers are fun, although they add to the timelessness of the piece, which should be the early 60s, but now transitions to the 70s and beyond. Esther Turner's costumes push home the 70s feel of the numbers with outfits for the ensemble that are straight out of Scream, Blacula, Scream. Also enhancing the 70s take is the unbilled lighting design, which turns to lavenders and violets during the creepier sequences. Once again, the Music Theatre becomes a house of horrors for Sound Designer David Temby, as microphones fail and whole songs are hard to hear. I'm beginning to think that this maybe the fault of the space itself, and not the hard-working Temby. At least Nantais' orchestra is always powerful and solid in their presentation.
Whitehead's revisionist tampering ultimately does not sink this generally unsinkable show. The humor still succeeds, the songs are enjoyable and most of the leads work to keep the spirit of the show intact. Things are looking up for LOT, which is currently offering a much better production than their last few musical theatre presentations, and holds even more promise with the announcement of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown and A Chorus Line next season.
Production Details:
Little Shop of Horrors Music
by Alan Menken, Lyrics and Book by Howard Ashman,
Based on the film by Roger Corman, Screenplay by Charles
Griffith
Arizona State University
Lyric Opera Theatre
The Evelyn Smith Music Theatre, Tempe
(480) 965-6447
April 19th - 28th, 2002