Scottsdale Community Players' Little Shop of Horrors at Stagebrush Theatre
(out of 
)Mark S.P. Turvin
(home office) (602) 912-0117
I can be reached for comment via e-mail at: mspt@goldfishpublishers.com
Reviewed 6/16/00
(out of )Once upon a time, in an early year of a decade not too long before our own, Phoenix theatre companies closed their doors the minute the thermometer reached 100 degrees. Audiences refused to set foot out of their air-conditioned homes. These days, the summer has become a vibrant second season when local theatre companies mount light fare. The top non-contract theatre companies in the valley, the Scottsdale Community Players and Theater Works are mounting productions that show why it's worth leaving behind reruns to enjoy live theatre. Director T.J. Weltzien has mounted a production of the 1982 oddball Off-Broadway musical Little Shop of Horrors that is well-cast, impressively designed, and sounds great.
In 1960, Roger Corman, the "King of the B-movie," put together a seventy minute horror film about a horticultural slob living on Skid Row who nurses a strange plant to health by feeding it blood. This odd movie, shot in two days on a shoestring budget, became a cult classic. It is this eccentric source material that author and lyricist Howard Ashman and composer Alan Menken used to create an ingenious and clever musical. Seymour, a nerdy, orphaned flower shop attendant at the decrepit Mushnik's Skid Row Florists, discovers a strange new flytrap. Once he and his fellow co-worker and heart's desire, Audrey, convince his boss, Mr. Mushnik, to allow them to display this odd plant, the shop suddenly becomes successful. Inadvertently, Seymour discovers that his new plant, which he's named Audrey II, has a taste for blood. The more blood he feeds to this plant, the more success he finds. Eventually, he is forced to homicide to win the heart of the dim and fair Audrey.
The first success of Mr. Weltzien's offering is his impressive casting of the two leads. As Seymour, Scott Schmelder is the perfect mix of talented singer and performer, and nebbish. He is a nerd with an edge, and is loveable even during his most dastardly of deeds. Even better is Susan Hogle as the sweet Audrey. She is so good, she reminded me of the show's original star, triple threat Ellen Greene. Ms. Hogle has all of Audrey's cute attributes down, from her awkward stance in her impossibly high heels to the little squeak in her voice that is as endearing as it is annoying. Her voice is also impressive, keeping her accent throughout her solos.
Other successful cast members include Natalie Ellis, Andi Watson, and Kimberlee Hart as the 60s girl group turned Greek chorus that narrates the strange happenings. Each has a spectacular voice, and though their roles are supposed to be played by African American women, they do their best with some of the more awkward references, such as "George Washington Carver." Hilarious acting comes from Bruce Halperin as the scheming Mr. Mushnik, though his singing voice is much too soft and requires amplification. Terry Hamilton lends the voice to the ever-growing Audrey II, and does a great job with it. The ensemble is also effective, especially during their two highlight songs, "Skid Row" and "The Meek Shall Inherit." The only disappointment of the evening is Lloyd Kalicki's as Audrey's sadistic boyfriend, Orin. He has neither the sexily-threatening stage presence, nor the Elvis-like voice to carry off this darkly comic role.
Another success is the work of Choreographers Weltzien, Watson, Ellis and Hart, and Musical Director Doug Durant. The movement is very campy as befitting this show, while Mr. Durant corrals the offstage orchestra into creating a wonderful sound. The unbilled scenic designer (whom I suspect is the multi-talented Mr. Weltzien) has come up with a unique way to deal with very difficult staging requirements. Of special note is the impressive work of Prop Designer Christy Walker-Gibson. Though generally good, the costumes designed by Timothy C. Slope for the three chorus girls are not particularly flattering, and fail to follow the arc of the script. Michael Eddy's light design and Dave Temby's sound are effective, although there were running problems for each during opening night that will undoubtedly shake themselves out through the two week run.
When seeing a musical that I love, especially one that I hold as dearly as Little Shop, I tend to be hypercritical of the production. Despite my nit-pickiness, I found this production to be highly enjoyable, and recommend it to anyone in the mood for hilarious lyrics, impressive performances, and a new definition of plant food.
Production Details:
Little Shop of Horrors Book
& Lyrics by Howard Ashman, Music by Alan Menken,
based on the film by Roger Corman, Screenplay by Charles
Griffith
Scottsdale Community
Players
Stagebrush Theatre, Scottsdale
(480) 990-7405
June 16th - June 25th, 2000
