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Little Shop of Horrors
*LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS-Book and Lyrics by Howard Ashman. Music by Alan Menken. Virginia Theatre, New York. *REVIEWED 11-7-03 PERFORMANCE. Directed by Jerry Zaks Choreographed by Kathleen Marshall Starring Hunter Foster, Kerry Butler, Rob Bartlett, Douglas Sills.
LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS
When LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (LSOH) opened on October 2 this season on Broadway, the majority of the New York critics bemoaned and growled that the "gigantic" Virginia Theater swallowed the show and killed the intimacy that was so beloved in the original off-Broadway production.
I would love to take these same critics and have them sit in the mammoth Music Hall in Dallas Texas. Now folks, that's a "gigantic" theater! You could fit the Virginia smack dab center of the Music hall itself.
I sat in the audience at the Virginia Friday evening observing LSOH and in all honesty could not see what in the world these critics were talking about.
What I saw instead was a much more polished, slick, intimate, clean, incarnation. But what was so exciting as well was how side splitting hysterical it was. This musical has been done ad nausea at every theater company in the United States, more than I can count.
Without a doubt, this was the BEST production that I have ever seen of Howard Ashman and Alan Menken's Motown flavored camp fest of a musical, which is based on Roger Corman's black-n-white shock fest sci-fi film.
Director Jerry Zaks is a master of bringing original, fresh comic bits, line readings, situations, energy, and pace to old musicals. I have seen his Broadway revivals of FORUM, ANYTHING GOES, as well as GUYS & DOLLS. Each one he added that "Zaks" ingredient that brought out new comedy gold from the script and songs. He does not fail at all with LSOH. While there is more of a physical comedy aspect added to the piece, this by far clears away the cobwebs from previous productions that seem to stick to the typical "Paint by number" mountings.
The off-Broadway company had a much smaller band. Now we have a full size orchestra that brings new life and color to the exceptional score. Ashman & Menken wrote the score in the flavors of pop, soul, rock, doo-wop, and gospel with just the right amount of Broadway pizzazz to give the score its richness. Now with a much bigger orchestra, it is fantastic. Talk about ear candy, you will love each morsel. Danny Troob's orchestrations and Michael Kosarin's new arrangements revive the score to impeccable life.
Then there's Scott Pask's extraordinary scenic design. While our aforementioned critics spewed unfavorable dialogue concerning the much added glitz and splendor to this new production. All I can add, is.....so what?!
What has been created visually for the production enhances the musical much, much more than ever before. If a production has the money to really create new dazzling sets and eye-popping special effects, what on earth is so wrong with that? I mean it is after all a science fiction musical about a plant that has a Marlon Brando appetite!
Pask's design of a disintegrating, dilapidated skid row is pure perfection. The towering threadbare apartments loom out at you like dying concrete monsters. They even come equipped with actual fire escapes. Pask also designed these swirling backdrops that give the stage and set a sort of "Dr. Doom's speed ray" effect that fits like a glove for the sci-fi theme.
Another delicious visual moment is when the company begins "Don't Feed the Plant", huge gobs of red blood drop from the proscenium and bleed all over the show curtain that has the logo emblazed on it. It's gooey and disgusting, but right on the nose for guffawing effect. As for the creators of "Audrey II", well they created everything from hand carrying vegetation to a colossal she-beast that actually comes out into the audience, jaws wide open! Oh and wears lovely jungle red lipstick to boot! Sure, its over the top-but it is just so hilarious seeing this big ole gal of a plant literally inches above your head ready to attack the Virginia audience.
Donald Holder's supernatural lighting only enhances both scenic and puppet creations in this production. His 1960's Technicolor palette of wild colors really do pop out at you and give the piece life and energy.
Alas it is William Ivey Long that drops the ball in his costume creations within the design elements of the show. Lung's costumes for the three singing urchin girls and others are appropriate (especially the silver, rhinestone beaded gowns for "The Meek Shall Inherit"). It's the costuming for Audrey is where Long goes ghastly wrong.
Long does not dress Kerry Butler (Audrey) in loud, bold colors and fabrics that simply do not ring out trashy, trampy, slutty, or vulgar. Remember that Audrey is a lascivious blonde with torpedo boobs that almost fall out of her blouses. I mean she does have that side job as a cocktail waitress at the skid row nightclub, "The Gutter". But Long tones her down drastically and keeps her in pale pinks and blacks. So jokes referring to her taste in clothes die on the floor like a Don Rickles Friar's roast pun.
Which leads us to the cast:
One of most glaring omissions by the Tony Awards in 2002 was not giving Hunter Foster a well deserved nod for his comic masterpiece performance in URINETOWN. He was robbed, period. Here, his performance as geeky Audrey II creator, "Seymour" will surely earn him that eluted Tony nomination. Foster is a very unique rarity on Broadway, in fact in theater period. There simply are hardly any pretty boys that are masters of comedy in the true sense of the craft.
As he succeeded in abundance in URINETOWN portraying Bobby Strong, here as "Seymour", Foster again creates and molds an uproarious character performance. I have never seen an actor create so much comic zingers out of the role of the shy floral clerk.
Foster has this unassailable comic timing, pace, energy, and stage presence that is astounding to watch. But his ability to fashion his pretty boy looks into side splitting facial expressions is the final touch to a flawless characterization and performance.
The brown-eyed actor has these comic pauses that absolutely brings the house down in raining laughter. But Foster then adds his facial expressions for that final "button" to bring the joke home is ingenious.
I would like to coin a new term for this acting technique in which an actor uses a facial expression to bring the joke, comic line, or bit home. I will call this technique, "rim shot face". Foster has this in endless supply.
Excellent examples are his reactions when in conversation with the plant or Musnick. Foster knows just how long to pause, causing the audience to laugh louder and harder. But then when he brings it home with a facial expression, well he had to "hold" forever until the laughter finally subsided at Friday night's performance.
As if there could be no more praise to give Foster, there's that beautiful tenor voice that he possesses. It's a crystal, clean tenor that is supported with a solid steel vibrato. The actor has some major rock/gospel flavored belts in some of his solos, and he just knocks those soaring, crescendo notes right out of the ballpark!
Excellent examples of this include, "Downtown", "Git It", "Now (It's Just The Gas)", and the glorious "Suddenly Seymour".
Foster brings Seymour alive with this adorable shyness and compassion that has always been missing from previous incarnations of the role. But his love for Audrey is also strongly displayed in Foster's acting craft.
Without a doubt, Foster is the star of this production, and if does not earn a Tony nomination for this performance. I personally will contact Audrey II to come have "lunch" with the Tony Awards nominating committee.
Alas the same cannot be said for Kerry Butler as "Audrey". Butler gave a scene stealing performance across the street from the Virginia in HAIRSPRAY, as "Penny Pingleton". But as the buxom, air headed floral designer/Dentist punching bag, Butler has more of a hit and miss performance here.
Sadly so many of us have Ellen Greene's scorching-yet hilarious performance of "Audrey" from the film embedded in our memory. Green actually created the role off-Broadway. The way the role is written you really cannot veer from what has already been established. Hopefully you can at least embellish on it. Butler instead goes for a much more subdued "Audrey". Also practically gone is the helium voice. Butler does have hints of the high-pitched voice that is so connected to Audrey, but Butler only lightly butters her voice with this vocal characterization.
Butler is also a little too thin for the role. Audrey comes from those 50's horror flicks where they were voluptuous, sybaritic, and a bust overflowing that almost causes her to tip over her stiletto high heels and fall flat on her face. Why do you think the monster or creature always caught up to these buxom damsels in distress?
Everyone around Butler has created these larger than life characterizations, while she is giving a more internal performance. But this makes her look completely off balanced with the tone, pace, energy, and comedy within the rest of the company.
Butler does sing with finesse, and does bring forth a haunting rendition of "Somewhere That's Green". The musical highlight for the evening is Butler's and Foster's soaring "Suddenly Seymour". It is a radiant duet to hear and see. Butler also does have some comic moments that do earn loud laughs. You just wished this were a permanent attachment to her performance.
Rob Bartlett as "Musnick", the owner of the Skid Row Flower Shop delivers a standard, if somewhat "paint by number" performance. Bartlett does expose the "Jewish" part of Musnick much more than what I've seen before, and thereby creating jovial laughs. Bartlett's performance takes time to grow on you. It's by the second act that he finally does hit home runs with his performance.
Bartlett at times reminds you of Topol or Zero Mostel doing FIDDLER during his performance. Although it should be noted that the actor does not have that strong of a singing voice, thus some of his solos are a little unenthusiastic.
Douglas Sills delivers a wildly funny, rollicking performance as the unscrupulous, iniquitous, "Orin". The S&M Dentist who snorts fumes like Whitney Houston backstage. Sills is an extremely tall man who towers over Foster, where Director Zaks and his two actors use to full comic potential.
But this is the first time I have ever seen the Dentist finally played as a very raw, intense, sexual lion. It really sets the tone and flow for both the humor and dark shades within the character. You actually see why Audrey is willing to be put in her place by Orin.
Both Butler and Sills have a side-splitting comic bit with the word "Doctor", I kept wiping my eyes from laughing so hard.
Sills also plays a myriad of other characters. From a huge muscled jock buying flowers, to the three agents in Act Two for the number "The Meek Shall Inherit". Here Sills not only changes costume, wig, etc. for each agent (including a woman!) but he also changes body language, voice, and pace to give each of them their own distinct characterization. The end result is comic gold.
Finally in my "firsts" with LSOH is this: This production was the first one that I have ever seen live on stage that had three actual African American actresses playing the singing Skid Row Muses, "Chiffon, Crystal, and Ronnette".
In my lifetime I have seen at least twenty productions in various forms of LSOH. And every single one of them had three Caucasian actresses playing the roles. But what was was worst was that they always tried to speak their lines as sassy girls of color. It never worked. Period. Also their singing voices never reached the gospel/ soul intensity and volume in which the trio's songs are soaked in.
The Skid Row Greek chorus is homage to the Supremes and other black singing girl groups, but instead it was like watching the Lawrence Welk Polka gals attempting to have soul. Never worked.
Finally, I get to see these roles played as they should be performed in the production.
Carla J. Hargrove, Trisha Jeffrey, and DeQuina Moore tear the roof off the Virginia with their power lungs. These three gorgeous girls sing with sheer beauty and vocal force that was met with thunderous applause each time they sang.
This Motown Greek chorus of three also had hilarious comic scenes that added another layer of perfection to their performances. They are the sound and the strength behind many of the songs, and they are flawless!
Examples of these include "Little Shop of Horrors", "Da-Doo", " Git It", "Suddenly Seymour", "The Meek Shall Inherit", and "Don't Feed the Plants".
LSOH received some unfavorable reviews when it opened, and I honestly did not see what they all complained about. This production is a laugh fest riot from beginning to end, but also has a soothing love story and a hero that everyone will fall in love with.
I seriously doubt that we will ever have another dazzling revival like this one on Broadway, thus it is worthwhile to visit the Virginia Theater where Skid Row is encased.
Just don't speak to Audrey II.......she does not believe in the Jenny Craig diet whatsoever!
RATING: A- |
