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‘Little Shop of Horrors’ offers evening of Schlock Sci-Fi, time capsule into another era and an evening of great entertainment

By Daniel Hines
Publisher
TodaysSeniorsNetwork.com

When Stages St. Louis’ Artistic Director Michael Hamilton came on stage to welcome the audience at Saturday’s performance of ‘Little Shop of Horrors,’ he thought it was appropriate to share some good news with everyone about some new funding and recognition on a national scale for the little theater that could.  He suggested that perhaps in light of so much worry in the country, it was time for some good news.

He delivered…and so did the production of ‘Little Shop’ with a delightful evening of outstanding performances and a look at what was at least one of the earliest rock musicals, as well as a satirical look at a by-gone era, complete with racial, ethnic and economic stereotypes that prove that sometimes its good to laugh at ourselves.

Wait a minute! How can a story about a blood-sucking, man-eating plant, with a plan to take over the world and use all of us as a link in the food chain be so much fun, some might ask. 

The answer:  Remember that the premise is base on a farce, and is meant to do nothing more than make us laugh, add in Stages’ always creative staging, with a generous dose of the chemistry among cast members that makes Stages truly unique.

Ben Nordstrom, one of my personal favorites among the Stages’ regulars, is perfect as Seymour, the orphaned boy given shelter and a ‘job’ by the Skid Row Florist, Mushnik, played by Darin De Paul with a crafted balance of self-inflicted economic tragedy and plotting to take advantage of the good fortune created when Seymour happens to ‘find’ a Venus flytrap-like flower in the streets of New York at exactly the moment there is an unexpected total eclipse of the sun.

Nordstrom excels as the hapless Seymour, who believes that the plant could be the salvation of the shop because it is so unusual that it will attract attention, customers and, most importantly to Mushnik, money.  (By the way, if and when the life of President Obama is put on stage, De Paul is a natural to portray Presidential aide David Axlerod.)

As it turns out, Seymour is right and the plant not only brings initial good fortune to Mushnik’s shop, it has a personality of its own, talking to Seymour with the famous line, “Feed Me, Seymour!”  Does anyone remember The Twilight Zone show, ‘To Serve Man?’  It turns out that the plant, which Seymour has named Audrey II, in honor of his secret love for co-worker Audrey, the abused girl friend of a sadistic Dentist that could have ridden with Brando in ‘The Wild Ones,’ can survive only on blood—the blood of humans. 

Maria Couch does a great job of playing the nasal talking, Blonde Bimbo (remember, I told you this show was filled with stereotypes) who yearns for a bit of ‘green’ in her vision of marital bliss—cooking like Betty Crocker and looking like Deborah Kerr in a Levittown cookie-cutter suburb. 

But, be prepared.  When she joins Nordstrom in a duet as she and Seymour finally ‘find’ each other in ‘Suddenly Seymour’, Couch displays an absolutely beautiful signing voice.

As though to remind us that this really is nothing more than great satire, the story line is held together by three really talented young ladies—Chiffon, played by Valisia Lekae, Crystal, played by Rashida Scott, and Ronnette, played by Lisa M. Ramey, who pull the story along with a number of musical presentations in the ‘Sound of Wall’ format perfected by now convicted murder Phil Spector. (Think for a moment…the girls have the names of three musical groups). 

Are they believable? Of course not.  This is not ‘Color Purple’.  But, they are lovable, and talented and versatile.

What to say about the sadistic Dentist boyfriend, Orin, played with a delightful bit of sadistic pleasure by Todd Dubail, except that as he revels in the pleasure of the pain he causes, he  knocks the audience dead—or probably wishes he could.  Dubail is transformed and when he wants to perform dental work on Seymour, one could almost feel that several people in the audience winced, likely with the memory of a painful experience in the chair.  Dubail also provides additional comedy as he portrays a number of walk-on roles, including one in drag as Time-Life publisher Claire Booth Luce. Of course, Luce was not a big woman, whereas Dubail is well over six foot tall, or at least appears to be.

Special kudos to Marc A. Petrosino, who ‘manipulates’ Audrey II, actually bringing the plant, which eventually almost fills the stage, to life.  The illusion is enhanced through the work of puppeteers Monte J. Howell and Shaun Sheley. 

Add to this, the excellent voice of Audrey II, which provides what can only be identified as a ‘street personality’ thanks to the truly outstanding vocal talents of Geno Segers.

Finally, be prepared for a bit of a shock at the end when the audience is…well, to tell you would spoil the effect.  This is a great start for Season 23 of Stages, and is indicative that almost certainly, this will be one of the best seasons yet.