Review: Little Shop of Horrors

I saw Golden Stone Productions Little Shop of Horrors tonight. It was a delight, there are still tickets available for Sunday afternoons last performance, and a very special raffle prize I hear. Think signed memorabilia and you have the right idea.

The Director, Danny Paul, did a beautiful job. The scenes flowed with grace and speed. The choreography was smoothly integrated into the scenes. Costumes were beautiful, and the scenery and Audrey II puppets by Richard Prouse were beautiful. His work never fails to impress.

Little Shop is a difficult piece in that many many people have seen the movie and have a preconceived notion of the characters. I have seen at least three versions of the show. This show was a delightful combination of the sense of characters you know and love (or hate ... 'sorry ... doctor') and some fresh insight into the depths of the material.

I loved Wendell Scherer as Seymour. He was a stronger Seymour then usual, which I liked, but had the endearing clumsy bumbling typical of the character. Audrey (Kate Weston) was adorable, with a hint of the typical Audry, but brought new life the role. The actor in the Audrey puppets was amazing, creating such an interesting life on stage and timing it perfectly. The voice of our favorite plant was amazing as well.

Also of note were the urchins Allie Miron, Amanda Quigley and Esme Hyman who collectively had such rich sound and balance you would imagine they had been singing together forever. Also delightful was Pat Kiernan who had the difficult and funny role(s) of Bernstein, Mrs. Luce & Skip Snip. He brought such energy and humor to the role. Bobby Greffrath, as the Dentist we love to hate was wonderful to watch as well. Pat's assistant was adorable also, but alas, I do not know her name. She took a small bit and made an big impression.

The show featured a strong ensemble also who made the customers, bums, and other people come alive. Vocally and visually they added great depth to the show. The band and musical direction was awesome, a pleasure to listen to.

Lighting for the show was mood appropriate, sound effects were spot on. My only criticism of the show was that certain actors did not always remember to cheat out, leaving me to look at their backside or profile rather then being able to see the emotion on their faces. There was some adjustment of sound levels during the show, but barely noticeable.

Overall, another delightful, strong, entertaining production from Golden Stone Productions.