‘Little Shop of Horrors’ – Written by Alan Menken; Book & Lyrics by Howard Ashman; Directed by Ilana Ransom Toeplitz; Music Direction by Bethany Aiken; Choreographed by Chris Shin; Stage managed by Shauwna Dias Grillo. Presented by Boston Stage Company, Stoneham, MA, through June 29.
By C.J. Williams
If you’ve never seen Alan Menken and Howard Ashman’s Little Shop of Horrors, now is the time. You couldn’t catch a better rendition of this bitingly smart, gut-splittingly goofy musical if you drove to Manhattan for a Broadway show. Running for one more weekend in Stoneham, Little Shop is the classic story of a downtrodden orphan who gets a break – or does he? Menken and Ashman, as a team, have a blast both playing with – and tossing out – the classic tropes of love, rags-to-riches, and fairy godmother/good luck. By the time they’re done, we’re breathless.
In Little Shop, we jump right into the world of Seymour (played by Stephen Markarian): He’s a Skid Row orphan, employed (and abused) by the old kvetch, Mr. Mushnik (Bryan Miner), in his failing flower shop. Seymour has no hope and no luck. The opening number, “Skid Row,” sets the tone and scene neatly. “Downtown, where the guys are drips and rip your slips,” sings Audrey – all but poor Seymour, who chimes in that he’s a slob. But he ain’t no slip-ripper, just a botanically-nerdy, girl-less flower shop attendant praying for a break. And of course, it’s “worth moving heaven and hell to get outta” Skid Row, right?
That depends.
Seymour’s break comes in the guise of a very strange, sad little plant that just won’t grow under an ordinary gardener’s pampering. When he accidentally feeds the plant (which he named Audrey II, voiced by Anthony Pires, Jr.) blood, it blooms – bringing in tourists, business, and fame. But how much of your life should you give to something? And will it give back, or will it just demand more?
As the deeper themes develop, the show gains momentum. The side plot surrounding Audrey (played by Kayla Shimizu), Seymour’s co-worker and crush at the flower shop, and her sadistic dentist boyfriend, Orin (Jared Troilo, impossibly horrifying and hilarious every second he’s on stage) weaves neatly into Seymour’s big break, leading to a solution – and a new problem as Seymour ends up needing to cover up more and more misdeeds and Audrey II becomes more and more voracious.
BSC’s production never breaks its pace, and stage management and blocking do a fantastic job of upping both the dramatic tension and the humor with physical comedy. But as the story sprints headlong towards its finale, Seymour gets more and more of what he’s always wanted…and deals out some horrifying and hilarious justice to some of the least savory Skid Row mensches you can imagine. But if he’s going to keep the heart of gold that makes him the orphan we want to root for, can he continue to pay the price his precious plant wants?
Although it’s a mad mayhem of laughter, Little Shop, like any good story, returns (lightly) to themes that make the audience think. What bargains do we make to “make good”? And do they make good, or do they make bad? Markarian plays a credible and winsome Seymour: It’s easy to believe he has all the heart and honesty to find good luck somewhere.
By the end of Little Shop, you can hardly believe two hours have passed. The music is grand, the performances are seamless, the fun is palpable, and the horrific is just biting enough to leave you with a few things to think about between the guffaws.
For tickets and information, go to: https://www.greaterbostonstage.org/
