When a theater group decides to produce a musical like Little Shop of Horrors, they take on a long list of challenges.
For one thing, Little Shop of Horrors blends both musical and theatrical genres. Thanks to composer Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, who wrote the lyrics and book, Little Shop of Horrors features rock, R&B, ’50s girl-group doo-wop and more.
Theatrically, the musical, which is loosely based on the 1960 film of the same name by Charles B. Griffith, is a mixture of comedy and horror.
Speaking of horror, the challenge also involves bringing a bloodthirsty plant to life, a plant that continues to grow throughout the show.
Finally, it is important to make changes as quickly as possible when an actor plays several roles that appear on stage practically one after the other at one point.
The Coeur d’Alene Summer Theatre was well prepared for this challenge and delivered a successful production of “Little Shop of Horrors” from start to finish.
The audience is greeted in Skid Row by the omniscient Greek chorus of Crystal (Michaelyn Oby), Chiffon (Tatiana Bahoque), and Ronette (Brianni Justice). Although they appear quite frequently throughout the show, I wouldn’t have minded seeing more of this trio. Their voices blended beautifully and they brought a lot of humor to the show, whether they were front and center or sitting on a staircase at the edge of the stage, simply reacting to what was going on.
Then we meet the nice but shy Seymour Krelborn (David Eldridge) and Audrey (Amy D’Orazi), a sweet girl with a penchant for getting involved with the wrong men. Both are employees at Mushnik’s Skid Row Floral Shop.
Seymour tends a mysterious plant that resembles a Venus flytrap, which he bought for just $1.95 after a sudden solar eclipse. He names the plant Audrey II in honor of his workplace crush. Despite his care and attention, Audrey II initially seems lethargic and listless. After pricking himself on a rose thorn and watching Audrey II’s shell open, Seymour is startled to discover that the plant feeds on blood.
Seymour and Audrey II make a deal of sorts: Seymour pricks his fingers and feeds Audrey II as she demands. As Audrey II grows, both Seymour and the flower shop come into the spotlight, but soon it becomes increasingly difficult for Seymour to keep the plant happy and himself, Audrey, and the rest of the world safe.
Eldridge has been seen on local stages for years, most recently as Dickon in the Coeur d’Alene Summer Theatre’s production of “The Secret Garden.” If you haven’t seen Eldridge, you should check this show out. On even bigger stages, you’ll be able to say you knew Eldridge back in the day.
His Seymour was charming and sweet, with a little cheekiness towards Audrey II when she got too demanding. He also had some great moments of physical comedy, like when he tried to climb into a dentist’s chair to escape Audrey’s abusive boyfriend Orin Scrivello (John Adkison). More on him later.
D’Orazi is also a staple of Inland Northwest theater, and it’s easy to see why. She brought weight to a character who could be portrayed as silly, making the audience feel her full support for Seymour, her fear of Orin, and her yearning for a better life.
Both Eldridge and D’Orazi had some beautiful singing moments, including “Grow for Me” (Eldridge), “Somewhere That’s Green” (D’Orazi) and “Suddenly, Seymour” (the pair together in a highlight of the show).
Adkison made me dislike the character of Orin, Audrey’s dirty dentist boyfriend, from the moment he walked on stage, which is a compliment. As a handful of smaller characters, Adkison effortlessly switched between different accents and motifs and, as mentioned, was quick to change costumes (applause for dressers Catherine Bedford, Becca Basta and Jen Kleinkauf). Adkison is indeed a reliable performer.
Erik Contzius was a funny Mr. Mushnik, alternately being the group’s father figure, insisting that Audrey leave Orin, and simultaneously dreaming of the fame and fortune that Audrey II could bring him, no matter what the cost.
Those who saw the Coeur d’Alene Summer Theatre’s season-opening production of “Fiddler on the Roof” will appreciate the choreography flashback of Contzius and Eldridge during “Mushnik and Son,” courtesy of choreographer Roger Welch and assistant choreographer Lorna Hamilton, who also directed the musical.
And finally, there is Audrey II. For this production, puppet designer and builder Michael Brandt created five puppets, each representing a new evolution of Audrey II. The puppets were all even better than I imagined, becoming more detailed and creature-like as Audrey II got older.
Kudos to Paul Sciarrio, Hannah Hopkins and Declan Sheehan, the puppeteers behind Audrey II, for managing to control the ever-growing puppet and keep it in time with music director Scott Michaelsen and the wonderful band on songs like “Feed Me (Git It)” and “Suppertime,” sung by Michael Reed, who had one of the strongest voices of the evening.
From backstage, Reed responded and sang as Audrey II demanded more from Seymour. Reed added so much modulation and emotion to his voice that, along with the three puppeteers, he effortlessly made Audrey II a fully developed character.
Set designer Charlie Monte created an efficient set where the centerpiece can be rotated to represent the interior or exterior of the flower shop as needed, making scene changes a breeze.
And I appreciated costume designer Erin Lee McSwain’s choices for each character, from the simple Seymour to the ultra-feminine Audrey to the leather-clad Orin, as well as the crazy costumes during “Don’t Feed the Plants.”
The Coeur d’Alene Summer Theatre’s production of Little Shop of Horrors is short, sweet and a little scary – the perfect combination for an exciting afternoon at the theater.
The musical will be performed Thursday through Sunday at the Schuler Performing Arts Center in North Idaho College’s Boswell Hall. Tickets can be purchased at cstidaho.com.
