Skylight Delights with "Little Shop of Horrors"
Kevin James Sievert (Seymour) in Skylight Music Theatre’s production of Little Shop of Horrors running through January 2, 2022. Photo by Mark Frohna.
That “mean green mother from outer space” is back — Skylight Music Theatre has planted some mysterious musical theater seeds that have grown into an impressive production of Little Shop of Horrors. Directed with creativity and energy by the company’s artistic director Michael Unger (who makes his debut at the helm of a production here) and choreographed by Broadway talent Lisa Shriver, the show runs through January 2. With a solid cast and music direction by David Bonofiglio, it is a remarkable take on a horticultural horror story.
Based on a low budget movie from the 1960s by the same name, Little Shop was transformed into a musical in the early 1980s by composer Alan Menken and writer Howard Ashman, long before they were composing Disney classics “Under the Sea,” for A Little Mermaid or “Be Our Guest,” for Beauty and the Beast. It ran on Broadway for five years, before coming full circle—as a movie with Rick Moranis, Steve Martin and Bill Murray. But with a doo-wop trio of narrators to lead us through the strange story of a skid row flower shop that is overtaken by a man-eating plant — a deranged venus flytrap puppet that grows before the audience’s eyes — the show is much better live.
At the center of this crazy, vegetable-from-outer-space-tale are some very solid archetypes; Audrey, the pretty girl with low self esteem; Seymour, the loveable nerd; Mr. Mushnick, the scheming shopkeeper with his thumb on the scale; and Orin, the abusive boyfriend (and dentist) who gets off on inflicting pain. But these summaries are just the starting place — each of the principal actors rounds out the caricature and brings real dimension to the unfortunate souls trapped in a sci-fi nightmare of alien invasion via houseplant.
Ashley Oviedo (Audrey). Photo by Mark Frohna.
As the attractive but much abused Audrey, Ashley Oviedo is simply stunning. Rather than playing the role as a ditzy blonde, she gives us a woman who has been beaten down into believing she deserves to be beaten up. But when she sees the flower shop flourish, thanks to the strange, exotic plant in the window, her excitement is real and we glimpse the sunny, eminently worthy person underneath. Her gorgeous singing voice shines as she belts out the love ballad “Suddenly Seymour,” but it is just as beautiful in the quieter performance fantasizing about a modest life outside the city in “Somewhere That’s Green.” (She also sports some fantastic costumes from leopard prints to florals by Kristina Sneshkoff.)
Similarly, David Flores makes an impressive Mushnick. With this business floundering, he bemoans his fate and takes his frustration out on Seymour, his bumbling employee. Flores’s paranoia goes into high gear when he fears Seymour will take his miraculous plant on the road, and he has some delightfully smarmy moments sucking up to his charge in “Mushnick and Son,” along with clever choreography that echoes Fiddler on the Roof. Flores’s voice is perfect for this role, and he brings a nervous energy to the character that easily sets the flower shop staff on edge, and also fits his scheming side.
David Flores (Mushnik) and Kevin James Sievert (Seymour). Photo by Mark Frohna.
As Seymour, Kevin James Sievert is an awkward guy who just wants to fit in. He wants to have cool clothes and a girlfriend. He wants to be lauded for his geeky fascination with plants. He wants to be recognized as a good employee. With a golden voice and a facility for smooth dance moves, Sievert absolutely shined in smaller roles in previous Skylight productions of Five Guys Named Moe and Gospel at Colonus. He does the same here in the starring role as the squeamish caretaker of the plant. Realizing too late that the price of his fame and good-fortune is too high, Sievert’s Seymour desperately tries to kill the monster he has nurtured, but just as he’s no murderer, he’s no hero. He’s just a guy in over his head, as Sievert makes clear in many tuneful laments, sung directly to the audience. His duets with Flores and Oviedo are just as lovely as his soulful solos.
On opening night the demonic dentist Orin was played by Dan Gold, who also donned a variety of costumes filling in smaller parts. (After Nov. 21, the role will be played by Seth K. Hale.) In Gold’s hands, there’s nothing funny about the nitrous huffing sadist who revels in his collection of rusty drills, meat hooks and saws that adorn his dentist office wall. There’s also nothing funny in his abuse of Audrey, even though his slap is artfully executed by Unger. There was no explanation given for the change in actors part way through the run, but rest assured, Gold was not the second string. From his snarl, to his condescension, to his bright singing voice, to his physically comic death scene, he plays a great character to hate.
And then there’s the ravenous and domineering plant, voiced by Aaron Reese Boseman. He gives Audrey II a smug, demanding, incredibly sinister sound that communicates plenty, although Boseman doesn’t actually appear onstage until the curtain call. Pleading for food one moment, threatening worldwide domination the next, he is obviously having fun with the over-the-top, evil alien being.
The ‘60s girl group that sets up much of the action of the musical, and narrates as it moves from scene to scene, is musically solid. With moves that are reminiscent of the Marvelettes, Kristen Jeter, Brandite Reed, and Raven Dockery harmonize their way around the stage — and above it on an impressive catwalk (creative set design by Brian Prather). But on opening night the trio appeared a bit out of sync. Likewise, Gabriella Ashlin’s challenge of operating the enormous petals of the carnivorous plant, lip-synching with Boseman, was only partly successful. The large puppet frequently overwhelmed its operator and chewed its way through songs. As the plant got bigger, the puppetry got much less distinct. Over the long run of the show, these elements will hopefully become sharper.
*Note to parents: This is not the Skylight holiday show of yore, featuring adorable orphans, urchins and dogs. It is funny, but it’s not a feel-good show, exactly. Kids may enjoy it, but it may also trigger serious nightmares about going to the dentist, and you may need to explain “sadomasochism” in the car on the way home. On the plus side, the violence is cartoony and blood-free. But The Sound of Music it is not.