June 2010 Theatre Review by Joe Stead
Little Shop of Horrors
La Costa Theatre isn't exactly on Skid Row, but it is quite a stretch from The Goodman or Cadillac Palace Theatres. This 100-seat second floor storefront walk-up is in many ways a great space for the macabre musical classic "Little Shop of Horrors". I have seen quite a few versions of this offbeat Off-Broadway hit over the past 2 1/2 decades, some of which have sanitized or white washed the edge right off. Composer Alan Menken and Lyricist/Librettist Howard Ashman's show really works at its best when it's intimate, in your face and just a little rough around the edges, all of which describes this production.
Director Dan Sanders-Joyce has found plenty of relevance in the characters' desperate struggles to break out of their dreary realities. Many theatres make the mistake of playing "Little Shop" as a broad cartoon, which this production wisely and cleverly steers clear of. Ashley Bush, for example, actually makes the platinum beauty Audrey into a sympathetic human being rather than a wind-up Betty Boop. Audrey may be damaged goods and her "Somewhere That's Green" ballad a hilarious catalogue of 1950's clichés and brand name products. But Bush really gives her Audrey a heart and a decidedly more natural approach that is winning.
Jonathan Hyman is the perfect Seymour, our meek little nebbish of a loser/hero. Hyman is also La Costa's founder and Artistic Director, but more than mere vanity, this role is a splendid showcase for his talents. Tom Moore's demented dentist Orin Scrivello, D.D.S. is also more threatening here, and deliriously funny too, thus a far better villain. Of the three streetwise "urchins" who function as a Motown style Greek chorus, Erin Elle East is a dazzling standout, with a sparkling personality and exciting set of pipes. And having the distinguished veteran actor Peter Verdico in the role of shopkeeper Mushnik is icing on the cake.
America's favorite botanical tuner has its roots planted in the black and white "B" movies of the 1950's, titles such as "Plan 9 From Outer Space," "The Day the Earth Stood Still," and the original Roger Corman camp thriller that gave "Little Shop of Horrors" its title and a young Jack Nicholson his first screen cameo. Audrey II is the blood-loving cross between a Venus flytrap and James Brown, who brings a jolt of sudden success to a floundering floral shop in New York's torrid Skid Row ghetto. Things begin looking up for this "God and customer forsaken place," but just how far will the meek floral assistant Seymour Krelborn go to appease his pod's insatiable appetite for blood?
The acting, singing and direction are all exceptionally high quality for a non-Equity performance. That said, there is still some room for improvement in a couple of areas. The live band under Ryan Brewster's musical direction sounds good, but it frequently drowns out the singers. The acoustics in this space are not the best and the mix of vocals and instruments was uneven to say the least. The second floor space also has little or no air conditioning, which is a serious liability to producing summertime fare. The Saturday evening performance I attended was sweltering and I could only sympathize with the performers and musicians, who had to cope under hot lighting, and in the case of Puppeteer Paul Glickman, an enormous pod.
This is also a musical that brings a lot of baggage with it. There is a well-worn movie musical in addition to the original non-musical version and plenty of productions both amateur and professional that are likely to compete in the minds of many theatre-goers. Fortunately, La Costa's talented cast and director have made enough fresh choices to make this enormously entertaining storefront production stand on its own feet. It speaks highly for the small La Costa Theatre troupe. If they can get their sound levels and climate under control, they should have one bloody good thriller of a hit on their hands.
"Little Shop of Horrors" plays through July 11, 2010 at La Costa Theatre, 3931 N. Elston in Chicago. The show runs 2 hours with intermission. Performances are Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3:00 p.m. with no performance on the 4th of July. Tickets are $25. Industry, students and residents of the Old Irving/Independence Park area will receive a $10 discount and there are group rates available. Tickets are available at the door, through Ticketweb at 866-468-3401 or at www.lacostatheatre.com.
About Joe Stead
Joe
Stead has enjoyed a lifelong passion for the theatre, which has
involved acting, directing, producing, designing and reviewing for
the past twenty-five years. He served as founder, producer and
Artistic Director of Curtain Up Productions in Baltimore, Maryland
and Four Star Players in Tampa, Florida. Favorite productions
have included "Life With Father," "Deathtrap,"
"The Odd Couple," "The Miracle Worker,"
"Brighton Beach Memoirs," "You're A Good Man, Charlie
Brown" and "Godspell". He has also performed
leading roles in "Fiddler on the Roof," "Pippin,"
"The Phantom of the Opera," "The Front Page," and
most recently as Hucklebee in "The Fantasticks" for
Waukegan Community Players. Joe holds a degree in Commercial
Art from Tampa Technical Institute. As a critic, he has
reviewed everything from Broadway to community theatre and major
regional theatres throughout the United States including the Kennedy
Center in Washington, D.C., Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey,
Goodspeed Opera House in Connecticut, and the Asolo Theatre in
Sarasota, Florida.
Since 1998, he has been a proud resident of Chicago, the greatest theatre city in America. He served for two years as Theatre Editor for College News and Central Newspapers. He created the website Steadstyle Chicago in 2000 to showcase the city's outstanding and diverse theatre scene. Joe was proud to serve alongside a distinguished panel of theatre professionals as a judge for two seasons of Speaking Ring Theatre's "Vitality" Festival of original short plays. His most fulfilling role, in addition to reviewer and all-around theatre fanatic, was as director of the 2007 production of Peter Shaffer's "Equus" at Actors Workshop (now Redtwist) Theatre, which was nominated for five Joseph Jefferson Award Citations and won for Best Actor (Peter Oyloe).