Review: LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS at Theatre Under the Stars

THEATRE UNDER THE STARS has decided LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS needed to grow! The musical has always been a staple of “smaller” theaters because it’s a cast of ten and designed originally to be very intimate. The show started off-Broadway in 1982, and only after a significant run transferred to the “Great White Way.” It has never been a big splashy musical with huge numbers or sets, but TUTS wants to expand that just a bit. Their current LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS offers a bigger cast, impressive interior builds, and probably the largest killer plant I have ever seen! They’ve made this one broader, more campy, much bigger, cast twenty people, and made it a ton of fun! I have to say, this is probably my favorite TUTS show in a long time. But I do have a soft spot for this dark little piece with music by Alan Menken and lyrics and a book by Howard Ashman, one of their earliest hits. 

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The show starts with a Greek chorus of three soulful sirens that look like a girl group straight out of the 50s or 60s. They are aptly named Crystal, Chiffon, and Ronette to honor three of the biggest all-female acts from that time. Simone Gundy, Sarah Sachi, and Kiara Caridad portray them, and they nail everything they do from the first note of the opening number. They set up the narrative and the show's musical style, with killer plants in a small shop sung to a doo-wop beat. We meet Seymour, played by Rob Riordan, an earnest young nerdy man who works in a floral shop run by Mr. Mushnik, portrayed by Houston legend Mark Ivy. Also along for the ride is sweet-natured blonde bombshell Audrey, here embodied by Mary Kate Moore. She’s the romantic interest! Dan De Luca plays a myriad of folks, including the abusive dentist who dates Audrey. Dion Simmons Grier gives voice to the psychotic flower, and Turell Robbins hops in the puppet of the pod and gives it life. The story goes that Seymour finds an exotic plant in Chinatown during an eclipse, attracting tons of customers to the failing flower shop. The only problem is? It needs blood and wants more and more to keep growing.

The cast here is immaculate, and LITTLE SHOP is a character actor’s dream come true. Everyone gets to play bigger and broader, and we get to see them have a ball, bringing these kooky archetypes to life.   They are all pitch-perfect and create a wonderfully realized revival of this show for Houston just in time for Halloween. Rob Riordan brings Seymour to soulful life, and he’s sweet and really lovable. Mary Kate Moore delivers a surprisingly gutsy Audrey and makes “Somewhere That’s Green” her own. This is Mark Ivy’s third production of the show, but his first as Mr. Mushnik. He gives a spry, sly turn to the father figure that is sung with a first-rate delivery. Dan De Luca takes the dentist and his assortment of oddball characters to a new high. He’s a dose of nitrous oxide that the audience ate up as easily as Audrey II could. Speaking of the plant, Dion Simmons Grier gives Audrey II a little higher register than usual, creating a bluesy non-binary predator that delights. But it is probably Simone Gundy, Sarah Sachi, and Kiara Caridad as the “urchins” that steal any scene and any number they appear in. They reign supreme in the shop! The ensemble just has a blast, too. Honestly, it is pure joy to watch the performers. 

Technically, the show is a wonder to look at as well. Paul Wonsek and Ryan McGettigan create a pleasingly tactile set that takes us in and out of the shop and extends the rest of the stage to include a breathtaking cinematic multi-story realization of Skid Row. Colleen Grady’s costumes are as expertly executed as the cast’s performances in them. Jonathan Spencer’s lights create mystery and menace throughout the evening as well. The show is deftly directed by Melissa Rain Anderson and smartly choreographed by Monica Josette; these two women have made this show unstoppable.

This TUTS production of LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS reminds us of why they call theater pieces plays: because this troop is having so much fun putting on this fairy tale that has gone wrong. You can’t beat this one! Wonderfully sung, hilariously acted, and designed to be majestically silly, I couldn’t love this one more. When I interviewed the artistic director of Theatre Under the Stars, Dan Knechtges, about the season, he promised this one would be a wow, and the company delivered. Little shop for sure, but it is BIG drama and a joy that is infectious. Just go home and stock up on plant food afterward because you may find yourself looking at your fern sideways. 

LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS runs at The Hobby Center for the Performing Arts through November 3rd. The Hobby Center has its own pay-for-parking garage, and valet is available as well. Food options include offerings in the lobby and the attached Diana American Grill (reservations are recommended).

Photo provided by Melissa Taylor

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