Review: LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS at University Of Central Arkansas Theatre

What horrors can come from an exotic plant after a "total eclipse from the sun?" Imagine my shock during the production of LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS at The University of Central Arkansas Theatre, 201 South Donaghey, in Conway, Friday, April 22, when the "mean green mother from outer space" ate everyone! What??? That did NOT happen in the movie, but boy was it delightful in a sad, strange sort of way. The cast and crew had me dying...with laughter through the whole show.

Directed by Chris Fritzges and Assistant Director Kyle Chassells, the talent was out of this world. Surprisingly, the cast was smaller than I thought it would be, but they carried the show, even when they had to pause for a slight malfunction. During the scene when Mr. Mushnik (Jimmy Bowler) is yelling at Seymour Krelbourn (Jagger Halk) a lightbulb exploded and the actors had to pause. However, no one would have thought otherwise if they kept on going, because it looked like Mr. Mushnik's anger caused the bulb to explode. And I'm sure they would have gone on with the show, except there was glass everywhere--(good job to the stage crew for taking care of the mess). Also, there appeared to be a castmate missing. One of the girls from the singing group was not there, but Justine Kakilala as Crystal and Crystal Delgado-Velez as Chiffon sang their hearts out and no one knew the difference.

The rest of the cast were equally amazing. Grace Burns as Audrey was exactly what you would have pictured, and she sang beautifully. The "Suddenly Seymour" duet had you cheering for the ill-fated couple. But let me talk about the voice actor for Audrey II. Brett Kagebein blew me away! Voicing a giant man-eating plant cannot be done by a thin, meager-sounding person. It has to be big. It has to be larger than life, and Kagebein did the job like a pro. His impression and singing for the plant were so similar to the movie, I was starry eyed by the time the show was over. Then, there was the multi-character actor Carter Rideout, who played the dentist as well as a slew of other characters, each funnier than the last. It was so much fun to see what person Rideout was going to be for each scene. The faces they made-the looks they gave...Rideout was a hoot through the whole show!

Now you can't write about this show without talking about Audrey II. It was massive and beautiful! Stage Management Mentor and Puppeteer Harlie Gann-Egan had control of that monstrosity and made it come to life. I have no idea how much man-power goes into creating the larger-than-life plant alien, but the details were noticed from the veins and vines to the large teeth and gruesome mouth. It was magnificent.

And let's not leave out that wonderful orchestra. I've been told that having a live band is not always possible due to space or time or money, but when the musicians are there, it really adds that special touch to the show. I am a huge fan of Music Director Michael Heavner. Not only is he a fabulous musician, he is also a top-notch music producer. For this production, Heavner and his fellow musicians Bass Guitarist Ian Collins, Electric Guitarist Perry Israel, Drums Scott Southern, and Piano Tommy Priakos had us jamming along with the plant and then in our feels during the mushy parts. It was perfect.

For information about the Film, Theatre, and Creative Writing program at UCA, check out their website at uca.edu/ftcw. For upcoming productions, follow their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/UCATheatre. Go Bears!

To post a comment, you must register and login.