Updated: Darren Criss and Evan Rachel Wood Will Star in LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS Beginning in January

According to Darren Criss and later confirmed by producers, he and Evan Rachel Wood will be headed to Skid Row for a short run as Seymour and Audrey, beginning on January 30, through the end of March.

Criss announced the limited engagement on Sirius XM On Broadway during "A Very Darren Crissmas Hour."

"Folks, Evan [Rachel Wood] and I, if you haven't heard, will be going into Little Shop of Horrors at the West Side Theatre Off-Broadway, and I'm going to be doing that from I think late January through the End of March. It'll be short and sweet, but I'm so excited to be announcing that to you if you didn't already know that," stated Criss during the show.

Updated: Sunday 12/24 - Producers of the three-time Best Musical Revival Award-winning production of Little Shop of Horrors later confirmed that Emmy, SAG, and Golden Globe Award nominated star Evan Rachel Wood, in her New York Stage debut, and Emmy, SAG, and Golden Globe Award winner Darren Criss returns to the stage, to play Audrey and Seymour respectively, at the Westside Theatre (407 West 43rd Street), beginning January 30, 2024. The smash hit production continues its florid run now through January 4, 2026. As previously announced, Constance Wu & Corbin Blue will play their final performances as Audrey and Seymour, respectively, on Sunday, January 28, 2024.

“The casting of this show has become one of the greatest joys of our lives. The fact that in year five, we continue to attract talent like Evan Rachel Wood and Darren Criss is a testament to Howard Ashman’s and Alan Menken’s Little Shop of Horrors being one of the finest achievements in musical theater, and to Michael Mayer’s perfectly and joyously staged production at the Westside Theatre,” says the producers of Little Shop. “As two of the most daring, enticing, and dynamic stars of their generation, we cannot wait to see the magic that real-life friends Evan & Darren bring to their roles.

Darren Criss recently starred on Broadway in David Mamet’s American Buffalo alongside Laurence Fishburne and Sam Rockwell. He also appeared on Broadway in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and Hedwig and the Angry Inch. He is best known for the YouTube viral hit A Very Potter Musical and his role as Blaine Anderson in the television show Glee.

Evan Rachel Wood's recent film and television roles include Dolores Abernathy in the HBO series Westworld and Madonna in Weird: The Al Yankovic Story opposite Daniel Radcliffe. She also voiced Queen Iduna in the Disney animated film Frozen II.

Earlier this year, it was announced that Wood and Amanda Seyfried were workshopping a Thelma and Louise musical. Little Shop of Horrors will mark Wood's Off-Broadway debut. 

About Little Shop of Horrors

With a book and lyrics by Grammy and Academy Award winner Howard Ashman (The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast), and music by Tony and Academy Award winner Alan Menken (Aladdin, Newsies), the 2020 Drama League, Outer Critics Circle, and Drama Desk Award-winning Best Musical Revival of LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS is directed by Tony Award winner Michael Mayer (Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Spring Awakening) and choreographed by Ellenore Scott (Funny Girl, Mr. Saturday Night). 

LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS began previews at Westside Theatre on Tuesday, September 17, 2019, and opened to widespread critical acclaim on Thursday, October 17, 2019.  Ben Brantley of The New York Times deemed the show a “Critic’s Pick,” declaring that “a certain carnivorous plant has been re-potted in Hell’s Kitchen, and I am delighted to report that it’s thriving there. Michael Mayer’s delicious revival…summons the shivery elation I felt seeing the musical at the East Village’s Orpheum nearly four decades ago. It restores the show to its original scale and sensibility, reminding us of the special potency of grisly things that come in small, impeccably wrapped packages.” The Hollywood Reporter describes the production as “wildly exuberant and irresistible. This terrific revival will only deepen the devotion for those lucky enough to catch it.” Time Out gives the musical “Four Stars! A deeply satisfying revival… with a marvelous cast. What kind of deal with what kind of devil are you willing to cut to see it?”   When the production re-opened its doors following the pandemic-related extended shut-down, Washington Post critic Peter Marks exclaimed, “I’m back at Little Shop of Horrors because, friends, I needed to laugh today. Hearing the glorious Menken/Ashman score sung by this cast fills the prescription. [A return trip] is WORTH IT.”   

Seymour is a down-on-his-luck florist with a crush on his co-worker Audrey. When he discovers a mysterious – and voracious – plant, suddenly Seymour and Audrey are thrust into an epic battle that will determine the fate of the entire human race. LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS first premiered Off-Broadway in 1982, where it made audiences laugh, scream, and give up gardening for good. The musical has since catapulted into a global phenomenon, with productions across the world from Broadway to London’s West End, to Asia and Australia – plus a hit 1986 film adaptation directed by Frank Oz that starred Rick Moranis, Ellen Greene and Steve Martin. Now, the musical has made its highly-anticipated return home to Off-Broadway, in an intimate new production directed by Michael Mayer that offers an unprecedented opportunity to get close — maybe too close — to an incredible plant with an insatiable appetite.    

The LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS design team features Tony-nominated Scenic Designer Julian Crouch (Hedwig and the Angry Inch); Two-time Tony-winning Lighting Designer Bradley King (Hadestown, Natasha Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812); Emmy-winning Costume Designer Tom Broecker (Everyday Rapture); Tony-winning Sound Designer Jessica Paz (Hadestown); Emmy-nominated Puppet Designer Nicholas Mahon (Pyeongchang Olympics Opening Ceremony) and Hair and Makeup Designer Tommy Kurzman (My Fair Lady). Original puppet design is by Martin P. Robinson, Puppets are by Monkey Boys Productions, and Grammy nominee Will Van Dyke (Pretty Woman) serves as Music Supervisor, Orchestrator & Arranger.    

  LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS is produced by Tom Kirdahy, Robert Ahrens, Hunter Arnold, Mickey Liddell, Caiola Productions, Curt Cronin, John Joseph, DDM Productions, DeSantis-Baugh Productions, Elizabeth Dewberry & Ali Ahmet Kocabiyik, Wendy Federman, Roy Furman, Deborah Green, Kayla Greenspan, Marguerite Hoffman, Sally Cade Holmes, Latitude Link, Seriff Productions, Silva Theatrical Group, and Eric Gelb/Oliver Roth. Casting is by Jim Carnahan, C.S.A./Jason Thinger, General Management is by Live Wire Theatrical/ Chris Aniello, Production Management is by Tinc Productions and Production Stage Management is by Sara Sahin.    

About Darren Criss

Since bursting onto the pop-culture landscape over a decade ago, Darren Criss has made his unique mark in the entertainment industry- from the YouTube viral hit A Very Potter Musical in 2009, to his run as Blaine Anderson on the hit FOX’s musical series Glee, to his work on Broadway in shows like How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and Hedwig and the Angry Inch. His portrayal of spree killer Andrew Cunanan on The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story received acclaim from critics, and earned him an Emmy win for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries, or Television Film. Earlier this year he starred in David Mamet’s American Buffalo alongside Laurence Fishburne and Sam Rockwell.

About Evan Rachel Wood

Evan Rachel Wood is an American actress, model, and musician. Throughout her robust career, she has received a Critics' Choice Television Award as well as three Primetime Emmy Award nominations and three Golden Globe Award nominations.

Wood has appeared in several television shows, including American Gothic and Once and Again. She made her debut as a leading film actress at the age of nine in Digging to China. Wood gained recognition from her Golden Globe-nominated role as Tracy Freeland in the film Thirteen. She continued acting in films including Pretty Persuasion (2005), Down in the Valley (2005), Running with Scissors (2006), Across the Universe (2007), The Wrestler (2008), Whatever Works (2009), and The Ides of March (2011).

She played the recurring role of Sophie-Anne Leclerq on the HBO series True Blood and Veda Pierce on the HBO series Mildred Pierce. Wood recently stared as Dolores Abernathy in the HBO series Westworld, Madonna in Weird: The Al Yankovic Story opposite Daniel Radcliffe, and voiced Queen Iduna in the Disney animated film Frozen II.