by Alan Menken & Howard Ashman

September 30^th through October 31st, 2009

Josh Clark(r) and Joshua Estrada (l) in Little Shop of Horrors

Texas Repertory Theatre opened its second production of its 2009-2010 season on Friday, October 9th, with a silly, superb, and spectacular production of Ashman & Menken's intimate musical, Little Shop of Horrors, which is based on the Roger Corman film from 1960.

We all know the story of the man-eating plant that arrives from outer space and makes its home in a New York City flower shop and starts gobbling up everyone. Craig A. Miller, Artistic Director of Texas Rep and Director of this production, has treated us with the perfect trick for the Halloween season! Texas Rep's intimate and professional theatre space provides the perfect original off-Broadway intimacy and scale that made the show such a huge hit in the first place. Craig A. Miller's casting could not be better. His inventive and resourceful staging makes this show work beautifully.

Blythe Kirkwood gives Audrey the perfect amount of innocence and ennui with her squeaky voice and perfect body and we understand why Seymour is so attracted to her. Don't expect Ellen Greene's dumb blonde from the 1986 film. In this production, Kirkwood sports a dark wig (like Jackie Joseph in the original film) and plays not so much dumb but confused and bored, all the while covering her gorgeous assets with tacky form-fitting outfits designed to attract her suitors. From her first "Skid Row" to her hopes of living in a better place in "Somewhere That's Green" to the beautifully belted "Suddenly Seymour," Kirkwood soars.

Joshua Estrada's Seymour is the perfect nerd and his solid tenor voice skillfully takes us into the action of the boy that is totally smitten with Audrey. Steven Fenley as Mr. Mushnik gives a tour de force performance as the Jewish shop owner and his dynamic duet with Estrada, "Mushnik and Son," provides one of the high points of the show (this song, unfortunately, was cut from the film.)

Matthew Wade as Orin Scrivello, the Dentist, is over-the-top, all over the stage, and outstanding as the sadistic dentist that has trapped Audrey and taunted Seymour and is played so mean and tawdry that when he finally succumbs to his own death by asphyxiation, we are drooling with pleasure, particularly when Seymour feeds his bloody body parts to the plant, Audrey II. Wade shows off his talents as a gifted character actor as he takes us through multiple roles such as The First Customer and the many oily men that try to get Seymour to sign on the bottom line.

Elliott Jordan provides the offstage voice of Audrey II.
This skillful soul brother rocks the theatre and knocks down the walls and blows off the roof with his delicious dialogue and delectable singing of "Feed Me" and "Suppertime." Joshua Clark masterfully and skillfully manipulates the puppet's mouth and body in perfect sync with Jordan's voice and we believe that this plant is real. BOO!

The consistent thread that runs through the show is the three street urchins that comment and chant through appearances and reappearances and sum up our strange situation as it unfolds.

Arianna Bermudez makes her Texas Rep debut and totally rules as the low-note Ronnette with perfect charisma, attitude, and a mean New York accent. I have a very strong feeling we will be seeing alot more of Bermudez. Blonde superstar Rachael Logue as Chiffon brings in the middle with lots of strong mezzo sexy slinking, finger-pointing, and hip-grinding in street-wise perfection and dons a black fall and bangs reminiscent of Karen Black in Airport---minus the crossed eyes!
Comic genius extraordinaire Susan Draper takes the high notes as Crystal and is saucy, sassy, and sublime as she cleverly disguises her appearance with dark eyebrows and a brown wig. Choreography by Kristen Vickers and Dan O'Brien is amusing, clever, and entertaining.

Jesse Dreikosen designs the most exquisite set I have witnessed to date at Texas Rep. The set looks like a real New York Skid Row street, complete with brick walls, stoops, boarded up windows, lamp posts, trash cans, etc. When the set splits apart and each piece moves aside to display our flower shop, it is magical! The dentist's office flies in and reveals antique dentist equipment---right in line with the dentist's sadistic touch. Lighting design by Gary Echelmeyer is perfect, particularly when the plant begins to take over and Echelmeyer switches from natural lighting to hot reds to heighten the effect.
Costume designer Fernando Zamudio beautifully captures the sixties with an exquisite eye for detail, flair, color, and form. Audrey II Puppet Design is by Daniel Roberts and the puppets are brilliantly executed.
They are totally convincing and we are pulled into the action by his amazing creations.

Luke Kirkwood admirably conducts and plays a mean Keyboard I as the Music Director and Conductor of the Little Shop Orchestra.
Kirkwood makes all the right choices in orchestra volume and has masterfully directed his talented cast to produce a great sound.

I know of no show that is now playing in the Houston area that is as much fun and is as well done as is Texas Repertory Theatre's Little Shop of Horrors.

The show runs four times a week through Halloween, Saturday, October 31st. Don't miss it or you will be eaten by a giant plant!