HPCT's "Little Shop of Horrors" Is a Bloomin' Hit
by Joseph Rosenblum
High Point Community Theatre concludes its season this week-end with "Little Shop of Horrors," the botanical version of "Sweeney Todd."
"Little Shop" is probably the only musical in which the main character is a carnivorous plant, Audrey II, whose lines are sung and spoken powerfully by Gareth Stearns and whose movements are deftly orchestrated by Noah Eckert.
Audrey II is the creation of Seymour (Timothy Metzner). He first appears as a nebbish of the first order. As Audrey II flourishes, so does Seymour. His sartorial efforts improve, as does his relationship with Audrey I (Kate Smith), the love of his life for whom he has named his new plant species. Seymour and plant begin hesitant and wilting but become increasingly vibrant--and bloody-minded.
As Audrey, Smith is poignant and funny. In "Somewhere Green" she sings charmingly of her dream of being surrounded by plants. She achieves her wish, though not in the manner she had imagined. Before she and Seymour become an item, she dates Orin, a sadistic dentist menacingly played by Skyler Brown. His fondness for nitrous oxide proves his undoing. He dies laughing (and twitching) in the comically grisly song "Now (It's Just the Gas)."
Mickey Highland renders perfectly the the beleaguered, irascible owner of a failing plant store Mr. Mushnik.
The Skid Row-nettes serve as melodious chorus. Their well-coordinated dance movements (choreographed by Mallory Graham) help create the 1950s feel of the show. All the Skid Row-nettes have great voices, and Tashia Dorsey is a diva.
David Bell's set is simple but effective. The band is excellent, especially Danny Frye's percussion. which is suitably raucous when he plays Audrey II's leitmotif.
Don't feed the plants this week-end. Instead, go see "Little Shop of Horrors," which runs through Sunday at the High Point Theatre.
(Joseph Rosenblum teaches library science and literature courses at UNCG.)
No comments:
Post a Comment