Little Shop of Horrors, a story of fame, fortune and bloodthirsty foliage, premieres tonight at 8 at the Stage West Community Playhouse.
By JOY DAVIS-PLATT
Published July 18, 2003
SPRING HILL - When you're down and out, love struck and working in a skid row floral shop, the most unlikely of opportunities can seem tempting.
Beginning tonight, Stage West Community Playhouse will present the musical Little Shop of Horrors, the story of Seymour Krelbourn, an unassuming floral shop assistant who makes a Faustian pact with a mysterious plant to win the heart of the woman he loves.
Though tiny, the exotic specimen offers the love-smitten store clerk fame, fortune and the girl of his dreams - Audrey. The catch? His new plant has cultivated a taste for human blood.
"There is a limitless amount of fun you can have with this show," said Stan Kane, who plays flower shop proprietor Mr. Mushnik. "This entire show is completely over the edge. Every character is 10 times bigger than life."
Based on a 1960 movie by B-movie legend Roger Corman, the show's sci-fi camp is best enjoyed with tongue firmly planted in cheek, said director Leanne Germann.
"It's very similar to something like The Rocky Horror Show (which Stage West presented the past two summers) because it has a cult following," Germann said. "A lot of shows are cyclical, and this is one of those that's making the comeback."
Little Shop, which is this year's "summer special" at Stage West, opened 21 years ago at the Orpheum Theatre, where the offbeat musical ran for 2,209 performances, making it one of the longest-running off-Broadway shows of all time.
Much of the show's strength rests on the music of Alan Menken and lyrics of Howard Ashman, a pair responsible for characters in Disney's The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin.
But Little Shop is a far cry from Disney, Germann said.
"The music is cute, and the show is a boy-gets-girl kind of thing," she said. "But I wouldn't recommend it for children younger than 10."
As the situation blooms, Seymour is torn between his love for Audrey and the bloodthirsty appetite of his carnivorous cutting.
Known to Stage West audiences for his roles as a baseball player in Damn Yankees and as Dr. Neville Craven in The Secret Garden, Kane said he enjoys keeping a great deal of diversity in his repertoire.
"I keep changing my look so I don't get the same person all the time," he said. "I think it's important that people think of me as the character and not as Stan."
Crystal, Ronnette and Chiffon - Little Shop's version of a Greek chorus - seem to show up anywhere they are needed to comment on the action.
"This show has a lot of very good music and a lot of unusual quirks," said Germann. "It's definitely not like any other show Stage West has done."
- Joy Davis-Platt covers Hernando County arts and entertainment and can be reached at 848-1435. Send e-mail to joy@sptimes.com
AT A GLANCE
WHAT: The musical Little Shop of Horrors
WHERE: Stage West Community Playhouse, 8390 Forest Oaks Blvd., Spring Hill.
WHEN: Weekends today through July 27. shows are at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays
TICKETS: Tickets are $14. Theater box office is open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays and one hour before each show. Call 683-5113.
