Little Shop of Horrors a dark success [A]

By Ian Bott     4/15/14 3:45pm

“Hold on to your hat and hang on to your soul” as Rice VADA and the Rice Players collaborate to transport their audiences of Little Shop of Horrors to 1960s Skid Row, a place where “depression’s just the status quo.”

“Hold on to your hat and hang on to your soul” as Rice VADA and the Rice Players collaborate to transport their audiences of Little Shop of Horrors to 1960s Skid Row, a place where “depression’s just the status quo.” Directed by George Brock and produced by Christina Keefe and Michael Hollis, Hanszen College senior, the musical is a dark comedy that tells the story of Seymour, played by Baker College freshman Bryce Willey, a young florist down on his luck until a plant changes his life forever. 

Willey portrays Seymour as a likeable and highly-conflicted underdog who struggles to keep his sanity amidst the intense demands of the talking plant. Willey is able to step into Seymour’s meek and sheepish personality effectively, while also showing the great moral predicaments his character goes through. Wiess College freshman Ariana Morgan’s character, Audrey, is charming yet insecure, at first feeling unworthy of anything beyond an abusive relationship. Morgan gives a capable acting performance and notably excels vocally. Her singing voice stands out as beautifully melodic and appealing, in particular in renderings of “Somewhere That’s Green” and “Suddenly, Seymour.”

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Supporting roles add excitement and entertainment to the show. Curtis Barber, a student at Texas State, delivers a wonderful performance as Mr. Mushnik, the Czechoslovakian owner of the florist shop and the irritable boss of Seymour. His unsubtle glee at the prospect of making a quick buck is a consistent source of amusement, leading him to adopt Seymour as a son to share in the prosperity. Brown College freshman Roby Johnson plays Orin, a sadistic and maniacal dentist with a passion for nitrous oxide. Orin is as comical as he is detestable, and Johnson does well to strike the right balance between

the two traits.

The mysterious doo wop girls, played by Jones College senior Tristina Bryant, Duncan College senior Tasneem Islam and Hanszen freshman Rachel Buissereth, are street urchins who help narrate the action and support many of the musical scores vocally. Dressed in wigs and matching pink, purple and blue dresses, the trio has good chemistry with one another onstage, playing off of each other’s words and moving in tandem through synchronized choreography. Their charisma is showcased particularly well while interacting with Seymour and Mr. Mushnik in “Ya Never Know.”

The plant, Audrey II, which resembles something between a Venus flytrap and an overgrown watermelon, goes through several impressive stages of growth until it dwarfs its human counterparts. The voice of Duncan senior Faith Shapiro and the puppeteering skills of Jones junior Cassandra Barrett help create a convincingly realistic talking plant, despite the obvious eccentricity inherent in such

a concept. 

The stage is carefully crafted to show both the inside of the florist shop and the outside streets of Skid Row. Graffiti lines the walls of the streets and includes what appear to be names of the cast and crewmembers. Vagabonds and drunkards sit on steps or come out of trashcans, helping develop an atmosphere of degeneration and dilapidation. The production’s stage lighting ranges from a sickly green to a murderous red to disco strobe lighting in “Feed Me Seymour.” Costumes, designed by McMurtry College senior Daniel Burns and Brown junior Sarah Normoyle, aptly reflect the 1960s setting. The consistent contrast between the colorfulness of the doo wop girls and the plainness of Skid Row is particularly striking. 

Little Shop of Horrors offers a high-energy performance with few shortcomings. A deluge of talented acting performances is on display, and the production team has clearly put a great deal of work into making the show a success. Remaining performances are April 17-19 in Hamman Hall. And remember: Don’t feed the plant!

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