Lights, chlorophyll, action! Parkland’s production of “Little Shop of Horrors” filled its seats on opening night, April 11. The audience was left with a sweet taste that may need to be experienced several times. Between Parkland’s first-ever rotating platform and the tale of how Mr.Freeze from DC Comics inspired the building of Orin Scrivello’s gas mask – the story behind the musical is just as jaw-dropping as the performance.
The Story
For those unfamiliar with “Little Shop of Horrors,” you won’t be left in the dark for long. The beginning of the musical begins with Ronnette [Kaila Simpson], Crystal [Kiah Johnson], Chiffon [Chiobahn Dunn] and a new character, Smokey [Excellence Onalundala], delivering otherworldly (get it?) harmonies as they walk starting from behind the audience singing the prologue of the musical:
“The human race suddenly encountered a deadly threat to its very existence / And this terrifying enemy surfaced, as such enemies often do / In the seemingly most innocent and unlikely of places.”
Although the four vocalists are individually stunning and have their own time to shine in the musical, the actors’ coordination and choreography were nothing short of synchronous. Little did the audience know, this was only the beginning of the synergy of a cast who was never out of step or pitch.
The classic musical, featuring the story of an intergalactic carnivorous plant coming to Earth, already has a script built to capture audiences, but the team behind this performance found a way to level it up in every way.
The journey of Seymour Krelborn [Russell Zillman Jr], from small-time florist to national botany mogul, started with his pining for Audrey [Rachel Gladd] and wanting to save her from her dangerous boyfriend. As he discovers the fortuity of having a – quite talkative – carnivorous plant, he also faces a moral panic about how to keep Audrey II [Voice: Adrian Rochelle | Puppeteers: Maya Baker, Mahal Childress, Max Deremiah Alison Wiltgren] healthy and appeased.
As the fame and national acclaim grows, so does Audrey II and the required feeding amounts. As the people around Seymour start to disappear, more problems show up. The tensions steadily rose, and every beat of it was performed with chemistry that may as well have been cooked up in a lab.
The Cast
In this production, there was no such thing as a small role. From puppeteering a pint-size plant to controlling the maw of a growing Goliath, there was never a character that did not heighten the effect of the scene. Who knew a sassy plant slumping over would cause an entire audience to cackle? Perhaps the director’s foresight in small moments like this is what kept the energy alive throughout the night.
Alongside Audrey and Seymour, Mr. Mushnik [Dylan Holt] is caught in the crossfire of good luck as his shop booms with business because of this “strange and interesting plant” before he starts putting the puzzle pieces together.
The three protagonists sell every moment of this musical, lacing every dialogue with subtext offered by subtle facial expressions that kept the audience in an uproar the entire night. Their well-timed lines and comedic facial expressions were not the highlight, however. The range of drama offered by each character is what impressed the most.
Between the jovial musical number of “Mushnik and Son” and the heartfelt “Suddenly Seymore,” each number was choreographed in a way that seamlessly melted into each scene.
Jess Schlipf’s escapades, while playing nine distinct characters, cannot be ignored. Between the well-defined accents – applauded by an audience member during the talkback – and rapid clothing changes made it all the more impressive. Schlipf particularly excelled in “Now (It’s Just the Gas)” and “Dentist!” which were backed up by the ensemble, which only enhanced Schlipf’s antics.
The Crew
There was never a lag in the action. The stage crew and design departments were perhaps the unsung heroes of the night. Scene changes were seamless due to the creative use of the turntable and handmade quick costume changes throughout the musical’s runtime. The lighting crew must also be applauded for quickly and effectively flipping the mood between scenes in a manner that avoided feeling jarring or disjointed – which would be easy to mess up, granted how many sudden peaks and valleys are in “Little Shop.”
Between the live band, ensemble musical numbers, and action scenes, the sound could have easily been a nightmare to deal with. However, the sound crew kept everything well-balanced and under control. The pit orchestra also hit their cues with great precision, reliably accompanying the actors despite having “only a handful” of joint rehearsals, according to a member of the pit.
During the Talkback
The opening show included a talkback session, allowing the audience – whether casual viewers or theater extraordinaires – to stick around and give their honest thoughts directly to the cast in an open dialogue about the production. This area normally entails constructive criticism or moments of confusion from the audience. However, the only responses and questions from the audience were delivered in awe and wonder.
A long-time fan of “Little Shop of Horrors” exclaimed that she had “never seen a three headed Audrey [Two],” causing the director to dive into his vision for the musical.
He explained that he saw too many versions where Audrey II was stationary or otherwise stagnant. His passion for wanting everything to be lively and animated showed up in several places, making the musical numbers shine even while being delivered from a plant. Handmade puppets, sets, and quick-change clothing made it clear that this show was one delivered from passion.
Several more members of the audience asked how the gas mask, turntable, quick-changes, and set pieces were made, and as it turns out, they were all crafted by people within the theater community. The gas mask took months of planning, while the costumes weren’t finished until opening night. Every process and project was described with equal parts exasperation and passion. This is likely what created such a lightning-in-a-bottle musical.
Despite saying they had only a few rehearsals with the band and finished the costumes on opening day, this musical was anything but lacking in attention to detail. Nearly every piece of the production was hand-made (with the clothes being donated material) with clever ingenuity of the quick changes and trap doors within the set allowed the castmates to enter and exit with no issue.
Based on the roars of laughter, audience talkback, and smiles when leaving the performance, you may need to add this to your calendar before it leaves on April 28.
