Little Shop of Horrors at Theatre in the Grove by Tina Arth

Picture shows Max Powell and Audrey II

It can be tough for me to review a show I know really well, especially when it occupies prime
real estate in several parts of my heart – so many Audreys (both I and II), Seymours, and
Mushniks (including two of my favorite actors, Darrell Baker and Darren Hurley). Every telling is
familiar, yet still new. My standard is to look for a show that is faithful to the spirit of the
original musical (for me, first experienced via the movie) without simply mimicking the iconic
stylizations of stars like Ellen Green, Rick Moranis, and Steve Martin. Theatre in the Grove’s
current production of Howard Ashman and Alan Menken’s gem definitely achieves this goal.
Director Ken Centers, along with his cast and production team, delivers the essentials along
with enough fresh elements to please even the pickiest fan. Special credit to Jeananne Kelsey
for fine choreography and music and vocal director Tiara Herr for managing the complex
arrangements that define the Little Shop of Horrors sound.

Looking around the theater last Sunday, I was once again surprised at how many audience
members were clearly new to the show – I sometimes forget that everyone’s path into the
world of theater is individualized, and reflects a personal history. For readers who are not Little
Shop veterans, here’s a brief overview (sans spoilers). Setting: Mushnik’s Skid Row Florist, a
flower shop teetering on the brink of failure in a seriously depressed slum. Principal characters:
the bullying owner, Mr. Mushnik; shop assistants Seymour, an orphan plucked off the streets by
Mr. Mushnik, and Audrey, a good-hearted and tackily glamorous woman who shares Seymour’s
pathetically low self-esteem; Orin Scrivello, Audrey’s sadistic boyfriend; Chiffon, Crystal, and
Ronette, a trio of local urchins with amazing doo-wop chops who serve as the show’s Greek
Chorus; Seymour’s discovery Audrey II, an eerily fast-growing, sentient plant with unusual
appetites that has the potential to confer fame and fortune, but at an awful price.

I was delighted by the work of Shae Bedford, Jade Tate, and Abigail Wallace (as Chiffon, Crystal,
and Ronette), three young women with great pipes and tons of attitude. They work well
together as a team, but each displays her own personality as an actor, dancer and vocalist,
giving the audience lots of smooth harmony punctuated by moments of distinctive styling and
impressive runs. I was especially struck by how central they were to the action – I’ve seen
productions that relegated the trio to mere chorus, but they were front and center at TITG.
Nick Serrone (as Orin Scrivello and “others”) undoubtedly has and delivers the most fun, as he
literally and figuratively pops up all over the production. His “Dentist” is solid, but he really hits
his mark in the “Now (It’s Just the Gas)” duet with Seymour, and his cameos as the local bum
display some brilliant physical comedy. Travis Schlegel’s “Mushnik” is vocally powerful, and he
is despicable enough to deserve whatever fate might befall him, but the high point for me was
the clever and surprisingly lithe choreography with Seymour in “Mushnik and Son” (one of the
best songs in the show, imho).

TITG newcomer Abbe Drake is a fine Audrey, notable in part for her decision (which I applaud)
NOT to imitate Ellen Greene’s breathy and squeaky delivery. Her plaintive “Somewhere That’s
Green” is lovely, and sets up the song’s second act reprise nicely, but it is the “Suddenly
Seymour” number (with Seymour, Chiffon, Crystal, and Ronette) that really establishes the
transition in her character. TITG regular Max Powell is perfect as Seymour, the poor guy who,
like Audrey II, experiences dramatic growth (in Seymour’s case, from schlub to mensch).
Schlegel, Drake, and Serrone are all at their best when singing/acting with Powell, whose
performance holds the whole show together and sets the emotional tone and the pace for all of
the action.

Finally, of course there’s the plant, Audrey II, voiced by Zachary Centers and animated by
puppeteers Gabriel Russell and Hank Smith. At its largest, Audrey II dominates the stage, yet
moves beautifully – kudos to Jeremy and Heather Van Fleet for a stunning bit of prop
construction.

Zach Centers’ set design is up to his usual standards – a very high bar to clear – and the
revolving set is smoothly effective. Sandy and Tom Cronin’s lighting design rendered me
occasionally breathless with its ability to shift the mood to match the play, and the band
(Vanessa Jump Nelson, Dave Newdek, Shannon Nelson, and Ralph Zazula) was superb.
Little Shop of Horrors is playing at Theatre in the Grove, 2028 Pacific Avenue, Forest Grove
through October 23d, with performances Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2:30
p.m.