Little Shop of Horrors
Book and Lyrics by Howard Ashman, Music by Alan Menken
Based on the film by Roger Corman, Screenplay by Charles Griffith
Directed by Maggie Burrows
Choreographed by William Carlos Angulo
The Muny
July 26, 2023

Cast of Little Shop of Horrors
Photo by Phillip Hamer
The Muny
The Muny’s excellent 2023 season is continuing this week with the modern classic horror/comedy musical Little Shop of Horrors. It’s a show I’ve seen before in various productions, including the popular 1986 film and the last Muny production in 2011. This year, the little show is bigger and bolder than ever with some truly remarkable production values, strong direction, and a first-rate cast. It’s not a large-cast show and it’s not very long in running time, but there’s a lot of talent on that huge Muny stage, and this production makes the most of the tone, setting, and excellent score.
This show brings the “Skid Row” neighborhood to the stage with flair, by means of Kristen Robinson’s well-crafted, detailed set and Greg Emetaz’s eye-catching video design. Based on a 1960s b-grade horror film, it takes us into the world of nerdy, neglected Seymour (Robin de Jesús), who works at a rundown flower shop owned by Mr. Mushnik (Michael McGrath) and pines after his co-worker Audrey (Pattie Murin), who is in an abusive relationship with a sadistic dentist, Orin (Ryan Vasquez, who plays several roles). When Seymour’s new “strange and unusual plant”, that he’s dubbed Audrey II (manipulated by Ryan Patton, voiced by Nicholas Ward) starts demanding to be fed human blood, this starts a chain of events that first seem to benefit Seymour, but soon threaten him, those he loves, and eventually, the rest of the world. There’s a memorable cast of characters, an increasingly dark tone that’s alternately comic and terrifying, and a prominent Greek chorus of 1960’s styled street urchins and “girl group” singers named Crystal (Kennedy Holmes), Chiffon (Taylor Maire Daniel), and Ronnette (Stephanie Gomérez), who narrate and comment on the story. It’s a Faustian tale with a warning, as with vividly drawn characters and a memorable score well-played by the Muny Orchestra led by music director Andrew Graham.
The staging is spectacular. This isn’t a big show, generally, but director Maggie Burrows and the excellent creative team have managed to fill that big stage with much detail and some impressive effects without losing the show’s overall spirit. In addition to the great set and video production, there are also marvelous costumes by Leon Dobkowski, along with fantastic puppet design by James Ortiz, and dazzling lighting by Rob Denton. This show looks and feels just the way it should, with a few welcome surprises in staging in terms of how the plant is portrayed, that are still in keeping with the tone of the show.
The cast is still relatively small, as well, for a Muny show, with only the principals and a moderately sized Youth Ensemble, who all put in strong, energetic performances. As for the leads, everyone is doing a great job, with de Jesús the biggest standout in an engaging, terrifically sung turn as Seymour. Holmes, Daniel, and Gomérez are also stellar as the ubiquitous Crystal, Chiffon, and Ronnette, whose singing and dancing is especially impressive. There’s also great support from Vasquez in a variety of roles, including the gleefully violent dentist Orin. Murin and McGrath are also strong as Audrey and Mushnik, and Murin’s scenes with de Jesús are compelling. And then there’s Audrey II, with truly fantastic performances by Ward on vocals and Patton manipulating the meticulously detailed, evolving puppet. This is a somewhat tricky show in terms of tone, considering it’s a comedy, but there are also some seriously dark moments. This cast gets the energy, tone, and atmosphere just right.
The Muny is on a roll this year. 2023 marks the 20th season I’ve seen shows here, and so far, it has been the best in terms of overall quality and consistency. I have seen some great shows here, but even with its reputation for excellence, the Muny is outdoing itself this season. Little Shop of Horrors is another example of that excellence. It’s a comedy, but with some dark and genuinely chilling moments. It’s a truly impressive feat of theatrical performance and technical wizardry.
The Muny is presenting Little Shop of Horrors in Forest Park until July 31, 2023