Little Shop of Horrors

Last night I took Kieran out to see "Little Shop of Horrors" at the Broadway Rose Theater. For his birthday in April, we gave him a coupon book with coupons for a trip to the Dollar Tree, a trip to the candy shop, a Starbucks date, a movie night, $20 anytime, quality time with Mom and Dad (separately), and a night out at the theater. He decided to cash in the theater coupon for this show. I was delighted to accompany him! We've attended a number of kids' and teen shows at Broadway Rose, but this was our first "real," professional show.

And what a show!! I'd never seen a production of "Little Shop of Horrors," although I love the movie and enjoyed introducing the kids to it last year sometime (forgetting that line "No shit, Sherlock!" Whoops!!). Broadway Rose's production apparently is a combination of the old B-grade horror movie and the movie musical. It had several more musical numbers than the movie, and the cast was biracial. (In the movie, the girl singers are African-American, but the rest of the cast is white.) I love Steve Martin's rendition of the dentist, so it took me awhile to adjust to someone else playing that role, but I got used to it. The actor who played the dentist, Brian Demar Jones, not only played the dentist but he also played a wide variety of characters who try to offer Seymour rich-and-famous contracts. It was especially funny to hear him talking with a Jewish accent! And man, does he have amazing legs (and voice)!

I was impressed with the quality of the singing. Bobby Ryan and Rebecca Teran were perfectly cast as Seymour and Audrey, and the singing trio (Chiffon, Ronette, and Crystal) sounded great together, too. Darren Hurley as Mr. Mushnik had a surprisingly good voice, showcased in a couple of the songs.

And the most impressive? The puppet! Audrey II grew from a small plant into an enormous one that took over the stage and was operated by a puppeteer inside. Phenomenal!

The show runs until October 21...the theater is small, so there are no bad seats. We were lucky to snag the two remaining seats together for opening night. Kieran's desperate to see it again!

My date
Here's a preview video, which gives you a taste:


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