Review: Coeur d’Alene Summer Theatre’s ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ production was polished – Audrey II and all – from start to finish
When a theater company commits to producing a musical like “Little Shop of Horrors,” they commit to a long list of challenges.
For one, “Little Shop of Horrors” blends both musical and theatrical genres. Thanks to composer Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, who wrote the lyrics and book, “Little Shop of Horrors” features rock, R&B, ‘50s girl group doo-wop and more.
Theatrically, the musical, which is loosely based on Charles B. Griffith’s 1960 film of the same name, is a blend of comedy and horror.
Speaking of horror, there’s also the challenge of bringing a blood-thirsty plant to life, a plant that grows and grows throughout the show.
Finally, there’s the matter of executing the quickest of quick changes as one performer plays multiple roles that, at one point, appear on stage one practically right after the other.
Coeur d’Alene Summer Theatre was well-equipped to take on that challenge, pulling off a polished production of “Little Shop of Horrors” from start to finish.
Audiences are welcomed to Skid Row by the all-knowing Greek chorus of Crystal (Michaelyn Oby), Chiffon (Tatiana Bahoque) and Ronette (Brianni Justice). Though they appear quite frequently throughout the show, I wouldn’t have minded seeing even more of this trio. Their voices blended beautifully, and they added a lot of humor to the show, whether front and center or sitting on a stoop on the side of the stage, simply reacting to what was going on.
We then meet the kind yet shy Seymour Krelborn (David Eldridge) and Audrey (Amy D’Orazi), a sweet girl with a penchant for hanging on to the wrong men. Both are employees at Mushnik’s Skid Row Floral Shop.
Seymour has been tending to a mysterious, venus fly trap-like plant he purchased for just $1.95 after a sudden solar eclipse. In honor of his workplace crush, he names the plant Audrey II. Despite his care and attention, Audrey II initially appears lethargic and lackluster. After pricking his finger on a rose thorn and watching Audrey II’s pod open, Seymour makes the startling realization that the plant thrives on blood.
Seymour and Audrey II make a deal of sorts, with Seymour pricking his fingers and feeding Audrey II as she demands. As Audrey II grows, both Seymour and the flower shop get a turn in the spotlight, but it soon becomes more and more difficult for Seymour to keep the plant happy and himself, Audrey and the rest of the world safe.
Eldridge has been on local stages for years now, appearing most recently as Dickon in Coeur d’Alene Summer Theatre’s production of “The Secret Garden.” If you haven’t yet seen Eldridge perform, this is the show to watch. Bound for even bigger stages, you’ll be able to say you knew Eldridge back then.
His Seymour was charming and sweet, with a little sass reserved for Audrey II when she got too demanding. He had some great physical comedy moments too, like when he tried to scramble up a dentist chair to escape Audrey’s abusive boyfriend Orin Scrivello (John Adkison). More on him later.
D’Orazi too is an Inland Northwest theater staple, and it’s easy to see why. She brought weight to what could be played as a ditzy character and made the audience feel her full support of Seymour, her fear around Orin and her longing for a better life.
Both Eldridge and D’Orazi had some beautiful vocal moments, including “Grow for Me” (Eldridge), “Somewhere That’s Green” (D’Orazi) and “Suddenly, Seymour” (the pair together in a highlight of the show).
Adkison made me dislike the character of Orin, Audrey’s dirtbag dentist boyfriend, the second he walked on stage, which is a compliment. As a handful of smaller characters, Adkison switched easily between various accents, motives and, as mentioned, quickly changed costumes (a round of applause to dressers Catherine Bedford, Becca Basta and Jen Kleinkauf). Adkison is a reliable performer indeed.
Erik Contzius made for a fun Mr. Mushnik, alternating between being the father figure of the group and insisting Audrey leave Orin and dreaming of the fame and fortune Audrey II could bring him, no matter the costs.
Those who saw Coeur d’Alene Summer Theatre’s season-opening production of “Fiddler on the Roof” will appreciate the choreography callback from Contzius and Eldridge during “Mushnik and Son,” thanks to choreographer Roger Welch and assistant choreographer Lorna Hamilton. Welch also directed the musical.
Finally, there’s Audrey II. For this production, puppet designer and builder Michael Brandt created five puppets, each one representing a new stage in Audrey II’s growth. The puppets were all even better than I imagined, becoming more detailed and creature-like as Audrey II grew.
A big shoutout to Paul Sciarrio, Hannah Hopkins and Declan Sheehan, the puppeteers behind Audrey II, for managing to control the ever-growing puppet and keep it in time with music director Scott Michaelsen and the wonderful band during songs like “Feed Me (Git It)” and “Suppertime,” sung by Michael Reed, who had one of the strongest voices of the evening.
From backstage, Reed talked back and sang as Audrey II demanded more from Seymour. Reed added so much inflection and emotion into his voice, he, combined with the three puppeteers, easily made Audrey II a fully realized character.
Scenic designer Charlie Monte created an efficient set in which the central piece could be rotated to represent the interior or exterior of the flower shop as needed, making scene changes a breeze.
And I appreciated costume designer Erin Lee McSwain’s choices for each character, from the plain Seymour to the ultra-feminine Audrey to the leather-clad Orin, plus the kooky costumes during “Don’t Feed the Plants.”
Coeur d’Alene Summer Theatre’s production of “Little Shop of Horrors” is short, sweet and just a little bit scary – the perfect combination for an exciting afternoon of theater.
The musical continues Thursday through Sunday at the Schuler Performing Arts Center in North Idaho College’s Boswell Hall. To purchase tickets, visit cstidaho.com.