The primary time I noticed “Little Store of Horrors,” the campy, award-winning sci-fi/horror musical (based mostly on an authentic 1960 movie by “The King of Cult” Roger Corman) a couple of man-(and woman-) consuming plant named Audrey II and the bumbling “Skid Row” flower store worker who earns fame due to the voracious plant, I used to be sitting about eight rows again within the present’s authentic Off- Broadway Orpheum Theatre within the Little Ukraine part of Manhattan’s East Village in late 1982 or early 1983, just a few months after the present first opened to rave critiques.
Sitting immediately in entrance of me had been Liza Minelli, Sean Penn and Madonna. Sure, that well-known trio (nobody known as them a “thruple”). We had been all among the many packed home of almost 350 individuals who took within the spectacle of this flytrap-looking plant that grows from a pot on a counter to take up most of Mushnik’s Flower Store — and plans to take over all the world.
4 years later, “Little Store” was made into a success 1986 film starring Rick Moranis, Ellen Greene (who additionally created the position of Audrey, the love curiosity of geeky Seymour Krelborn, who additionally loves “unusual and fascinating crops”), Steve Martin as Audrey’s sadistic boyfriend Orin Scrivello, DDS, and Vincent Gardenia because the failing flower store proprietor, Mr. Mushnik.
Quick-forward almost 40 extra years and Jannah and I are sitting in a theatre nearly as massive because the Orpheum — the New Tampa Performing Arts Heart — on what turned out to be opening evening of the New Tampa Gamers (NTP)’ manufacturing of the present (Oct. 18), as a result of the primary weekend of performances received canceled following Hurricane Milton.
I’ve to confess that NTP’s “Little Store” very a lot rang true to the unique model I noticed greater than 40 years earlier.
Sure, a present the place 4 individuals are “eaten” by a large plant is somewhat disturbing, however an impressive forged performing nice songs (with e-book and lyrics by Howard Ashman and music by Alan Menken, the identical inventive crew behind Disney’s “The Little Mermaid,” “Magnificence and the Beast” and “Aladdin”), nice path by NTP’s Thomas Pahl, musical path by Rick Barclay and choreography by Makayla Raines, made NTP’s “Little Store” a tremendous tribute to that Off-Broadway authentic. (By the way in which, the Broadway revival manufacturing lasted solely 372 performances between Oct. 2003 and Aug. 2004.)
And Away We Go!
NTP’s “Little Store” opened with the title theme, sung by “the urchins” — (photograph #1, l.- r.) Paige Alter as Crystal, Sara Gutierrez as Chiffon and Patty Smithey (who portrayed Lorrell Robinson in NTP’s “Dreamgirls”) as Ronette.
We then meet (photograph #2, l.-r.) Mushnik (Luis Graham), who’s threatening to shut his flower store on Skid Row as a result of he can’t do any enterprise, the oafish, love-sick Seymour (Richard Brown) and Audrey (Madison Pulica, who has the unique cartoon-ish talking voice and mannerisms of the position’s originator all the way down to a “T”).
Seymour reveals Mushnik the “unusual and fascinating plant” that he discovered following a current complete photo voltaic eclipse and says that possibly displaying the plant will herald prospects — which it instantly does.
However quickly, when Seymour cuts himself on a rose thorn, the plant — which Seymour names the “Audrey II” after his unrequited beloved — first reveals its thirst for blood, so Stanley squeezes a couple of extra drops into its open maw (photograph #3), after which, Audrey II first begins to develop. In the meantime, Audrey continues to show the painful outcomes of the “affections” of her dentist boyfriend Orin (portrayed with very a lot Steve Martin-esque vigor by Tom Bronson), and sings (photograph #4) to the urchins about her dream to maneuver to “Someplace That’s Inexperienced.”
We (and Seymour) then meet Orin for the primary time, after Orin sings “(“You’ll Be A) Dentist” to the urchins (photograph #5). Seymour additionally sees Orin “tough up” Audrey for the primary time and, realizing that he can’t proceed to empty himself of his personal blood for Audrey II, additionally wonders for the primary time if possibly Orin ought to find yourself “offering” the blood for the now-much-larger plant.
Mushnik is now so impressed with Seymour (who’s revealed early on to be an orphan), that he tells Seymour within the track “Mushnik & Son” (Photograph #6) that he’ll re-name the now-much-more profitable flower store and undertake his now-star worker.
However subsequent, we discover out for the primary time that Audrey II can discuss — within the booming baritone of Christan McLaurine (at proper in photograph #9, who additionally was a scene-stealer as James “Thunder” Early in NTP’s “Dreamgirls”) within the track “Feed Me.”
Act I ends as Seymour brings a gun to his go to to Orin’s dental workplace, which is replete with rusty, medieval-style torture home equipment. Orin can’t wait to ply his commerce inside Seymour’s mouth, a lot in order that he will get his “particular fuel masks” (photograph #7) — to not sedate Seymour, however so Orin can “get pleasure from” his work. Seymour now realizes he doesn’t must shoot Orin, who can’t get the masks off and, with out help from Seymour, asphyxiates and dies in probably the most genuine scene of all the present.
Act II – “All of a sudden, Seymour!”
With Orin now out of the way in which (and chopped into items by Seymour, so he can feed the dentist to Audrey II), it doesn’t take lengthy for Audrey to comprehend that Seymour has at all times cherished her and (she thinks) that he’s a great man who shares her dream of shifting to the nation, regardless of his newfound (and undesirable) fame, which comes with Life journal and TV interviews. The duet between Audrey and Seymour — “All of a sudden Seymour” might be probably the most well-known track in “Little Store.”
However, in fact, every little thing falls aside rapidly from there. Seymour subsequent sacrifices Mushnik, who found Orin’s bloody lab coat within the retailer’s rubbish can, to Audrey II, regardless that Mushnik says he gained’t inform the authorities, as Seymour nonetheless must feed the now-monster-sized plant (photograph #8).
Subsequent, Audrey, who reveals she was an unique dancer earlier than coming to Mushnik’s, sacrifices herself by having Seymour throw her into Audrey II’s mouth. Then, Seymour, who now realizes that Audrey II’s plan is to take over the world, additionally jumps into the plant’s maw. With the entire major characters now useless and plans to unfold Audrey II seeds all around the nation (because the plant deliberate all alongside), the present ends on a significantly ominous word.
Congrats to the Audrey II puppeteers (Joseph Conrad, at left in photograph #9), Lily Sanford and Yoanivette Davila Aguiar, in addition to to James Cass of Image This Pictures for the scenic artwork, scenic dressing and props, and Shelly Giles for the nice costumes — and everybody else related to the Gamers and this present. “Little Store” was super-creepy however it was additionally super-fun!
For more information (together with about ticket gross sales and audition information) concerning the 2025 New Tampa Gamers reveals “Into the Woods” and “The Music Man,” go to NewTampaPlayers.org.
