Theatre Under the Stars Delivers a Killer Little Shop of Horrors

Man-eating plants just in time for Halloween?

Yes, please.

But not just any man-eating plant, we’re talking about the infamous Audrey II of Alan Menken and Howard Ashman’s Little Shop of Horrors, now taking root at Theatre Under the Stars in a brand-new production of the oft-beloved musical.

The show centers around a little florist shop on Skid Row with a big problem – no customers. At the end of another sale-less day, the owner, Mr. Mushnik, tells his two employees, Seymour and Audrey, not to bother coming in the next day; he’s shutting it down. In an effort to change his mind, Audrey tells Mr. Mushnik about a “strange and interesting” plant Seymour found during a total eclipse of the sun, which she believes might attract business. The plant is like nothing they’ve ever seen before, and though he thinks it’s some kind of flytrap, Seymour can’t find anything like it in his books. Regardless, the plan works. The plant, which Seymour names Audrey II, immediately draws in customers. Business booms and Seymour becomes something of a celebrity for discovering a new breed of plant life.

But there’s a new problem. Audrey II tends to grow and then wilt, and nothing Seymour does seems to help. It’s not until Seymour pricks his finger on a rose’s thorn that he gets a clue as to what the plant wants. It turns out Audrey II wants blood. “It must be blood and it must be fresh,” says Audrey II, which has inexplicably started talking. Now, with the fate of the shop, his crush on Audrey I, and his own future on the line, Seymour has to decide just how far he’ll go to feed the plant’s ever-increasing hunger.

Let it never be forgotten that the grotesquely absurd plot of Little Shop of Horrors isn’t just musical theater homage to the sci-fi B-movies of the mid-20th century, it’s literally based on a Roger Corman film from 1960 – a film that’s origin basically boils down to Corman and writer Charles B. Griffith drunkenly spit-balling ideas until Griffith was like, “How about a man-eating plant?”

Yes, how about a man-eating plant? Menken and Ashman eventually got their talented hands on the material, with Little Shop of Horrors opening off-off-Broadway back in 1982. Since then, Audrey II and co. have made their way to Broadway proper, the West End, and the big screen, as well as multiple revivals, tours, and local productions. There was also a short-lived Fox Kids cartoon that probably wouldn’t have seen the light of day without the success of the musical and its subsequent film adaptation.

It’s not hard to see why the musical has had so much success over the years, but if you want a prime example, head over to the Hobby Center ASAP because you won’t find a more perfect production of Little Shop of Horrors than what’s over at Theatre Under the Stars right now. Director Melissa Rain Anderson’s production leans right into the campy absurdity and humor, and it moves at lightning speed. Seriously, it’s blink and you’ll be wishing you could turn the clock back two hours to watch it again.

Alan Menken’s score, here under the skillful direction of Dr. John Cornelius, is rooted in 1960s pop, overwhelmingly upbeat and catchy with plenty of numbers you might find yourself humming on the way home. Kiara Caridad, Simone Gundy, and Sarah Sachi provide the production’s vocal through line as a Greek chorus meets Supremes-style girl group. The vocally gifted trio narrate, provide a bit of commentary, and egg on the characters just a bit through their lush harmonies and soulful deliveries in songs across the production. They set the tone of the show during the “Prologue,” carry the show’s great opener “Downtown (Skid Row)” and add depth to “Dentist.”

Playing against the music’s bubbly guise is Howard Ashman’s darker lyrics, which are mediated through the performances of the cast – and a knockout cast it is.

Rob Riordan is flawless as a nerdy loser or, as Mr. Mushnik calls Seymour, a “twerp of a klutz.” He is sweetly downtrodden and oh-so-easy to root for, as is Mary Kate Moore’s low-self-esteem-having Audrey. Moore is earnest and vulnerable, and delivers a memorably wistful rendition of “Somewhere That’s Green.”

On the other end of the spectrum, Dan De Luca brings a superbly unhinged energy to show as semi-sadist Dr. Orin Scrivello D.D.S., complete with a drawn-out, exhaled delivery of all his lines and an insane, nitrous oxide-induced insane.

Mark Ivy’s Mushnik is over-the-top and scheming, which all culminates in the terribly fun “Mushnik and Son.” It, of course, includes the “Mushnik and Son” tango, brilliantly imagined by choreographer Monica Josette and executed to perfection by Ivy and Riordan. Josette nailed every bit of movement in the musical, from Caridad, Gundy, and Sachi’s synched up moves to a conga line here, and a shimmy there.

As it is meant to be, Audrey II is a scene-stealer. From little bud that adorably tries to bite and seems to bop along to the music to growing menace that slowly overruns the florist shop, Audrey II (precisely manipulated by Turell Robins) steals focus from the get – and it gets even better when the plant talks. Voiced by Dion Simmons Grier, the plant is whiny and demanding, disturbingly sensual, and, in short, the worst little devil to have on your shoulder.

The action all plays out on a rotating set by Paul Wonsek (with additional designs by Ryan McGettigan). It sits against a backdrop of tenement buildings with the perfect amount of urban decay – broken out and boarded up windows, ratty posters, and folks sleeping on the streets. Slotting perfectly into Wonsek’s world are Colleen Grady’s clear-eyed costumes, from Seymour’s little sweater vest to Orin’s leather chest harness. And it’s all lit by John Spencer’s always attention-grabbing, sometimes psychedelic designs.

One thing that helps any show is the audience, and I have to say that last night’s audience was along for every second of the ride. They were quick to laugh, quick to applaud, and clearly there to have a good time. And that’s exactly what Theatre Under the Stars gave us – a great time.

Performances will continue at 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays and Sunday, 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays through November 3 at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, 800 Bagby. For more information, call 713-558-8801 or visit tuts.com. $34.50-$138.50.