Nov. 6, 2009 I The Clarion
— Arts & Life
'Little Shop of Horrors' a success
Page 7
by Will Byers
Arts & Life Editor
Little Shop of Horrors impressed multiple
audiences this weekend in Morrison
Playhouse of the Porter Center Brevard’s
Theatre Studies and Music Departments
combined efforts to create an energetic and
hilarious rendition of the 1986 musical film
adaptation Little Shop of Horrors.
The well-timed Hallowe’en weekend
debut had its roots in past
stage and film incarnations
of this story of a hapless
florist’s assistant, the
woman he loves, and the
freak plant that propels
his tragicomic downfall.
At its heart, this story
contains love, carnage,
farce, and a good helping of
adventures in experimental
botany. The accompanying
musicians held it down with
deft subtlety, and the doo
wop girls deserve special
recognition for their ever
present moxy.
As technically remarkable as it was
well-acted, Brevard College’s production
captured the witty essence of the musical
story outlining Seymour Krelborn’s,
a poignant and funny Dave Bergman
acquisition of an
otherworldly plant, and
his subsequent rise to
fame and fortune.
Showcasing it in
Mushnik’s Flower
Shop on Skid Row, he
dubs his plant Audrey If
in honor of his hidden
love for co-worker
Audrey, played by the
outstanding Whitney
Gruber, whose voice
remained impeccable
through the very last
performance. Her abusive
boyfriend, the maniacally
sadistic dentist Orin
Scrivello, was played by
Kyle Jackola, who chaimeled
the wicked glee that Steve
Martin once brought to the
role. No small task, and
to boot, Jackola played a
few other characters that
ranged from a wino to a
flirtatious married woman.
Add “Cougar” to your
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Will Hartzog, or shall
1 say his alter ego, Audrey 11, was a
revelation of soulful, gritty insatiability. It
felt like Tom Waits was in the house and
the mood was, in a word, salacious. At first
photo courtesy M. Newton
the plant (puppeteer Katherine Parnell was
in the zone) thrives
on Seymour’s drops
of blood, but as it
grows it develops a
more specific appetite.
The plant encourages
Seymour to bring it the
carcass of the twisted,
chauvinistic Orin,
and he reluctantly
obliges because the
poor, hapless chap is
tortured by Audrey’s
phght. What a guy.
As the plot develops, it becomes unclear
if things will end well for Seymour, who
gets the girl but is racked by the guilt of
nurturing a bloodthirsty plant. He resolves
to destroy Audrey II after he is forced to
feed to it Mr Mushnik, his boss, in order
to cover up the death of Orin. Mushnik was
portrayed by Alex Tompkins, previously
seen as Picasso in last year’s excellent
production of Picasso at the Lapin Agile.
I must not spoil the end, for if you were
present you have already witnessed the
culmination, and if you weren’t then rent
the movie and make sure you show up to
future productions. Two dollars y’all!? I
know you’ve got that much change lying
around somewhere. Show some love for
your classmates and we’ll keep seeing
Brevard Theatre outdo itself more and more
with vibrant, brilliant shows like this one.
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