SHARE:  

Join Our Email List

PlayMakers Rep's Little Shop of Horrors Is Lots
of Fun and a Feast for the Eyes and Ears

Robert Ariza makes his PlayMakers debut as Seymour, shown here with puppeteer Elizabeth Dye as little Audrey II (photo by HuthPhoto)

Come see Little Shop of Horrors at PlayMakers Repertory Company, because it's fun! Or because the set is impressive, or because the music (especially the singing) is lovely, or because the choreography is so imaginative and expertly executed, or because the sound and lighting effects rock. Or because of the plethora of costumes ....

The topnotch "raw material" -- book and lyrics by Howard Ashman and music by Alan Menken -- is only the beginning. PlayMakers Rep's April 9-27 production of Little Shop of Horrors -- directed by Jeffrey Meanza, with music direction by Alex Thompson and choreography by Tristan André -- ices the cake and serves up a hit that scores high marks in every category. The pacing is swift and even. The choreography is inspired and well-executed. And the music is wonderfully chosen and flawlessly performed. It never fails to rope me in and get me foot-tapping and humming along.

PlayMakers Repertory Company's April 9-27 production of Little Shop of Horrors stars (from left) Breia Joelle Kelley as Chiffon,
Shelby Sykes as Ronnette, Jeffrey Blair Cornell as Mr. Mushnik, and Shayla Brielle G. as Crystal (photo by HuthPhoto)

The Play:

At the start of the play, Seymour and Audrey are working in Mr. Mushnik's flower shop, which is located on New York City's Skid Row. Business is bad.

Seymour has been dabbling in the realm of exotic plants and has stumbled upon a plant that is unique. Displayed in the shop window, Seymour's plant (named Audrey II) immediately attracts customers to the shop.

Problem #1: Audrey II speaks, saying "Feed me!"

Problem #2: Audrey II's appetite can initially be satisfied with a few drops of blood, but she begins to crave human flesh.

Problem #3: Audrey II grows and grows and grows, and so does her appetite.

Problem #4: Audrey (not Audrey II) has been having problems with an abusive boyfriend named Orin.

Problem #5: Seymour has been harboring deep feelings for Audrey but has been too shy to act.

Problem #6: Seymour is dirt-poor. Worse: The financial problems of the shop might end up costing him his job.

Will any of these problems be solved?

PlayMakers Repertory Company's April 9-27 production of Little Shop of Horrors stars Maya Jacobson as Audrey (photo by HuthPhoto)

The Acting, Singing, and Dancing:

The nature of the script demands a certain degree of cartoon-ish-ness and campy acting from the actors. This cast delivers -- in spades! Stereotypes? Yes, but with unique personalities.

As Seymour, Robert Ariza is appropriately shy, nerdish, ineffectual, and bumbling. Maya Jacobson hits all the right notes as Audrey. And Jeffrey Blair Cornell's Mr. Mushnik is everything that you would expect from "that guy" and more.

The costume provided for Jim Bray as Orin sets the bar pretty high, regarding that character, and Bray does not disappoint.

Elizabeth Dye and Matthew Donahue team up as puppeteers to masterfully manipulate Audrey II, and each covers multiple supporting characters.

And then there's the trio: Shayla Brielle G. (Crystal), Breia Joelle Kelley (Chiffon), and Shelby Sykes (Ronnette). Pure dynamite! They look as beautiful as they sound. When they first appeared, it was as though three people had stepped out of the TV screen during an episode of Soul Train. Their dance numbers are best described as "high octane" or, perhaps, "jet fueled."

Although the onstage Audrey II is a puppet most of the time, an avatar emerges and takes the stage near the end -- an impressive Micaela Shanyce Bundy, who must be channeling Aretha Franklin -- 'nuff said!

Bonus: When the main characters dance, they do so "in character." Sweet!

The Tech:

Scenic design by Regina García gives us the interior of Mr. Mushnik's shop as well as the Skid Row neighborhood. The extra levels afford a variety of effects.

Grier Coleman earns major kudos as costume designer. Costumes for each character score high on the "what someone like that would have worn in the 1970s" scale. And the trio's outfits are stupendous.

And a tip of the hat to Morgann Russell (sound designer) and Charlie Morrison (lighting designer) for their spectacular contributions, as well as to the uncredited properties designer and the stage management team of Sarah Smiley, Aspen Blake Jackson, and Sarah Patisaul.

Puppet designer Martin P. Robinson has provided a series of Audrey IIs that portray her at various stages of her growth. Even though the only actual movement is the opening and closing of her mouth, it was still easy to imagine facial expressions changing as she talks.

The Music:

With a sound so full and so hard-driving, it's hard to believe that the orchestra consisted of no more than four members: conductor Alex Thompson on piano, Vince Moss on drums, Warren Sharp on guitar, and TJ Richardson on bass. Rock on!

Jim Bray stars as Orin in PlayMakers Rep's production of Little Shop of Horrors at PlayMakers Rep (photo by HuthPhoto)

Nice Touches:

• The red "searchlight" when the lights went down at the top of the show.
• Seymour and Audrey joining the trio in an early dance.
• Mushnik spray painting "+ Son" on the shop's sign.
• Multiple uses of aisles in the audience, especially for the kiss.
• Strategic use of the top level of the set and making characters "disappear" from it.
• The foliage dropping from the ceiling (but I would have enjoyed it more if it had hung further down and if they had used more of it).
• Orin's nitrous oxide contraption.

Memorable Lines:

• "And she ain't talkin' 'bout George Washington Carver."
• "Three worthless ragamuffins."
• "Something is very wrong here."
• "With the right advertising, it could be bigger than hula hoops."
• "You'd still like me? Even if I wasn't famous?"
• "Just because you put a strange and interesting plant in the window doesn't mean that it'll bring customers!"
• "If I can talk, and I can move, who's to say I can't do anything I want?"
• "Feed me!"
• "When I die, which should be very shortly, give me to the plant, so that it will live and bring you all the wonderful things you deserve."
• "It wouldn't be terrible at all. It would be a miracle, not to mention the money I'd save on Epsom salts and ace bandages."

Little Shop of Horrors stars (from left) actress Micaela Shanyce Bundy -- plus puppeteer Matthew Donahue -- as the full-
grown mean-green mother from outer space Audrey II and Robert Ariza (right) as Seymour (photo by HuthPhoto)

From the Department of Picky-Picky:

• Seymour spends a lot of time sweeping, but he never uses anything like a dust pan. (To be fair, I must acknowledge: This is often the case in plays and cartoons.)
• The activity of changing the set behind the "Mushnik" sign is thoroughly masked (by the sign) for the house-center audience, but members of the house-left third of the audience (and possibly the house-right third) could be a bit distracted by the movement back there. Perhaps, a "leg" could be added that masks the sides.
• Because it was the 1970s, Audrey's leggy outfit in the first few scenes probably should have included pantyhose.
• The "Mobile Version" of the online playbill is quite useful, the "Desktop Version" could be more "user friendly" (perhaps, a simple text-with-photos version).

The Bottom Line:

Little Shop of Horrors is the kind of show that is worth seeing multiple times, because it is always fun. This production is especially fun and quite a feast for the eyes and ears. Rumor has it that it is selling out, so hurry.

Alan Menken and Howard Ashman's LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (In Person at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday, April 15-20 and 22-27), directed by Jeffrey Meanza, choreographed by Tristan André, with music director Alex Thompson, and starring (in alphabetical order) Robert Ariza as Seymour, Jim Bray as Orin, Micaela Shanyce Bundy as Audrey II, Jeffrey Blair Cornell as Mr. Mushnik, Shayla Brielle G. as Crystal, Maya Jacobson as Audrey, Breia Joelle Kelley as Chiffon, and Shelby Sykes as Ronnette, plus an Ensemble that includes Matthew Donahue and Elizabeth Dye (PlayMakers Repertory Company in the Paul Green Theatre in UNC-Chapel Hill's Joan H. Gillings Center for Dramatic Art). PLAYBILL: https://online.fliphtml5.com/gtelh/knhr/#p=1. TRAILER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gUzxqJAyq0&t=3s. PRESENTER: https://playmakersrep.org/, https://www.facebook.com/playmakersrep, https://www.instagram.com/playmakersrep/, https://www.tiktok.com/@playmakersrep, https://x.com/playmakersrep https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayMakers_Repertory_Company, and https://www.youtube.com/@PlayMakersRepertory. 2024-25 SEASON: https://playmakersrep.org/season/2024-2025/. PRC BLOG: https://playmakersrep.org/about-us/our-blog/. VENUE: https://playmakersrep.org/about-us/paul-green-theatre/ and https://museum.unc.edu/exhibits/show/names/paul-green-theatre. DIRECTIONS/PARKING: https://playmakersrep.org/visitor-info/directions-and-parking/. THE LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (original 1960 film, a.k.a. The Passionate People Eater): https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/53212, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054033/, https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/81592/the-little-shop-of-horrors#overview, and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Little_Shop_of_Horrors. WATCH FREE (with ads): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-r3OOJ0DLAc. LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (1982 Off-Broadway, 1983 West End, and 2003 Broadway horror-comedy rock musical): https://www.mtishows.com/little-shop-of-horrors-broadway-version, https://www.howardashman.com/howards-work/little-shop-of-horrors, https://www.spectra.theater/playhub/pr/a9277734-9805-5ea3-bbb0-90c136f6451c, https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-show/little-shop-of-horrors-11223, and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Shop_of_Horrors_(musical). THE SCRIPT (Libretto Vocal Book): https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CZDIpDkaorNPRLhrqkvv5sRFGwbIU9J6/view. STUDY GUIDE (Utah Shakespeare Festival): https://www.bard.org/study-guides/little-shop-of-horrors-study-guide/. ALAN MENKEN (New Rochelle, NY-born composer): https://www.alanmenken.com/, https://playmakersrep.org/artists/alan-menken/, https://www.mtishows.com/people/alan-menken, https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/alan-menken-12135, https://www.spectra.theater/explore/artist/27598432-61d6-4609-b029-6f56411da578, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0579678/, and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Menken. HOWARD ASHMAN (Baltimore, MD-born playwright, lyricist, and screenwriter, nee Howard Elliott Ashman, 1950-91): https://www.howardashman.com/, https://playmakersrep.org/artists/howard-ashman/, https://www.mtishows.com/people/howard-ashman, https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/howard-ashman-6356, https://www.spectra.theater/explore/artist/8bce64df-265e-479e-8189-d91f1738ea0e, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0039141/, and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Ashman. LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (1986 musical-comedy film): https://www.warnerbros.com/movies/little-shop-horrors, https://www.alanmenken.com/work/little-shop-of-horrors, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091419/, https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/18242/little-shop-of-horrors#overview, and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Shop_of_Horrors_(1986_film). NOTE 1: The 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 15th, show is a Pay-What-You-Can performance. NOTE 2: The 2 p.m. Sunday, April 20th, show, will be an open-captioned performance, allowing the audience to read the dialogue. A post-show discussion, with members of the cast and creative team, will follow. NOTE 3: The show's 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 22nd, performance will be UNC Faculty Night, with FREE with free drinks and snacks on the patio for faculty members who take advantage of their 15%-off ticket discount. NOTE 4: Arts Access, Inc. of Raleigh will audio-describe and American-sign-language interpret the show's 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 23rd, performance. TICKETS: $20 and up ($10 and up students and youth), plus taxes and fees. Click here to buy tickets. INFORMATION: 919-962-7529 or prcboxoffice@unc.edu. PLEASE DONATE TO: PlayMakers Repertory Company. Melissa Rooney's Triangle Review Review Permalink.

WHAT: Triangle Review is a FREE weekly e-mail performing-arts and film newsletter, edited and published by Robert W. McDowell since August 2001.

TO SUBSCRIBE: To start your FREE subscription today, sign up in the subscription box at the beginning of this e-mail; or e-mail RobertM748@aol.com and type SUBSCRIBE-TR in the Subject: line. TO UNSUBSCRIBE: E-mail RobertM748@aol.com and type UNSUBSCRIBE-TR in the Subject: line.

QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? E-mail all questions, comments, and Letters to the Editor to RobertM748@aol.com. For Letters to the Editor, please include a daytime telephone number in your e-mail.

COPYRIGHT: Editorial content in all formats © 2025 Triangle Review and the author of each article. Reproduction in any form without authorization of Triangle Review and the respective authors is prohibited. Triangle Review maintains an archive of past issues. To request copies of past articles and/or issues, e-mail RobertM748@aol.com.