Come see this iconic stage musical up close and personal with the FMCT production of Little Shop of Horrors. This show featuring music by Alan Menken and Lyrics by Howard Ashman is a true classic. This show about the man eating plant has been shown a few times in the area over the past few years, and every production has managed to put their own spin on it.
I asked Director Judy Lewis why she chose Little Shop. "
"Little Shop has always been a bucket list show for me personally- the music makes it one of my favorites!
This summer was our first tour, so Little shop was a perfect choice! We cast local community members from the towns we visited as the customer, Mr. Berstein, Mrs. Luce, and Patrick Martin. Each of those roles is very contained and really fun! The local people had a fantastic theatre experience, and they didn't have to spend weeks and weeks preparing. It was inspiring to see them put themselves out there and go for it! Moments like that are why I do theatre."
I purposely went early because every time I have seen this show they are playing music from the 1950's, so I got to just sit and enjoy some great tunes for a bit before the show. I was definitely born in the wrong decade.
If you go to a lot of local theatre productions then some things may seem familiar. If any of you attended the 2019 summer production of Little Shop of Horrors put on by Summer Arts Intensive then you will recognize a few faces.
The two leads of that show in 2019 were Coleman Klimek and Josie Gompf as Seymour and Audrey, the same as this current FMCT production. I'm not sure how often actors get to return to a role a few years after, and I am guessing that having two of them is pretty rare.
Coleman as Seymour was even better than I remember. He plays the character so well and has wonderful comedic timing. He has so many fun scenes and his vocals were great on "Grown For Me", "Mushnik and Son", "Suddenly Seymour", "Feed Me" and "Call Back in the Morning".
Josie as Audrey again did a wonderful job. Her stage presence and her interactions with Coleman were all so well done. Her vocals on "Somewhere That's Green" had some of the loudest applause of Act 1 and she also did amazing on "Suddenly Seymour".
Jake Sells was hilarious as Mr. Mushnik. Jake has great comedic timing and that note he hits on "Mushnik & Son" was amazing. I believe this is only Jake's second performance for FMCT (Elf in 2021) and I can't wait to see him again.
My absolute favorite character of the night was Orin Scrivello, DDS portrayed by Tony Peterson. I have seen 4 productions of this show now and I think Tony is hands down my favorite Orin. Everything about his portrayal was so good, from the walk, to the facial expressions and of course the singing and dancing. He absolutely crushed it on "Dentist".
Of course you can't have Little Shop without Audrey II, and the two gentlemen that brought that magical plant to life were Andrew Johnson as the voice and Kyle Hagler as the Puppeteer. These two worked so well together and the timing was perfect. Andrews vocals on "Feed Me" and "Supper Time" were wonderful.
I definitely have to mention Crystal, Chiffon, Ronnette and Rochelle portrayed by Michaela Pytlik, Audrey Haugen, Emily Kautz and Hannah Hagler. These four got to show off their vocals and harmonies on so many songs. Some of my favorites were "Little Shop of Horrors"and "Da-Doo".
Once again a huge shout out to the creative team. Judy Lewis (Director), Billy Kidd (Music Director), Tracy Aronson (Choreographer & Props), Rick Lewis (Scenic Designer), Shelly Hurt-Geist (Costume Designer) and last but certainly not least Claire Twedt (Puppet Designer).
Congrats to the entire cast and crew on another successful FMCT production! This is a fun show and I hope they can get another sell-out for their final performance.
This is one of those shows that will have you singing along and dancing in your seat!
*** Photos by Perry Rust
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