You’ve got his number now. You know just what he’s done. He’s got no place to hide. He’s got not place to run. You know is life of crime—I think it’s suppertime! Er— um— interview time. Yes, that’s right. DON’T feed the plants, as the story goes! We’ll interview them instead. In a TheatreBloom exclusive, in-person interview, we’ve sat down with Eric Bray, currently in the role of Audrey II at Tidewater Player’s production of Little Shop of Horrors. And he’s going to stoke up an appetite for this show with what he’s got to say!
Thank you for giving us a few moments of your time, Eric. Where might our readers have seen you last on a stage?
Eric Bray: I was just George Bailey in It’s a Wonderful Life with Tidewater Players over Christmas. Before that I was Perch Perkins in The SpongeBob Musical at Tidewater, and before that I played Warner (Huntington III) in Legally Blonde at St. Demetrios Suburban Players.
What was the interest in wanting to be a part of Little Shop of Horrors?
Eric: This has always been one of my dream roles. I usually get type-cast into the ‘loud funny’ roles anyway, so I might as well use that as best as I can and Audrey II is the perfect opportunity for that.
What’s it like not being on stage for this big dream role? Since Audrey II is a giant puppet, that is puppeted by someone else (for this production, Set Designer Benjamin Marsh), and all of your vocal work comes from off stage, what has that experience been like for you?
Eric: It’s new. I’m getting used to not talking with my body so much. It’s really hard to focus just on the voice aspect. I’m realizing more about it than I ever have before— like how important inflections are.
Did you grow up with the movie or have you only seen stage productions? What is your working knowledge of this show?
Eric: I grew up with the movie. I’ve seen it a few times. I saw a high-school production once, but that’s about it.
What are you doing to make Audrey II your own?
Eric: Well, as I often do, I’m adding a little bit of riffs every other line. I’m changing up the voice. I’ve got some deeper parts, adding as much growl as I can while keeping my voice healthy.
What has been the biggest challenge for you so far in doing this production?
Eric: The biggest challenge has been keeping up the chemistry while doing a scene with partners who are ten feet away from me. Not having that face-to-face contact really changes the energy of the scenes.
How is getting to play Audrey II different from other roles that you have played in the past?
Eric: The lack of contact is a big part of it. But it’s also really exciting to have that much influence and power with just your voice, to be able to make people react to it from afar. It’s a very different experience. I’m backstage, looking as closely as I can and when I’m not actively doing Audrey II, I’m helping with the scene changes, or helping to move the puppet, but I don’t puppet the puppet.
If you could be anyone else in the show— who would you want to be and why?
Eric: I would love to be The Dentist. There’s just so much that he’s doing on stage there. And especially after watching my castmate Lucky (actor Lucky Mariano) do it, it’s a lot of fun— I can tell he’s enjoying himself and everybody watching is enjoying it too.
Some of the topics included in this show were previously perceived as funny, particularly Audrey (the original, not the plant) and her domestically-violent relationship with The Dentist; given how time has changed these perceptions, do you think the show still reads or might be too dated for the more modern audiences?
Eric: I think the show reads differently than it used to, for sure. With our production, we aren’t really making it as much of a caricature as it often is. We’re making it a little more serious in those parts to show both sides of the character, instead of laughing at her.
Do you have plants?
Eric: I have a cactus.
Is it alive? Has it tried to eat you?
Eric: Just a little bit. For both.
Do you have a favorite plant?
Eric: I always wanted a venus flytrap as a kid. Never got one. But I guess I can say this is the next level of that!
What has the overall experience of this production of Little Shop been like for you? I know you’ve been back on stage a little bit, as you mentioned, since the pandemic has started to ebb away from us, but what has this show’s overall experience been like?
Eric: It’s been very positive. The cast came together really fast and immediately. We all work very well together, we’re all enjoying ourselves, working really fast, and it’s working.
Why do you want people to come see this production of Little Shop?
Eric: This production will be different than any other production I’ve seen of this. Every individual is not just playing the basic characters that you often see. Everybody is making the characters their own in a very great way.
If you could sum up the Little Shop of Horrors Experience in one word, what would that word be?
Eric: I’m going to go with LOUD.
Anything else you want to say about the experience?
Eric: Overall, there’s a lot of people in this cast that I’ve never worked with before. Seeing them for the first time and getting to know them has been an amazing experience. I’m really excited for everybody to see it!
Little Shop of Horrors plays through March 6, 2022 with Tidewater Players, the resident theatre company of the Cultural Center at The Havre de Grace Opera House— 121 N. Union Street in historic downtown Havre de Grace, MD. For tickets call the box office at 667-225-8433 or purchase them online.
