If you’re looking for something to see in Havre de Grace’s theatre district one day— Shoop da-doo!
You might pass by this place on Union Street— downtown-da-doo!
And sometimes in that there opera house building— arts-da-doo!
You’ll find some crazy amazing theatre stuff happening inside— Tidewater Players-da-doo!
But don’t take my word for it— take the urchins’! Or take Seymour’s! They’ll tell you that Tidewater Players is putting on a pretty crazy, out-of-this world production of Little Shop of Horrors, directed and choregraphed by Mark Briner with musical direction by Chris Rose. Whatever you do, though, DON’T take the word of that enormous, talking, plant!
A show like Little Shop of Horrors is not without its challenges but Set Designer Benjamin Marsh attempts to rise to the challenge and is mostly successful when it comes to creating the scrubby atmosphere of Mushnik’s Skid Row Florist, as well as the street corners outside. Marsh’s set-pieces are exceedingly simple, often lacking in precise detail but in a way this lends itself to the shabby nature of the show’s setting. Marsh also doubles up as the show’s puppet-master, operating and articulating The Audrey II plant once the monster grows to unmanageable proportions. Marsh’s motions as the plant— both grade III & IV— are lively and animated and well-matched to the astonishing vocal talent provided by show-stealer Eric Bray Jr.
Thomas Gardner’s lighting design is somewhat split for this production. There are moments throughout the performance where the lighting is practically perfect— jungle green washes with soothing tones for Audrey’s number “Somewhere That’s Green” and blood-red waves for more violent moments. And then there are other times where Gardner’s lighting design seems to be channeling the Audrey II and taking on a life of its own. Chaotic party lighting that uses a lot of motion specials is featured heavily in some of the more active musical numbers— particularly during the ‘Seymour vs Audrey II showdown’ scene— and while the intent of giving the scene that ‘B-grade film feel’ is there, it just doesn’t land clearly. Gardner’s lighting design in those moments— particularly where the lights are strobing and waving— feel superfluous and unnecessarily flashy. It’s a curious juxtaposition as there are so many other balanced moments with his lighting design that really make the production enjoyable.
Costumes are getting all the show-stopping praise for this production, by way of Costumer Designer Dickie Mahoney. Audrey and Seymour and even Mushnik could be textbook characters from any original production— stage or screen— and while this is not a boon to Mahoney’s creativity, it gives the audience what is expected of these characters. Where Mahoney radiates creative brilliance is in designing the Urchins of Skid Row costumes as well as the differing outfits seen on the passerby-character-man (played by Lucky Mariano during “The Meek Shall Inherit.”) 60’s style looks wild and flashy on the three aptly named Street Urchins— whether it’s the pedal-pusher pants, letterman jacket, or ‘too-square-to-be-hip’ dress serving as their daytime outfits, or the stunning sequin affairs featured for their after-hours togs. The shimmer gowns— both those at the end and those slightly-not-at-the-end— are breathtaking and really put a dazzlious pop to the production quality of the costumes.
Mark Briner, the show’s choreographer and director, puts simple, time-appropriate two-step doo-wop routines together for the Street Urchins to execute. In a unique show like Little Shop, a three-person backup singer-dancer trio serves as the ‘ensemble’ and it’s wild watching these three performers step their way through various up-tempo, slide-step, and ready-roll moves that are outfitted to the musical shifts perfectly. The show’s pacing is succinct, keeping the production humming along at just about two hours including an intermission, which serves the overall theatrical experience of this performance well.
Hiccups and hitches come by way imbalances in the sound department. Microphones are challenging, working with tinned music is too. Sound Designer Dickson Teel has moments where the pre-recorded music overplays the actors— who are on mic— and makes them difficult to hear. But Musical Director Chris Rose should be praised for all of his solid work concerning the vocal qualities of the production. Bringing together superb and sublime three-part harmonies for the Urchins, getting rich, robust sounds with alternative riffs and options out of The Audrey II, these are all wonderful additions to the production. Rose’s crowning glory for this show is the work achieved with actor Dave Guy (playing Mushnik), ultimately resulting in the performance of a life-time from the octogenarian performer, who may officially be the area’s oldest, still-actively-performing actor.
Audrey (Emily Elborn) and Seymour (Brandon Pfeltz) are your stereotypical caricature portrayals of Audrey and Seymour. Both have good vocals, with Elborn really knocking “Somewhere That’s Green” out of the park with her powerhouse sound (yet another moment where Gardner’s lighting design is spot on— as the reality of the end of the number comes crashing down on Elborn’s Audrey, Gardner fades away the jungle-green fantasy lighting to the harsh white lighting of Skid Row) and emotional connection to the lyrics. Elborn and Pfeltz have a beautiful duet during “Suddenly Seymour” and it gives you all of the B-Grade-Film feels when it comes to those two characters having their ‘meet-cute-finally’ connection. Pfeltz’ Seymour is spastic and possessed of a frenetic energy, which almost makes you worry that some of his built-in stumbles might actually do himself and or the set some harm, but ultimately add a comic layer to his portrayal. However this jittery energy is channeled into moments where his singing features pattering and regrettably because the energy is so nervous and vibratory, the words lose their articulation— especially during his bit of “Now/It’s Just the Gas.”
Lucky Mariano wears many hats in the production— literally— as the chaotic character man in the second act but will be better recognized for the scumbag Dentist that earns himself a well-deserved wallop from the Street Urchins before having a fitting run-in with Audrey II. Mariano delivers a laugh as the Dentist character (most frequently when hopped-up on Nitrous Oxide) that is sheer nightmare fuel— seriously, that sound is the reason people are terrified of clowns. His rendering of “Now/It’s Just the Gas” is equal parts frightening and hilarious (and a shout-out to Costume-Master Dickie Mahoney for that light-up specialty bubble-mask which just makes that moment perfect.) Mariano, as mentioned, gets to showcase his versatility in the second act, appearing through several costume-quick changes as multiple different highfalutin figures that add some shenanigans to the show.
While you don’t get to see him in his credited role, Eric Bray Jr. is stealing the show both on and off-stage in this production. During “Downtown”, the lead-in number that introduces the audience to the scene and setting, Bray Jr. is stumbling around the stage as a trash-picking, hobo-drunk, whose rich bass sounds add something indescribable to that number. But where Bray Jr. is stealing the show most is when you can only hear him. Offstage as the voice of Audrey II, Bray Jr. owns “Git It” and “Suppertime” in ways which defy description. Bray Jr. is the plant that can make it all real! With a voice like lava, that makes that plant both enticing and terrifying, Bray Jr. lays down those numbers, slain and sung. His potent and powerful voice is perfect for the role and with the unique purplish-textured plant and all its animations on stage (puppeted by Benjamin Marsh), The Audrey II comes second only to the Urchins in this production.
Chiffon (Kalea Bray), Crystal (Tigga Smaller), and Ronette (Isabel Bray) are brought to the forefront of this production of Little Shop of Horrors like no other. It’s almost as if the direction for this show was to highlight the sheer raw and impressive talent of the street Urchins, making it their recollection of the events as they happened on Skid Row. Isabel Bray, as Ronette, lights a vocal fuse and BANG— blows wide pen “You Never Know” when she’s belting out her solo feature in this number. Kalea Bray, as Chiffon, gets the world of vocal brilliance started back at the top of “Downtown” with a belt that could bring the whole of Skid Row to its knees. Tigga Smaller, as Crystal, lends her vocal dynamism to her shining moments in “The Meek Shall Inherit.” This trio of stupendous vocal talent is the vibrant vivacity of sunlight showering down over the show. Bray, Smaller, and Bray create these gorgeous, unearthly harmonies every time the sing, from “Prologue (Little Shop of Horrors)” right through to “Finale” and every number wherein they are featured in-between. With stage presence that draws all the focus to them and their tremendous voices, the Skid Row urchins truly make this show theirs.
It’s a great chance to see some extraordinary talent on display. Tidewater Players has pushed the boat out in the vocal talent department with their production of Little Shop of Horrors. So be sure to get tickets for this limited-engagement show. But whatever you do— DON’T FEED THE PLANTS!
Running Time: Approximately 2 hours with one intermission
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.
To read the interview with Eric Bray on playing Audrey II, click here.
To read the interview with The Skid Row Urchins- Crystal, Ronette, and Chiffon- click here.
