Pagett "Little Shop of Horrors" review by robyndowning

Rating: 4 out of 5

Little Shop of Horrors
Padgett Productions

I have always enjoyed this show over the years. I own the movie from 1986 and even saw the original (non-musical) from 1960 with an extremely young Jack Nicholson. I have seen high school productions and community theater productions. It never gets old for me simply because it is pure Americana with all the important elements: The down-on-his-luck underdog, beautiful girl who is loyal but easily fooled, over-the-top Jewish persona and an alien life form from outer space. What could be better?

Nick Padgett (Seymour) is the quintessential unsure "everyman" who is just thankful to sleep under the desk, eat meatloaf and drink water. There is no doubt that he can play just about any campy role with aplomb (this and as Herod in Jesus Christ Superstar) and I appreciated the slightly different strong portrayal near the end of the show. Usually, Seymour is a whiny and weakling of a man so it was nice to see a different take on the florist shop worker who finds some inner strength.

Pamela Todd (Audrey) was totally believable as the angst-ridden girlfriend of an abusive dentist. Her facial reactions are top-notch and she uses her speaking voice to pull off the "poor but ever hopeful" gal who just wants a loyal and kind man and to live in a suburban house that looks like all the others and has a bit of green in the yard.

Michael Andrews (Voice of Audrey ll) has his voice inflections down so well that you believe that the plant from outer space is real. Having voice-over skills is a talent that can serve to open doors beyond traditional stage acting. That said, his rich voice commanded attention yet included nuances that made it seem you could actually converse with this alien.

Bill Pelletier (Mushnik) is the florist shop owner who is ready to close until the Audrey ll enters his life. Overly dramatic characterization makes him a joy to watch and the banter between he and Seymour are highlights. His skill is evident as he plays a Jewish New Yorker tight-wad complete with accents.

Brian Shortess (Orrin) really put himself into the roll of the abusive dentist. His physical acting filled out the character and the surprise was the infected tooth that was "tattooed" on his back. He made sure that you could understand every word even when he was wearing a gas mask.

Jay Martinez (Crystal), Tracy Van Unen (Chiffon) and Colleen Grate (Ronnette) serve as the narrators, of sort, to the action. They sure had fun with their characters and the costume changes. Individually they are fine singers but they seemed to have a bit of trouble blending and their choreography needed a little more practice to get their timing in sinc. The standout was Jay Martinez in drag and his added comments during the dialog were hilarious!

Loren Bridge (Ensemble) was a boon to the show. How fun to get to portray many different supporting characters throughout the action and his singing voice is lovely. He could do it all so there was no need for more than one to comprise the ensemble.

Brandon Stevens (Audrey ll Puppeteer) was amazing to watch. The alien plant continues to grow and requires more and more skill to inhabit. This is the first time I have seen puppet skills used to this extent. It was a real physical workout to become a larger-than-life intimidating and scary carnivore. In the end there was another person who was the "other side" of Audrey ll and I was happy they both came out for a well-deserved bow.

Catherine Hammer, Deana Wagoner, Doug Schroeder and Sam Randall comprised the band for this show. Although small in number they offered great musical support. My one concern is that there were a couple of times that they played so loudly that dialog between Seymour and Mr. Mushnik was totally lost.

Sound was overall very consistent and that makes listening a pleasure. There were a few times when a mic was not turned on soon enough and we went through some small vocal solo parts without being able to hear well.

The lighting was really masterful. J. Patrick Inlow knows what he is doing and created all the right moods. Set design by Eric Van Horn is the unsung hero. No one gives much thought to continuity and ease of set changes until they don't happen. In this show they were "on the money" and there was never more than about 15 seconds after a blackout. Kudos for the rolling sets!

The director is Vanessa Campagna and she is to be commended for wanting to make the characters more simple and honest in their reactions while still playing up the campy nature of this musical. It made for a very fun show!

The remaining performances are Saturday 5/15 @ 8pm, Sunday 5/16 @ 3pm, Friday 5/21 @ 8pm, Saturday 5/22 @ 8pm and Sunday 5/23 @ 3pm. Location is at Union Station's H&R Block City Stage. Ticket prices are $15 each that can be purchased online or at the show. Arrive early because it is not assigned seating and doors are closed promptly when the show begins.