Feature article
|
 |
|
 |
Ill-tempered carnivorous plant the star of Barter’s ‘Little Shop’
By staff report
 |
| David McCall and Hannah Ingram with 'Audrey II' |
Musical features both new and familiar faces
Having an ill-tempered, R&B singing carnivorous plant as the star of your show might send some directors exiting stage left, but when Evalyn Baron found out she’d be helming Barter Theatre’s production of “Little Shop of Horrors,” she couldn’t have been more thrilled.
“It has always been one of my favorites, mainly because of the wonderful musical score by Howard Ashman and Alan Mencken — terrific, beautiful and melodic songs, as well as lots of good raunchy blues and rock ‘n’ roll,” Baron said of the cult classic, opening Friday on Barter’s Stage II.
Penned in 1982, the musical is based on the low-budget 1960 black comedy film “The Little Shop of Horrors,” directed by Roger Corman. The music, composed by Menken in the style of early 1960s rock ‘n’ roll, doo-wop and early Motown, includes several show-stoppers, including “Skid Row (Downtown),” “Somewhere That’s Green” and “Suddenly, Seymour,” as well as the title song.
In addition to the original long-running 1982 off-Broadway show and subsequent Broadway production, the musical also made it back to the silver screen in 1986, this time directed by Frank Oz and starring Rick Moranis and Ellen Greene.
Closely following that cult classic, Barter’s production of “Little Shop of Horrors” tells the tale of Seymour, a down-and-out skid row floral assistant who becomes an overnight sensation when he discovers an exotic plant with a mysterious craving for fresh blood.
“Audrey II” offers Seymour fame and fortune in exchange for feeding his growing appetite, eventually revealing himself to be an alien creature poised for global domination.
“It’s the same story, same characters, same music, of course, as the film, but it’s much more exciting because it’s live theatre,” Baron said. “It’s always more exciting because you’re right there in the same space, hearing it all live and close. There’s nothing like live theatre.”
Watching Audrey II morph from a tiny seedling into a towering tantrum-throwing plant four incarnations later will be a real treat for audiences, Baron said.
“Our talented props designer Chase Molden has both designed and built all four plants, and they are fabulous,” Baron said. “Then we have an actor (Jasper McGruder) offstage being the voice of the mature plant, and Michelle Rimmer being the large plant’s puppeteer ... really cool.”
Along with being a member of Barter’s Resident Acting Company and serving as theater’s director of outreach, Baron has directed several other Barter productions, including “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast,” “Evita,” “Oklahoma!”, “1776,” “This Is Our House” and “A Sanders’ Family Christmas.”
“Little Shop of Horrors” features many of Barter’s favorite actors, including David McCall (as Seymour), known for his title role in “The Who’s Tommy”; Hannah Ingram (Audrey), seen in “Beauty and the Beast” and “Evita”; and Michael Poisson (as shopkeeper Mr. Mushnik), known for his roles in “Don’t Cry for Me, Margaret Mitchell” and “Driving Miss Daisy.”
Also performing are two returning audience-favorites: Danny Vaccaro, of Barter’s “Singin’ in the Rain” and “Sweeney Todd,” and Jasper McGruder, from “Jimmie Rodgers: America’s Blue Yodeler” and “Of Mice and Men.” Rounding out the cast are three new actresses to Barter: Lea S. Anderson, Dayna J. Dantzler and Taprena Augustine.
“Danny and Jasper are the best,” Baron said. “And the new girls ... well ... they have voices that will thrill you. Nothing like that has been heard on our Barter stages in a while. ... Each girl is a wonderful singer, and together ... well, be ready to be thrilled.”
“Little Shop of Horrors” is musically directed by Tim Robertson and choreographed by Amanda Aldridge.
Tickets to the production are $28, $31 and $34 for adults and $17 for children. Group rates are available, as are discounts for students and seniors. For reservations or more information, call Barter’s Box Office at 276-628-3991 or visit bartertheatre.com.
--------GoTriCities--------
“Little Shop of Horrors”
WHEN: Sept. 11-Nov. 15
WHERE: Barter Stage II, Abingdon, Va.
COST: $28, $31, $34; $17, children
CONTACT: 276-628-3991, bartertheatre.com
|
|
|
|
|
