Review: 'Little Shop of Horrors' stars a dozen humans and plant who wants to eat them
Editor's note: This story was changed July 17 to correct a character's name, which was misprinted in the Harbor Stage Company program. It is Wally who dines with Andre.
COTUIT ― Cotuit Center for the Arts’ production of “Little Shop of Horrors” really picked up for me with “Mushnik & Son,” a song from the 1982 off-Broadway musical that was left out of the 1986 film starring Rick Moranis and Steve Martin.
In Cotuit’s production, running Wednesdays-Saturdays through July 28, Skid Row florist Mushnik (Jakob White) decides to adopt his bumbling shop assistant Seymour (DJ Kotska) so Seymour won’t be tempted to leave for another job and take his wildly popular plant, Audrey 2, with him.
White and Kotska’s song-and-dance routine is sly, clever and utterly charming ― evoking images of lighter moments in “Fiddler on the Roof.”
But you might not want to compare Cotuit’s production to the movie because in this stage show you don’t get the movie’s happy ending. Some of the crowd at Cotuit seemed surprised and a little shocked by the conclusion in which, let’s just say, the plant wins and takes over the world.
And what a plant it is!
But before we get into that, you may need a little background.
What is ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ about?
Written first as a stage play with music by Alan Menken and book and lyrics by Howard Ashman, “Little Shop of Horrors” is a musical set in a skid-row florist shop. With no customers, the shop is about to close forever when sales clerk Audrey (Lily Anderson) suggests they put a plant grown by Seymour in the window. The shop gets busy beyond its wildest dreams, but as always, there is a price to pay: The plant eats people.
Why you should see the Cotuit production:
Anderson plays Lily wonderfully, especially showing the vulnerability and damage of a young woman with a troubled past. Her voice is lovely, although she wobbled a bit controlling the tone when she was expressing her anger and frustration at being abused.
In a bit of gender-blind casting, Hadassah Nelson plays Audrey’s despicable dentist boyfriend Orin with plenty of cruelty.
Kotska as Seymour strikes just the right balance as he works to win his love Audrey and prevent her namesake from eating the people he cares about.
Back to the plant: Puppeteer Matt Eason moves Audrey 2 while Alex Valentine voices the honey-toned plant from a hidden platform above, next to the wonderful four-piece band. Valentine watches Eason and other characters on stage with a closed-circuit monitor so his voice acting is perfectly timed. Kudos both for the acting and for the Cotuit technicians who brought Audrey 2 to life.
How do I get tickets?
“Little Shop of Horrors,” 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays-Saturdays; 4 p.m. Sundays, through July 28, $13-$53, Cotuit Center for the Arts, 4404 Route 28, 508-428-0669, artsonthecape.org/.
Gwenn Friss
First U.S. stage adaptation of 'My Dinner With Andre' at Harbor Stage
WELLFLEET ― The Harbor Stage Company shines with its original, first-ever adaptation in the United States of the film “My Dinner With André.” It’s a masterful play that beckons, a fine event to which you can take your brain for some rare stretching and calisthenics.
Two theater professionals with radically divergent career paths meet for a dinner conversation. It’s not clear where either character lands when they’re finished with each other, and it’s also not clear that we need to know.
Jonathan Fielding as Wally breaks the 4th wall with an honest leadup to his dinner with André (Robert Kropf) and it’s off like a roller coaster whether you’ve managed to secure your seatbelt or not. You’ll need to hang on for the next 90 minutes with no intermission, not that you’d want one anyway.
What to know about 'My Dinner With Andre'
Based on the film by Wallace Shawn and André Gregory; it is adapted for the stage and presented by The Harbor Stage Company.
The play explores two men’s takes on theater in a conversation that expands to their struggles to understand who they are while mired in the morass of endless comparison. Jerry is insecure about himself and his career and is fearful about the dinner ― and tells the audience as much. His plan is to fire questions at André, who is more than willing to relate fantastical stories. Timid and tongue-tied, Wally gets shot down a few times when he tries to share until he reaches a point where he can’t accept André’s grandiose summations any longer ― without mounting a challenge.
Ripe with references to quantum physics, conspiracy theory, Nazism, and familiar human emotions like personal insecurity, self-loathing and regret, there’s a lot to tackle in the dialogue.
Why you should see Harbor Stage Company's adaptation
The performance is riveting. My companion took her “assist the reviewer” job seriously and watched the cult 1981 movie by the same name. She found the movie somewhat tedious and the main character insufferable while The Harbor Stage Company performance was engaging and relatable. Over 40 years later, the messages are still relevant, still perplexing and intellectually challenging.
Fielding expertly conveys downward-spiraling actor/director/playwright Wally who is in an emotional low. His facial expressions range from dejection, to emptiness, to surprise and finally to uncompromising as he shows a backbone that his character has been missing for much of the performance. Kropf beguiles as Andre, a rapid-fire raconteur presenting in a restrained manner that is at odds with the freakish nature of the stories his character relives. His presentation is flawless and appears completely natural. The mood changes that accompany his body language are subtle and spot-on. The waiter, Robin Bloodworth, offers welcome breaks in the dialogue with his entrances and exits (carrying plates of actual food that the actors eat), bringing a sense of comfort to a mostly awkward dinner conversation.
How did Harbor Stage get the right to adapt 'My Dinner With Andre'?
Members of The Company loved the movie “My Dinner With André” and thought it would be fun to adapt the film for theater. On a lark, they emailed Wallace Shawn’s agent and months later, just before announcing their 2024 season, they received the following answer from Shawn: “...no one has done the movie as a play in the US before, because it seemed weird to us and we always said no, but now, it's the least weird thing happening in our country, so.....”. And with that, Harbor Stage Company members worked to divorce themselves from the original actors’ portrayals and character affectations as well as to trim the content while staying true to the dialogue.
What to expect from the show:
The set is a corner booth in a high-end restaurant with mirrors that serve as décor and show all aspects of the actors' heads and faces as they interact. It’s a great device that seems a metaphor for the thoughts each character chooses to show or to hide. Evan Farley designed the set and John R. Malinowski designed the lighting that effectively illuminates the two characters in an intimate manner. The only distractor is the white suit that Bloodworth wears that can be seen, like the hint of a ghost in the darkness, as he moves backstage.
One more thing: André offers some thought-provoking comments, one of which has to do with his concern that we may be becoming robots who won’t remember that life existed on the planet. This must have sounded far-fetched back in 1981 but now with AI, maybe not so much. We can get lost in Andre’s thoughts, and Wally’s too, for that matter. It’s okay though because the content of this play reminds us to think and question life ― and to really live it ― because death will come soon enough.
How do I get tickets to the show?
"My Dinner With Andre" is at 7 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, 5 p.m. Sundays through Aug. 3. One additional show is at 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 31. The Harbor Stage Company, 15 Kendrick Ave, Wellfleet; $25. A Pay-What-You-Can performance will be offered July 19. Harborstage.org or 508-349-6800.
Shannon Goheen
'Beautiful: The Carole King Musical' has crowd dancing outside The Cape Playhouse
DENNIS ― I saw “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical” from row P, near the back of The Cape Playhouse’s orchestra seating, and it was as vibrant and lovely as if I had been sitting in the front row.
It’s a trademark of good theater that the magic carries to the very last row ― and beyond. The performance featuring several Broadway veterans left Friday’s sold-out audience singing, dancing and talking about the show as they made their way to the parking lot.
Julia Knitel, who played Carole King on Broadway and on the show’s first national tour, was perfect as King in The Playhouse production. A young songwriter from Brooklyn, N.Y., King (born Carole Klein) peaked early, writing her first number one hit “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” for The Shirelles at age 17.
But it took King years and a failed marriage to collaborator Gerry Goffin (Sam Gravitte who played Fivero in Broadway's "Wicked") to find her voice singing her own songs on her 1971 solo album “Tapestry,” which won four Grammy awards, including best album of the year in 1972.
It is mind-boggling how many songs King wrote or co-wrote for other artists: 400 compositions performed by 1,000 artists and producing 100 No. 1 hits, according to her website, caroleking.com.
How is The Cape Playhouse production of ‘Beautiful’?
This production of the musical that opened on Broadway in 2014 is terrific. The musical numbers ― brought to life by actors portraying acts including “The Drifters,” “The Shirelles” and Little Eva ― were like pages in a flipbook of a Baby Boomer’s life in music.
Especially notable for me was the chemistry between King and her husband and the couple who were their best friends and fiercest competitors, songwriters Cynthia Weil (Stephanie Martingnetti, a stage and TV veteran) and Barry Mann (Trevor James). The quartet’s acting was sharp and engaging, a credit to them and director David Ruttura.
James, who writes in the program that he had “the honor” of meeting Mann (now 85) several times, portrays the musician’s self-deprecating humor especially well.
On a tiny downside, there were a couple of sound problems Friday, including microphone feedback during the "Righteous Brothers" performance of “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin'.”
Seating the full house was somewhat chaotic with patrons entering through multiple doors and clogging the aisles as ushers tried to help find seats. However I would navigate that traffic jam again in a New York minute to take in this bright, lovely show.
How to see ‘Beautiful’ at The Cape Playhouse
Several performances are sold out, but the show is on stage with a robust schedule (2 p.m. matinees on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays and 7:30 p.m. shows Mondays through Saturdays) until Aug. 3; tickets are $45 to $125, when purchased directly through The Cape Playhouse, 508-385-3911. The Cape Playhouse is at 820 Main St. in Dennis.
One last note about Carole King
Knitel’s exuberant performance as King ― including wildly tossing those curly locks during her first Carnegie Hall performance ― got me thinking about how I was privileged to see King when her “Living Room” tour was at Cape Cod Melody Tent in 2004.
Twenty years later, King, 82, is based in Laurel Canyon in the Hollywood Hills. She is on Facebook, where she posts reels, sells merch and has 1.7 million followers.
Gwenn Friss
'Gypsy' brings out bittersweet in burlesque star's life.
With remarkable character complexity, deep meaning and plot twists, it’s no wonder “Gypsy” is regarded as a great contribution to musical theater, and the College Light Opera Company cast lives up to that expectation.
The three remaining performances are at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, July 11-13.
The show brings you into the tumultuous lives of showbiz mother Rose who’s traveling the country with her daughters in search of stardom for their homespun vaudeville act. Through all the humor, amazing voices, and wonderful-sounding orchestra, this production had a lasting impact on me. I found myself pondering the fate many young children face, with their childhood dwindling away from them, through no fault of their own.
The show: “Gypsy” with book by Arthur Laurents, music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, directed by James Jackson, and music director Griffin Strout.
Musical based on burlesque artist Gypsy Rose Lee
Rose is a persistent dominating stage mom. Lugging her daughters, June and Louise, across the country for most of their lives to a slew of gigs, in hope of landing their big act. With the help of former agent Herbie that finally happens – their act “Baby June and Her Newsboys” is a hit. The thing is, the show is centered on June who’s the “real star,” while her sister, Louise, is paraded in a cow costume.
Rose controls every aspect of her daughters’ lives; but June has had enough keeping up with the childlike persona and leaves — the rest of the boys follow. All Rose had left was Louise. The one who remained in the shadows her entire life will now become the new star. Until everything goes wrong, and their act is mistakenly booked at a burlesque house. Reluctant at first, Louise would become Gypsy Rose Lee, the highest-paid stripteaser.
Highlights of the show: Emily Marino, as Mama Rose, could blow your socks off from her very first song “Some People.” Her acting was just as great. Even if she is just standing on the sidelines while her daughter is performing – dictating to them, making faces— she’s always hilariously outrageous. She’s the kind of character whose behavior is unacceptable, but you still enjoy every second she’s on stage.
As Louise, Sachiko Nicholson’s transformation throughout the show is remarkable. She had such a pureness glowing from her, that slowly dwindled away. The one who was wrongfully regarded as the “non-talent,” was always beaming with joy for the ones around her. Her portrayal was not only excellent, but she too was great from her very song “Little Lamb.”
Should you see 'Gypsy' in Falmouth?
It’s a must-see production. But be wary, it does contain burlesque stripping, and provocative clothing.
Worth noting: The funniest part must be when strippers played by Emma Mize, as Mazeppa, Molly Sturgeon, as Tessie Tura, and Kathryn-Ximena Rojas, as Electra perform “You Gotta Get a Gimmick.” They’re not just any ordinary strippers, they each have a hilarious “talent” to go along with their act.
Fun fact: Gypsy Rose Lee was a real burlesque strip tease dancer who became famous for her act. Her memoir from 1957 is the inspiration for the musical.
If you go: College Light Opera Company, 58 Highfield Drive, Falmouth. 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, until July 13. Tickets are $44 and can be purchased online at www.collegelightoperacompany.com/tickets or by calling the box office at 508-548-0668.
Next up for College Light Opera Company's weekly shows: “The New Moon,” a tale of the French Revolution, July 16-21.
Ambermae Rivard
This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Review: Plant is 'Little Shop' star, 'Beautiful' is flipbook of '70s
