As the catchy songs and enduring characters in “Little Shop of Horrors” make everyone in the crowd want to get up and dance, there is a malevolent presence on the stage that will keep everyone on the edge of their seat.
In Sunnyvale Community Players’ production of the 1982 Broadway play “Little Shop of Horrors,” life in Skid Row, New York, is portrayed as unbearable and rough. Residents struggle to pay their rent and express a desire to move uptown away from the slums. Seymour (played by Peter Spoelstra in the afternoon performance and Anthony Eiras in the evening performance) is the main protagonist of the show, who desires to be noticed and escape his impoverished life.
Seymour works at a flower shop alongside the owner Mushnik (played by John Mannion in the afternoon and Steve Shapiro in the evening), and his coworker Audrey (played by Gabrielle Goodman in the afternoon and Katie Lannin in the evening). Mushnik is a hard-working man who has spent decades working at his shop and refuses to move to a new location to attract new customers. Audrey, a love interest of Seymour, struggles with her own personal demons with her controlling boyfriend, Orin (played by Naeem Salameh in the afternoon and Zack Goller in the evening) and working at the flower shop is her only escape.
Seymour’s character is initially recognized as the laughingstock character. He is always making mistakes on the stage, either tripping as he enters the room or having a sense of nervousness around women. None of the characters see him as a real man and none of the characters believe he has any sense of how to survive in the real world.
Seymour, to prove his worth to others, introduces his coworkers to a plant named Audrey II, a new type of species similar to a Venus Flytrap. This plant shocks everyone with its large teeth and mouth and soon becomes an overnight sensation among the community and the media. Seymour is glad of his success, but quickly realizes his good luck charm plant may be his biggest regret yet.
I attended the afternoon or the Feed Me Cast performance and enjoyed each aspect of the characters’ flaws. Seymour at first was a character who was good-natured, but his ego to use the plant to elevate him in society was his biggest downfall. Audrey’s lack of awareness of how bad her situation was made the audience care for her and Goodman’s portrayal of a lack of judgment gave her some innocence. Mushnik as well stood out as moral ground for the characters, who are all figuring themselves out throughout the show. He guides them in their decisions and criticizes when he knows they are being foolish.
The music was what drove the plot along and marked the story in the world of the 1960s doo wop and early rock and roll era. Each song was catchy, lively and upbeat among a plot that is heading to disaster. In songs such as Prologue (“Little Shop of Horrors”), performed by Sydney Reiko Bamberg (Crystal), Milcah Morrison (Chiffon) and Mercedes Dawnte Long (Ronette), gave a good introduction or warning to the events that are going to occur. Other songs, such as “Feed Me (Git It)” performed by Audrey II (John Ramirez), Seymour, Chiffon, Crystal and Ronette, question the morals of Seymour as he decides whether he should compromise his life or listen to the needs of the plant as it grows.
The play clearly asks the audience to beware what is ahead in the play and by the end of the show, one is left wondering what becomes of the rest of the world. These same questions also drive the nature in us as human beings, but right now, threats are silent and lying dormant.
The play will performed at Sunnyvale Theatre at 550 E Remington Drive, Sunnyvale For tickets and more information, visit sunnyvaleplayers.org/tickets.com.
