Company Carolina's "Little Shop of Horrors"
??? 1/2
“Little Shop of Horrors” delivers an entertaining mixture of a doomed love story, a masochistic dentist and a sassy human-eating plant to the UNC campus.
Performed in Historic Playmakers Theater, the production was drenched in dark humor and delivered belly laughs throughout.
The play opens on a seldom-entered flower shop in the slums of Skid Row. Business quickly starts booming when timid employee Seymour stumbles up on an exotic plant which he displays in the shop window. He names it “Audrey II” in honor of his co-worker, whom he has feelings for, but soon makes a grisly discovery.
The Audrey II is extraordinary in more ways than one - as the food it craves is human blood.
Eager to make a name for himself and get Audrey’s attention, Seymour begins to feed the now-talking Audrey II with pricks from his own finger. Before too long the plant starts demanding more meaty meals, and things quickly get out of hand.
Where the show shined was in the enthusiasm of its cast and their comedic chemistry. Each character seemed to stand out as a bright light, offering high hilarity and over-the-top antics from entry to exit.
From Audrey II's booming voice and sinister plotting, to store-owner Mr. Mushnik's pedantic musings, to Orin the dentist's sadistic, almost childlike giggle after inhaling laughing gas - the audience was in stitches.
The cast’s comedic talent was matched only by their exceptional singing. Audrey in particular hits a range of notes in the show’s most difficult ballads with ease, while a three-person choir of Skid Row hoodlums delivers singing commentary throughout the show with attitude.
Where Little Shop struggles is in some of its finishing touches.
The choreography is off in certain scenes and the set is fairly static given the amount of things happening on stage. The show has a great deal of motion which makes it fast paced and entertaining, though things also seemed jumbled as more actors came on stage.
The orchestra, though fantastic, would often overshadow the singers and made several scenes difficult to hear. A few plot points driven through the show's songs were lost because of the audio imbalance.
Nonetheless, the performance finished to a standing ovation and seemed to delight those in attendance.
Although it needs some tidying up, “Little Shop of Horrors” delivers an overall strong, clever performance that fits well into this holiday season.
arts@dailytarheel.com
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