Almost Too Much Fun for One Show!

New Rep's new production of "Little Shop of Horrors" lives up to the promise of the play's predecessors; it is campy, corny, and loads of laughs.  Congrats to New Rep on a perfect season closer.

The ostensible events of the play, involving a blood-sucking plant from outer space, are so wildly improbable that they demand a production bordering on the outrageous.  This one delivers!  The action is orchestrated by three (suspiciously clean and peppy!) singing orphans, excellently performed by Lovely (yep, that's her name, and also a good description) Hoffman, Jennifer Fogarty, and Ceit McCaleb Zweil.  Hoffman's voice in particular steals the show, while Zweil and Fogarty keep the cast's energy levels roof-high with bopping dance moves.

The play's central characters are caricatures, intended to exaggerate human behavior; in this, no one succeeds better than Susan Molloy as Audrey.  This is a tough role, and Molloy pulls it off with accent intact, even while singing.  Hats off also to Blake Pfeil as Seymour, who we liked better than Rick Moranis in the movie remake.  And the supporting actors (Bill Mootos as the sadistic dentist, Paul Farwell as the florist Mr. Mushnik) are appropriately evil, crazy, and/or conniving, as the situation demands.  But the finest work in the whole show, we thought, was the plant puppetry and voice work by the talented "Tim" team of Timothy John Smith (voice) and Timothy Hoover (Audrey II manipulation).  Excellent!

If you're looking for serious drama, well, this ain't it.  But if you want a rollicking good time, and catchy songs you'll be singing all the way home, you can't do better than this fun show.

~ Shauna Shames & Johanna Ettin, New Rep Reviewer