I have a confession to make: I don’t think I like Little Shop of Horrors. Hopefully this blog article will give both you and I some more insight into this personal anomaly. As someone who fancies myself a musical theater fanatic, it’s a little alarming when I realize that there are shows I don’t like. I mean, there aren’t a whole lot of shows on that list. But I thought I liked Little Shop. It had been awhile since I saw it.
Okay, so a few weeks ago I went to the NC Theatre’s production of Little Shop of Horrors. I mentioned in a “Thrifty Theater” post that I had bought the ticket on Groupon. I got a half price (just $23!) front mezzanine ticket. The theater is pretty big, and the orchestra section was about 1/3 full. The mezzanines weren’t much better. I should have taken BroadwayGirlNYC's Advice and gotten myself a free upgrade. Oh, well. Nonetheless, the production itself was actually pretty good. The actor playing Seymour is a Raleigh native, but the other actors were pretty seasoned. The man playing Mushnik had a New York resume a mile long. The actress playing Audrey was in Les Miserables on Broadway, an understudy who went on for Eponine. Not too shabby. The actor who voiced the plant actually did that on Broadway. One of the girls on the street was in Avenue Q when it transferred from Broadway back to off-Broadway. The sets were good. The music was good. The sound could have been better – the microphones were occasionally overpowered by the orchestra. But that’s really neither here nor there. Let’s get to the meat of this.
I know I’ve seen Little Shop before. I don’t really remember when or where, but it must have been some time in adolescence. I know I’ve seen the movie with Rick Moranis and Steve Martin. I remembered the sadistic dentist quite clearly. I personally think going to the dentist is one of the most miserable ways to spend time, so that certainly resonated with me. I thought I remembered the story really well. Yet, somehow, I managed to completely forget that the plant eats people. That’s pretty fundamental to the plot, but for some reason, I did not remember that at all. And I didn’t find it amusing.
It’s not that I don’t think eating people is appropriate for theater – I saw Sweeney Todd, and I absolutely loved it. However, Sweeney Todd is not lighthearted – it doesn’t pretend that the subject matter isn’t heavy. I think that’s what bothered me about Little Shop – what was the point of it? Why would Seymour and Audrey fall in love if they’re just going to be eaten by the plant anyway? And why would there be a comedy number at the end? I guess I just don’t like the lighthearted death. Perhaps I’m way overanalyzing Little Shop. But plain and simple, I’m not amused by it.
This is a critical point in the life of every musical theater fanatic – the realization that not all shows (not even all Tony nominated shows) are going to be our cup of tea. Just because it’s a musical doesn’t mean I have to love it. I think it’s great that there are people who love this show. But in the same way that I don’t understand how any human being could be anything but floored by the awesomeness of Spring Awakening, I know that there are people who cannot fathom why I’m not in love with Little Shop of Horrors. That’s just what makes the world go round. And I wouldn’t want it any other way.
No comments:
Post a Comment