A nebbishy, overweight orphan named Seymour is the main character in Little Shop of Horrors, the third production staged by Milwaukee’s new theater company All In Productions. All In Productions has produced fine work in the past, but with Little Shop of Horrors, a sci-fi musical about a man-eating plant, All In seems to have bitten off more than it can chew.
Of course, when the audience views a performance in which costumes rip and props fall apart, it’s inevitable that this won’t be the show’s finest hour. But despite the distractions, the cast, to its credit, managed to carry on with aplomb.
The problems with Little Shop of Horrors don’t emerge until all of the central characters come onstage. This includes the aforementioned Seymour (James Carrington); Mushnik (Robert A. Zimmerman), Seymour’s boss at the rundown Skid Row flower shop; and Seymour’s secret love interest, Audrey (Erica Brown), who also works at the flower shop. Before they appear, the audience is wowed by the opening number, which stars a large ensemble performing Karl Miller’s fantastic choreography. The show is worth seeing just for the production numbers, in which Miller riffs off of Motown stars of yesteryear, famous Broadway choreographers and even Michael Jackson.
Although the rest of Little Shop doesn’t live up to this level, it succeeds in incorporating a whole neighborhood of Skid Row residents. A few of them mingle about the audience before the show begins asking for money. It’s a clever way to bring the audience into the gritty world of bums, prostitutes and druggies. These locals reappear in several numbers, singing and dancing their hearts out. Meanwhile, a touch of glamour is added by a trio of “girl singers”: Chiffon (Katie Behrend Berg), Crystal (Raven Dockery) and Ronnette (Ashley Levells). Although all three go through their paces smoothly, it is Dockery’s strong voice that remains the most memorable element of this ensemble.
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Of the three leading characters, there’s a lot to praise in the seamless performance of Zimmerman as the Jewish Mushnik. As Seymour, Carrington moves awkwardly onstage. He and Brown evoke little heat between them, even when Seymour manages to dispense with his rival, Audrey’s sadistic, motorcycle-riding boyfriend, Orin.
Even Orin experiences some difficulties in establishing his character. An accomplished comedian, David Wortz focuses on this side of character as opposed to the truly evil side. Under Mara McGhee’s direction, this makes Orin less sinister than this character typically appears. Oddly, if he were scarier, it would make him funnier, too.
One actor who clearly “gets it” is Doug Clemons as the unseen voice of Audrey II (the man-eating plant). He delivers a smart, sassy performance that gives a tremendous boost to the show.
Through June 20 at Next Act Theatre, 255 S. Water St. For tickets, call 414-278-0765, or visit nextact.org.
