"Little Shop of Horrors" Rocks Mayer Theatre
By Keli Demertzis
Since Nov. 4, Santa Clara's Mayer Theatre has been home to Skid Row, a neighborhood where homeless flock, businesses are less than booming — and SCU Presents' fall musical "Little Shop of Horrors" takes place.
Co-directed by Aldo Billingslea and senior Christine Keating, the Santa Clara production highlights student talent in a musical that combines rock and doo-wop tunes with a dark and outrageously funny plot.
"The students in the show have put so much work into making the acting, singing and dancing in the show fun and entertaining, while still sticking to how truthful and touching the characters in the show are," said Keating.
Based on the low-budget '60s film of the same name, with music by Alan Menken and book and lyrics by Howard Ashman, "Little Shop of Horrors" follows a florist shop worker who unknowingly cultivates a flesh-eating plant named Audrey II, after the girl of his dreams.
The production's scene-stealer is Audrey II, brought to life through a larger-than-life puppet voiced by Regina Fields and controlled by junior Dimitri Woods. The puppet itself is intricately decorated to resemble a Venus flytrap. But Fields' vibrant and sassy voice reflects the commanding and seductive nature of the hungry, stubborn plant.
Sophomore Ryan Mardesich shines as the shop worker Seymour. His nerdy mannerisms and sweater vests go hand-in-hand with the character's clueless disposition.
As the plant grows, people from Skid Row and beyond, including reporters and television producers, flock to the flower shop to see Audrey II in the flesh. Mardesich successfully embodies Seymour's struggle to balance the sudden onslaught of fame and fortune with his budding guilt from committing murder to satiate the plant's thirst for blood.
The rest of the show's cast rounds out the lineup of entertaining and relatable characters.
Senior Micah Brodoff plays Seymour's boss, the penny-pinching shop owner Mr. Mushnik, and charms audiences with his Czechoslovakian accent and silly dance moves.
Junior Samantha Pistoresi, who plays the bubbly Audrey, captures the audience's hearts as she sings about her dream life with Seymour, while also dealing with an abusive boyfriend, in her solo, "Somewhere That's Green."
Sophomore Nick Manfredi plays Orin, Audrey's motorcycle-riding boyfriend who we learn works as a masochistic dentist. Manfredi embodies the evil dentist flawlessly by combining charm and fear into one character.
The Chiffonettes, a group of street girls played by Noelani Neal, Grace Kinder, Naomi Evans, Danielle Kaigler, Sonya Venugopal and Lindsay Styler, narrate the show like a Greek chorus and highlight important lessons for Seymour with their harmonies.
Audiences will feel as though they know each fully developed character personally by the end of the show.
The catchy songs and accompanying dance numbers, such as "Skid Row (Downtown)" and "The Meek Shall Inherit," not only demonstrate the cast's musical talent, but also shed light on the characters' underlying motivations: money, power and love.
Small details make this production of "Little Shop of Horrors" special. Blink, and you may miss the poor beggar man laying on the stage's floor or the man portraying a female prostitute, working the streets of Skid Row.
"Little Shop of Horrors" may seem to have heavy thematic undertones: the audience witnesses a humble floral shop worker turn into a power-hungry man who wrangles with good and evil. But, at the show's core, this musical definitely entertains.
"Audiences can expect to laugh and leave with at least one song from the show stuck in their heads," said Keating.
Contact Keli Demertzis at kdemertzis@scu.edu or call (408) 554-4852.