On March 15th, I took a trip down to Skid Row, and unlike Audrey and Seymour, I didn’t want to leave!
In an intimate setting of the Westside Theater, Little Shop of Horrors did an incredible job of captivating the audience in this must-see revival.
Little Shop of Horrors follows an ill-fated but sweet florist Seymour Krelborn (Milo Manheim), who discovers his unique plant can grow (and talk), but the catch? — it needs human blood to survive. Seymour’s naivety and desire to impress his work crush Audrey (Elizabeth Gillies), turned Mr. Mushnik’s flower shop into a little shop of horrors. The show opened on Broadway in 2003, and made its way to the Westside Theater in 2019, so why see it now?
I’m not going to lie; I made my way to the theater after the news that Milo Manheim and Elizabeth Gillies were going to be the new Seymour and Audrey. The production has been on my radar though due to their excellent history of stunt casting with the likes of Andrew Barth Feldman, Sarah Hyland, and Jeremy Jordan.
I didn’t know what to expect, but I left with a whole new appreciation for Broadway performers. Every note, joke, and heartfelt bit landed with the audience, and there was no dull moment. Whether it was the set design, the Audrey II puppets, costumes, actors, sound, or lights, every aspect of the production tied into the magic the audience witnessed.
The small size of the theater allowed the production to feel more intimate, and trust me, there was no bad seat in the house. The show was very interactive, and if you were lucky enough to be in the front row, you had a good chance of Audrey II sweeping you up. Michael Mayer, the director of the show, truly kept the spirit of the original alive.
Whether you’re there to see the principal cast, you’d be amazed by the performance and talent the rest of the cast has. Major Attaway, voice of Audrey II, was incredible. He truly made the plant come to life, and for a second I forgot I was watching a show and that was a puppet. Speaking of puppets, Noel MacNeal is the lead puppeteer controlling every move Audrey II makes, which is truly something to rave about. You don’t realize how much strength and stamina that job requires until you’re walking out of the theater with a playbill in hand saying, “wait that plant was huge, how was it able to move so lifelike?”. There’s a behind the scenes video on Little Shop’s Instagram page which gives us an inside scoop as to how Noel maneuvers the plant. Jeremy Kushnier was hysterical. He portrayed Orin, the dentist, so well that I really hated him while he was dating Audrey and loved him when he was prancing around the stage as other characters in the end. He was able to take a character with a bad background and play to their villain arch, but with a lot of sass which truly amplified his character. Tiffany Reneé Thompson (Ronnette), Morgan Ashley Bryant (Chiffon), and Daria Pilar Redus (Crystal) stole the show. The trio dazzled the audience with their incredible singing and dancing skills. I felt like their characters really did interact with the audience, and the show wouldn’t be what it is without them. Reg Rogers as Mushnik is a perfect choice for the character, and he truly portrays it so well.
This was Manheim’s first Broadway appearance, but he starred in Deaf West Theater’s production of American Idiot alongside Daniel Durant as Johnny. Elizabeth Gillies made her Broadway debut in 13 in 2008. Manheim is best known for his role as Zed in the Disney Zombies franchise, as well as Wally on Paramount+’s School Spirits. Gillies is best known for her role as Jade West in Nickelodeons Victorious, and Fallon Carrington in the CW series Dynasty.
Manheim had the audience gasping for air due to his comedic timing and awkward quirky mannerisms. He truly captured Seymour’s essence perfectly. As a fan, I knew he was talented, but his range is unbelievable. He had me rooting for Seymour and crossing my fingers he would get the girl, but he also had me wanting to yell “DON’T FEED THE PLANT”. Manheim was great at truly making the audience feel like they were right there with him. He showed Seymour’s inner conflict of doing what’s right or following his own ambition, even though it goes against what his conscience thinks. Even though I questioned Seymour’s decisions, I ultimately felt bad for him, even though the end result was all his fault. Manheim grew up a theater kid, so I knew he could sing, but I think this role gave him the capability to showcase his full potential. His voice is almost the opposite of Seymour’s, which is confident, but I’d argue his powerful (vocal) delivery gave Seymour more depth. I grew up watching Gillies on Victorious, and Jade West was always one of my favorite characters, so to say I was excited she was playing Audrey is an understatement. There were times in the show my heart broke for Audrey, and I just wanted her to get her happy ending. Gillies truly portrayed Audrey’s emotional depth and raw vulnerability to every scene she was in. Tears fell down my face when she sang her rendition of “Somewhere That’s Green”. She did an excellent job at capturing Audrey’s complex essence and making the character her own.
It’s clear the entire cast and crew is passionate about what they do. They all care about keeping the magic of Little Shop of Horrors alive. They exude passion in all they do, which truly elevates their performance. It’s clear this production requires a team, and they all work together to ensure every aspect of the show is smooth and flawless. They lift each other up as a cast, and truly radiate family energy. Their kindness is also reflected in the stage door experience. No matter who came out of that door, everyone was clapping and cheering for them. Although each and every member already deserved it, they were very grateful. Many of the cast members were kind enough to have more personal moments with the fans and chat with them. I was able to meet Milo, Liz, Jeremy, and Major at the stage door, which added to my experience. I was able to tell Milo how much of a fan I was and how I’ve been following his career journey since Zombies and had a moment to tell Liz how much I appreciated her talent and devotion to the role of Audrey, as well as a quick complement for her leather trench coat (which I’m desperately trying to find a similar one I can rock).
You can go visit Mushnik’s Skid Row Florist Shop at the Westside Theater. Manheim and Gillies will be performing in their roles now until May 18th. If you can go, I’d highly recommend it, because I’m already planning the next time, I can visit Skid Row. You can get a ticket on their website.
By Alexa LaMalfa