Tucked in a corner of Hell’s Kitchen, New York City, lies a mysterious, flesh-hungry plant growing and plotting a Faustian bargain. Upstairs, inside the Westside Theatre, it welcomes 248 viewers to watch it perform.
On October 17, I watched Thomas Doherty and Madeline Brewer star in the off-Broadway musical “Little Shop of Horrors.” “Little Shop of Horrors” is about a boy named Seymour (Thomas Doherty) who works in a failing plant shop and discovers a human-eating plant “Audrey II” named after his co-worker Audrey (Madeline Brewer), whom he’s in love with. Audrey II brings the shop immense recognition, while Seymour struggles to manage Audrey II’s disturbing eating habits and his own desire to win Audrey over. Originally a horror-comedy film directed by Roger Corman in 1960, the film was later adapted by Disney composers Alan Menken and Howard Ashman into an off-Broadway musical in 1982 and a movie musical in 1986. “Little Shop of Horrors” pulls from a variety of genres, from doo-wop to rock, intertwining dark humor and romance.
I should preface this review by saying I am focused on the live interpretation and performances of the musical compared against the movie, coming from someone who is a huge fan of both the film and music. The 1986 film is hands-down my favorite movie musical adaptation– it is perfectly camp, well-casted, and has a fun 80s feel, so I had high expectations for these features in the production.
The Westside Theatre captures an intimate and lived-in atmosphere, emanating from its reconstruction of an 1800s Baptist Church. This space is perfectly on theme, where being literally off of the Broadway district emphasizes the contrast between the quaint, commonplace environment of Seymour’s life to the glamorous rich in the show.
The show began at approximately 7:15PM, delayed slightly due to some technical difficulties. The opening number, “Downtown (Skid Row),” further builds the devoid state-of-affairs of Mushnik’s flower shop. This is primarily accomplished with the help of the urchins, or the Greek chorus trio who live on Skid Row, that guide the story through their Motown vocals, which is my favorite part of the show. Though they have minimal narrative influence, their homage to 60s girl groups (the trio named Chiffon, Crystal, and Ronette after three different groups) shows the classic inspiration behind the music. This, accompanied by the exaggerated puppetry done by Doherty and the team behind the Audrey II manipulation, adds a physical presence of humor.
Now focusing on the leads, I knew of Thomas Doherty from his feature in the Hulu original “High Fidelity,” as well as his role in the Descendants movies, and I enjoyed both of these performances, so I was excited to see him. I admittedly was unsure of what to expect from Madeline Brewer, as I only knew her from her role in the Netflix show “You” and was unfamiliar with her theater experience. But even so, both leads left a strong impression. Little Shop frequently changes their cast due to the many possible interpretations of the main roles, so to reference past actors in the show, I found Thomas Doherty to be a mix of Rick Moranis and Jeremy Jordan, exerting the same vocal confidence as Jordan while maintaining the awkward temperament of Moranis. You could feel this through Doherty’s singing, carrying an authentic, pleading quality—evoking the “down on my knees” sentiment from the lyrics—that captures the inherent desperation of Seymour’s character during “Grow for Me.” This raw passion is what I seek when watching theater, and Doherty knows how to execute it flawlessly.
Madeline Brewer’s interpretation of Audrey was just as stellar. Audrey is a troubled woman struggling with abuse by her dentist boyfriend, Dr. Orin Scrivello, and low self-esteem from childhood trauma. While past female leads may depict Audrey simply as Seymour’s romantic interest, Brewer immediately gives her a distinct identity through effortless vocals with an almost enervated demeanor, putting her apart from Seymour. This built-up resentment is felt while watching the show, and you feel sympathetic towards Audrey’s complex battles with herself, the flower shop, and her love life. Brewer gave Audrey merit for her intelligence that other characters attempt to discredit, and her focus on Audrey’s character further builds the chemistry between her and Seymour, bringing a deeper perspective to the show.
Now onto the secondary characters, both Jeremy Kushnier as Dr. Orin Scrivello and Reg Rogers as Mushnik were quirky and hilarious to watch. Kushnier’s understanding of the placement of silence was ingenious, most prominent in the extensive dentist scene where Dr. Orin is silently suffocating from laughing gas while operating on Seymour. In my opinion, these two characters require the same energy from the film, and they delivered this awkwardness and humor that is only present within the theater.
I truly enjoyed this show, and am excited to see what else comes from Thomas Doherty and Madeline Brewer’s performances.
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