Little Shop Revival Cast Recording

[nolatheatre]

Posted: 12/30/05 at 8:05pm

I just got the "Little Shop" 03 revival cast recording. Personally im just not impressed. I find that the music lacks energy that other productions of the show have displayed.Hunter Foster just sounds too over the top for the role. I have not seen the revival, but i just find the new cast recording weak. Thoughts?
Updated On: 12/30/05 at 08:05 PM

[timote316]

Posted: 12/30/05 at 8:09pm

Really? I think the cast recording is great. Some will argue that hte orchestrations used aren't as good as the original, but I disagree with that. I think the LSOH cast recording is one of the better ones I own.

[jv92]

Posted: 12/30/05 at 8:09pm

Except for Douglas Sills, the girls, some of the orchestrations and the demos, the recording stinks. Kerry Butler is a whiney, cutesy, phony Audrey and Hunter Foster is, as you said, over the top.

[Shay Jericho]

Posted: 12/30/05 at 9:00pm

I appreciate the drafts of songs that were included, though. It helps me see the creative process, which I find fascinating.

[Wanderingchild5]

Posted: 12/30/05 at 9:21pm

I dont really enjoy Kerry Butler on that cd

[suddenlyseymour]

Posted: 12/30/05 at 9:50pm

I agree with timeote, I love the revival and I thought Kerry was wonderful as Audrey

[jimmirae]

Posted: 12/30/05 at 10:03pm

I Loved Kerry in "Hairspray", but she simply couldn't satisfy my tastes as "Audrey" - I kept hearing Ellen Greene in my mind, and I wasn't trying. Ellen IS Audrey for me. I thought Kerry might be able to fix that, at least while she was on, but it didn't work.
I was not too happy with the CD when I got it as well. Hunter did some really strange things with his voice on that one as well, sort of sounded like Cherry Jones in "Doubt", it was bizarre.

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 12/30/05 at 11:05pm

I personally think this is by far the best LSOH recording out there. The original is almost impossible to listen to, IMO. The keyboards...oh, god, the keyboards! *brrrrr*
I think the cast is a lot better, also.

Posted: 12/31/05 at 12:17am

Funny, I just had this in my car yesterday. I really enjoy it, especially the added riffs and backup stuff by the Urchins and some of the new orchestrations.

[Racetrack]

Posted: 12/31/05 at 1:25am

No offense to Ellen fans, I think her acting is good, but I can't abide her voice. She's just too over the top for me to the point where I can't stand it. I honestly like Tari Kelly the best. Her voice is the best in my opinion and she isn't annoying or over the top.

[broadwaybelter]

Posted: 12/31/05 at 1:28am

i really loved this version

[Smaxie]

Posted: 12/31/05 at 1:38am

I have yet to see a production of Little Shop to quite match the sincerity, heightened performance style and humor of Howard Ashman's original Off-Broadway production. But still, the revival recording is good to have, as it is a more complete rendering of the score, including the published version of "Mushnick and Son," as well as "Call Back in the Morning," the complete "The Meek Shall Inherit," and Audrey's "Somewhere That's Green" reprise.

[jonartdesigns]

Posted: 12/31/05 at 1:45am

as much as i feel that tari kelly is the best audrey out there the revival recording is far superior in my book to the original (especially doug sills and michael wooley)

[Smaxie]

Posted: 12/31/05 at 2:00am

Franc Luz, the original Orin, was oddly scary and sexy, and incredibly funny. Sills gave a funny performance, but was so campy throughout that I never found him as dangerous a presence as Luz.

Updated On: 12/31/05 at 02:00 AM

[RuprechtJr.]

Posted: 12/31/05 at 10:39am

I saw the show with the original cast and I'll agree that the recording is lacking some energy (all recordings do)the cast was fantastic live. I'm sad they left out "Melodramatic Chords"...that was the funniest thing live but I guess there would be no point to have it on the CD because their faces is what made the four chords funny.

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 12/31/05 at 10:56am

It's hard to top the original cast. THe revival disc sounds a bit cutesy and disney-fied for my tastes. Butler will never be Ellen Greene, nor will anyone else. She was a bad choice for the role, lacking the fierceness of Greene. THe only person who could have come close was the fired Ripley (Tari Kelly also came close on tour). Foster and Sills are good on the disc though.

[Swiftynifty15]

Posted: 12/31/05 at 11:04am

I think Tari Kelly is great. There are clips of her in Little Shop of Horrors.

http://www.tarikelly.com/lsoh/lsoh.html