Little Shop...Who Leads? Anyone know? — Page 8

Conrad Ricamora on His Bumpy Road to ‘Little Shop of Horrors

Nycat63 said: "Anyone have more intel on exactly how long Christian will be in the show? I’m torn between a trip to NYC in March or in May. May would be far easier/preferable but Christian could tip the scales to March (I know into the woods starts in April).

Thanks in advance for any info

Since its only a two week run, could he leave for a few weeks to do Into the Woods and return to Little Shop after?




"

FYI -Into the Woods rehearsals start April 19.

After missing out on Gideon and Jeremy, finally got the see the show on Tuesday, and I just loved it.

Christian was phenomenal. I keep asking myself, why is he staying with the show for two and a half years now (including shutdown) but then you see the fun he’s having and making the audience bust a gut laughing, and I’m like, “Okay, I get.” He’s really just genius.

Salome Smithe was on for Audrey II, and she was fantastic. Didn’t even realize until I looked at the Playbill during intermission she was the understudy, because her voice and the plant just seemed like a perfect fit.

Tammy Blanchard was great. I totally get how she can be divisive, but for some reason I just really connected with her. Her seeming blistered and vulnerable and loopy right off the bat was untraditional but totally made sense. And kudos to her for taking a role so closely connected to one actress’ portrayal and turning it on its head.

Conrad Ricamora was a total delight. Like Blanchard, it feels like a more realistic portrayal, in that really does start off and stay meek most of the show, so it hits harder when he has these moments of anger, fear, pride and strength. As some others have mentioned, there is some strain on his voice, but he makes it work. He did have a moment where I guess he’s supposed to pull a gun out of his jacket at the end, but it looks like it got caught, so he just was just like, “Take that! And that!” while pushing the bottom of this jacket at the plant.

The Urchins were great. Jana Djunne Jackson was on for Ronette, and they were a hoot. When the money fell, a guy grabbed one of the bills and teased with Joy Woods giving it back, and she and Aveena Sawyer played with him the rest of the scene, it was hysterical. (One related annoying thig, there was a group of teens/young adults) who insisted on cheering and whooping every vocal run by The Urchins like it was American Idol, it was quite distracting.)

The physical production felt like a big production but in a teeny tiny space. Costumes, sets, light were top-notch. And the Audrey II design and puppetry simply blew me away. I couldn’t help thinking, “They did all this for a 275 seater?” One failing was the sound mix, it wasn’t so great when The Urchins sang, especially in beginning, and in some of the group numbers, that was disappointment. (I read some of the review from 2019 after the show, and it was even mentioned there, not sure why it hasn’t been remedied?)

Only thing that irked me was the lack of heat, is that common for that venue? But overall a fun night and definitely want to go back. Maybe when the theatre warms up.

I wonder if they have to keep the theatre cold in general because of the puppeteers inside the plant.

Thanks for the review and glad you enjoyed the show, taboo. Sounds like it’s in great shape. I’d love to go back now that Conrad is in the show. Jeremy definitely hammed it up, so it’ll be nice to see a different take on Seymour.

I too am impressed by the cast and the design. The huge design for the tiny theatre is super effective, and the cast has been consistently good throughout the run. No wonder it’s been a hit this whole time.

Has there been any speculation as to the next Seymour?

I will be going in first week of April, Borle will be with the show, right? Does he has a good attendance? His understudy is good?

Per Telecharge:


*PLEASE NOTE: For performances 5/3/22 through 5/29/22, Christian Borle will not perform the role of "Orin & Others."

7thbighero said: "Per Telecharge:


*PLEASE NOTE: For performances 5/3/22 through 5/29/22, Christian Borle will not perform the role of "Orin & Others.""

Oh bless you for this. I’ve been anxiously watching for info on his dates the past month or so, ever since buying my LSOH tickets for the end of April. Our trip was already set in stone so we wouldn’t have been able to adjust things to see him, I was just holding out a glimmer of hope he’d still be in when we’re there. Huge sigh of relief over here!

Conrad and Christian are so delicious on stage together, I LOVE it so much. I do hope when Conrad leaves in May, they replace Tammy so someone else can bring a fresh take to the role, I would especially enjoy seeing a woman of color. I love how successful this run has been regardless who is playing Seymour though.

Updated On: 4/5/22 at 12:14 PM

angoradebs said: "Forgive me if this is old news, but I haven't seen it anywhere - Telecharge now specifies that Andrew Call will be playing Christian Borle's roles during his absence."

Hmmm that might entice me to go. I was going to skip it when I’m in NYC in May because Christian was the biggest motivating factor for me but Andrew could be a good substitute…

I suspect any replacement would stay through the summer. By then, I’m thinking you might see all three leads replaced. If Borle is doing “Some Like It Hot,” I think August/September would be the point at which their rehearsals would kick in,in earnest. Not sure when Tammy’s contract is up.