Loopin’theloop said: "Theater_Nerd said: "Loopin’theloop said: "She was furious that they didn’t have her instead of Kerry Butler, in the Broadway production! Hehe"
Who was furious? That particular production was misguided. Kerry Butler, as talented as she is just didn't cut the mustard as "Audrey". The whole production just felt "off". The cast recording is unlistenable.Alice Ripley dodged a bullet."
Ellen Greene. She felt she should have been asked to play the role and that she would have brought in millions at the box office. Her words."
I see. As much as I love Ellen I think that by then she had aged out of the role.
I always liked my Audreys to be a little older than my Seymours because I think it fits with Seymour being a bit naive and Audrey having more life experience, but having Ellen Green play opposite Hunter Foster would have been too much. But then it did work when she played opposite Jake Gyllenhaal when she was even older but that was a "special" performance, not a full Broadway/Off-Broadway production. But yeah, the production seems a bit off to me too and as much as I like Kerry Butler in other things, she wasn't right for Audrey.
He voiced Audrey II in the off Broadway production as well as in London and Los Angeles. Then he understudied in the Broadway production and did the national tour and Papermill Playhouse production.
I'm still burned we never got the Alice Ripley Audrey we were promised back in the early aughts. But at least we get to see the production's Lee Wilkof Mushnik.
I saw it last night! Currently working but will update with more of my thoughts later. I will say now Megan Hilty and Michael James Leslie were my favorites. Also there is no puppet, when Audrey II is first introduced, it’s just Leslie sitting on a wheeled chair with claws. Ridiculous but it works!
Megan Hilty is truly the Audrey we've been waiting for since Ellen Greene.
After the c0cktease that was cHeSs Is BeInG tRaNsFeReD!!1!!! I'd really like to see some iteration of this cast transfer to Broadway because we need some good times!
Keep Michael, Megan, the girls, and Lee. I can go with or without Josh. Might I suggest... Jonah Hill?..can he sing? and I'd lose Nick and bring in (my always suggestion because I just have a HUNCH) Eric Andre as Orin/The Others. Honestly, they don't really need a puppet but they should probably add one if it hypothetically would transfer.
Also the orchestrations were the same as the broadway production in 2003 but they sounded much punchier and more rock and roll. It was played sharper and the drummer is ROCKING it. Overall, it's about as good a little shop as there's going to be might as well slap it up for a limited run.
So sorry for the delay! I was out all day. Last night was so much fun! There are no puppets, just Michael but it works great.
Josh was absolutely radiant as Seymour. He mixes the perfect amount of nerdiness with softness and sweetness. His voice was wonderfully suited for the character. You will love him! Megan as Audrey is as perfect as it sounds. Her Audrey is a little bit loud with a New Jersey accent, but she still has the iconic sweetness, ditziness, and kindness of Audrey. She does channel Ellen Greene a little bit during Somewhere That’s Green with the lowness and pauses. Megan and Josh has fantastic chemistry together. It was a treat to see the original Seymour as Mushnik. He channel Nathan Lane and sounded exactly like him. Nick was very much like Gaston in his Orin, but he plays rest of his characters very one-note. The three Urchins had beautiful voices. Finally, Michael was a fantastic replacement for James. He had the big voice and great timing for Audrey II. I just wish the direction didn’t make him sit there blankly throughout the show. It would have been fun to see him watch the show go by and react like Pierre in the Great Comet.
They used the scripts in a decent amount. It was barely the songs, mostly the book scenes. However Josh used it a lot during Act 1. There was a funny joke with the script when Orin sees Seymour with the gun. The biggest disappointment of the night was the projections. They were very dark and gaudy and at one point, they made me dizzy. The only nice projection was the projection of the plants taking over.
Everyone minus Lee and Nick came out at the stagedoor. Josh and Megan took 20 minutes, head’s up.
Saw it tonight and loved it! Josh really blew me away and Megan killed it. Michael was such a great replacement and I'm really glad I saw him. Alan Menken was at the show tonight, and he gave a little speech at curtain call. Everyone came out to the stage door except Lee and Amber, but they took a bit longer, I'm assuming because of Alan Menken being there. All in all, it was a great experience.
“6 AM. The sky glows. Somewhere a bird chirps. I want to shoot it.” ~ Jonathan Larson, Tick...Tick..BOOM
Was at the show tonight. To be honest I don’t have much to say except it was pretty great. The cast is perfect. Radnor is a little weaker vocally than some of the others but I still thought he sounded pretty great. The real think I want to talk about is the way that this show was performed that was very unique and interesting. Firstly, I actually thought it was hilarious and great to have the plant on stage. Through the use of sitting and standing, different costumes, and just different physical acting it plays well. I’m in no way saying that productions shouldn’t use puppets but I do believe a physical actor along with a puppet or without one is he best way to go. Using a puppet or not is up to the director but the actor on stage really plays well with the actor embodying personality and making it a lot more interesting to watch. I think this should start happening in more productions. Secondly I’d like to talk about the role of Audrey. Someone in this thread previously said that nobody and play Audrey except Ellen Greene and I think that’s total bull crap. I love listening to opinions but I personally think it’s so close minded to say nobody else can do a role as well because how do you know unless you have literally seen every person okay the role? Ellen Greene is excellent and extremely unique and in my opinion the reason so many people have failed to correct play Audrey is because of the pressure to embody her. I’m not saying it’s inappropriate to compare different interpretations of roles but to say that a role should be strictly played a certain way is a bit crazy. Megan Hilty managed to play an amazing Audrey while not trying to emulate or copy Ellen Greene. Some aspects were similar but that was just naturally by the interpretation.
Overall it was excellent and the whole cast was terrific, especially Megan and the three street urchins.
Hey gang, I was also at show on Sunday evening but need to note in advance my iPhone is in a mood tonight so I may need to post a few times. The show is totally terrific and in great shape with this adaptation. They put Closed For Renovations, Ya Never Know back in and the other songs and orchestrations that were cut for the movie. The orchestra sounds great,. was mixed well, and I’m pretty sure there are one or two more musicians than actors on stage. The projections worked very well for the almost bare stage. I was not disappointed at all!
Such a delight to see Lee Wilkolf as Mushnik and MJLeslie as Audrey II. Not that it matters much but these 2 pros were totally off book. Having the plant portrayed very originally also worked. And if your’re a fan of dry ice, be prepared!!! So much fun it actually; icascades nicely all through the orchestra (and I mean everywhere!)
