Okay... I saw it.
Firstly, this is a very ambitious production where the director rightly or wrongly subverts almost every expectation when it come this show. This director has now freed Little Shop from the museum piece it has become. And for that reason alone this production deserves attention.
By museum piece I mean....I saw the original L.A. production with Faith Prince, and every subsequent production has been some slight variation on the original or derivative of the film. All basically the same. All less interesting than the one before it.
But now we have a Little Shop that... while not being entirely successful.. shows the potential the show has for different approaches... and that is what makes this version exciting to watch. Gone is the cartoonish overwash.
Unfortunately, the moment to moment beats of the show are often way off. The actors are hardly connecting with one another. The entire cast seems a little lost or going in different directions all at once. Strange too is how the story telling just stops when people sing. My guess is the director was more concept focused than character focused. The British are MUCH better at these re-inventions than we are. They seem to meet the micro with the macro at its most potent point. This is under served with the micro.
It doesn't help that the Audrey is not a very strong actor, but she does successfully break the Greene mold and when she does hit the mark it's like a breath of fresh air. I didn't miss any of the traditional quirkiness every actor cribs from the Greene playbook.
Amber Riley is having a lot of fun, and give the show the fun twist it needs.
I'm glad I saw it, I might even see it again. But if you're stuck on how Little Shop should look or should be played, you'll miss the multiple success this production has to offer.
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people. - Eleanor Roosevelt
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