7thbighero said: "“Little Shop of Horrors satirizes many things: science fiction, ‘B’ movies, musical comedy itself, and the the Faust legend. There will, therefore, be a temptation to play it for camp and low-comedy. This is a great and potentially fatal mistake. The script keeps its tongue firmly in cheek, so the actors should not. Instead, they should play with simplicity, honesty, and sweetness--even when events are at their most outlandish. The show’s individual “style” will evolve naturally from the words themselves and an approach to acting and singing them that is almost child-like in its sincerity and intensity. By way of example, Audrey poses like Fay Wray from time to time. But she does this because she’s in genuine fear and happens to see the world as her private ‘B’ movie--not because she’s “commenting” to the audience on the the silliness of her situation. Having directed the original New York production of Little Shop myself, and subsequently having seen it in many versions and even many languages, I can vouch for the fact that when Little Shop is at its most honest, it is also at its funniest and most enjoyable.”
- Howard Ashman"
There's a difference between playing the role straight and playing it seriously. Ellen Greene's Audrey was clearly a cartoon, but she played the cartoon earnestly and movingly (as well as hilariously). That's quite different than someone playing her as a realistic, three-dimensional woman trapped in an abusive relationship, which is another kind of character--and another kind of play--altogether. I haven't seen this produciton, so no comment on Wolfe or any of the other Audreys. Just pointing out that playing straight isn't the same thing as playing for street realism.
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