Why does Little Shop not work on a larger scale?

[BCfitasafiddle]

Posted: 3/15/21 at 4:54pm

Is it the Off-Broadway roots that make it so perfect for small venues? I always wonder why people say it doesn't work in bigger spaces. Does anyone have any words to speak on why?

[joevitus]

Posted: 3/15/21 at 5:36pm

Vague memory from an interview conducted for a mid-to-late-80's production that originated in Dallas, which transferred to my city, Houston, into what was then the largest sized theater the show was allowed to be licensed for (the Tower--and it wasn't all that big: it was a restructured old single screen movie house--about 1200 seats). I don't know that theater itself was singularly the largest--like they (whoever ''they" would be--Menken and Ashman?) learned of the dimensions of the house and just barely allowed it, or if fell into the already designated class size determined to be the upper limit for potential productions. As I recall from the interview, larger spaces were not approved because the larger the auditorium, the more substantially dwarfed the plant became even at its largest, and this hurt the effectiveness of the show (particularly the ending,I'd assume). 

I think as time has gone by, bigger houses became acceptable because they mean more money, and maybe there is a sense that the show is so well-known now, and loved, it doesn't have to presented in the most optimal venues to win over a crowd; they came in already won over.

Updated On: 3/15/21 at 05:36 PM

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 3/15/21 at 6:17pm

City Center ain't small.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 3/15/21 at 7:25pm

I think the City Center production was an anomaly and because it featured one of the biggest movie stars in the world alongside the legend who created the role. It wouldn’t have come off so well with virtually any other cast.

[Alex Kulak2]

Posted: 3/15/21 at 7:43pm

Because it’s such a high-stakes show, presenting it on such a small scale ups the power of the emotions. You’d expect a small, reserved play in a 60 seat theatre, because actors would feel self-conscious about going over-the-top so close to the audience. The first time a giant foam Venus Fly Trap swallowed Mushnik whole 10 feet away from the front row must have been spectacular.

[Alex Kulak2]

Posted: 3/15/21 at 7:46pm

It’s also important to remember that the original Little Shop of Horrors, the Roger Corman movie, was about as low-budget as low-budget goes. It was filmed in two days on the set of another movie with actors the studio already had under contract.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 3/15/21 at 8:55pm

Some shows just work better in intimate venues. The Gateway in Bellport did THE FANTASTICKS and NUNSENSE in their big barn of a theater and the shows really suffered in all that space.

[¿Macavity?]

Posted: 3/15/21 at 10:13pm

The times I've seen the show on large stages (regional houses), it seemed like theme park theatre - no snobbery intended. Larger stages often means larger and more presentational performances, which robs the material of it's heart. Howard Ashman mentions in his author's note in the script that the characters should be played as real people and to let the material do the work.

The heart and comedy of the show work best, imo, when not played up. The show is often milked, which - by no coincidence - results in a cheesey comedy with little bite or soul. It's a rich show with so many layers to mine and work with, and yet so many productions seem try to be the big blowout event of the season for their subscription houses. Which is understandable, but unfortunate.

Updated On: 3/16/21 at 10:13 PM

[rattleNwoolypenguin]

Posted: 3/16/21 at 4:26pm

It is in fact called,

Little Shop of Horrors.

The story is intimate and like others have said, the plant is scarier when it feels closer to you. 

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 3/16/21 at 5:39pm

I saw the revival tour with Anthony Rapp and I thought it worked well on a bigger scale in a large theatre but I did intentionally sit close to the stage.

[John Adams]

Posted: 3/16/21 at 7:28pm

'Cause it's not a BIG show. There are no production numbers, no big sets to fly in/out, and the chorus members consist of three ladies. Although I liked the movie version of the musical, it bordered on being too big (for me...).

It's like the difference between attending a dinner party for six and a wedding reception. If the dinner party were held in a hotel ballroom, would you feel as comfortable as you would in someone's dining room (even if the meal served was exactly the same in both circumstances)? 

[John Adams]

Posted: 3/16/21 at 7:28pm

'Cause it's not a BIG show. There are no production numbers, no big sets to fly in/out, and the chorus members consist of three ladies. Although I liked the movie version of the musical, it bordered on being too big (for me...).

It's like the difference between attending a dinner party for six and a wedding reception. If the dinner party were held in a hotel ballroom, would you feel as comfortable as you would in someone's dining room (even if the meal served was exactly the same in both circumstances)? 

[7thbighero]

Posted: 3/16/21 at 9:48pm

¿Macavity? said: "The times I've seen the show on large stages (regional houses), it seemed like theme park theatre - no snobbery intended. Larger stages often means larger and more presentational performances, which robs the material of it's heart. Howard Ashman mentions in his author's note in the script that the characters should be played as real people and to let the material do the work.

The heart and comedy of the show work best, imo, when not played up. The showis often milked, which - by no coincidence - results in acheesey comedywith little bite or soul. It's a rich show with so many layers to mine and work with, and yet so many productions seem tryto be the big blowout event of the season for their subscription houses. Which is understandable, butunfortunate."

 

This is exactly why the Stratford Festival production didn’t work. Not only was it in a large space but the cast played it for caricatures. Not for sincerity or authenticity 

 

[missthemountains]

Posted: 3/17/21 at 5:07am

John Adams said: "'Cause it's not a BIG show. There are no production numbers, no big sets to fly in/out, andthe chorus members consistof three ladies. Although I liked the movie version of the musical, it bordered on being too big (for me...).

It's like the difference between attending a dinner party for six and a wedding reception. Ifthe dinner party were held in a hotel ballroom, would you feel as comfortable as you would in someone's dining room (even if the meal served was exactly the same in both circumstances)?"

Hit the nail on the head. It simply wasn't written to be a big cast show. If that were the case, it would have included way more ensemble numbers. In the original casting, there was no ensemble. I highly prefer it staged that way. I understand that it's popular among high schools (middle schools?) and colleges, but it is almost cringey to watch with such a large person cast, because it simply doesn't suit the intention of the piece.

As someone mentioned earlier about the Dallas production in a larger space--I do think that the size of the plant in a larger space makes it less fun. As an audience member, I want to see that thing up close and personal. It's just more fun.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 3/17/21 at 5:25am

I have seen quite a few productions of Little Shop in both large and small spaces. There is no questions that the show works much better in a smaller space. I saw the national tour of the last revival in a 3,000 Broadway subscription house. It was still highly enjoyable, but all the nuance of the small show was lost. On the other hand, I saw the current Off Broadway revival, and found it to work perfectly in the small space (it also helps that it is an absolutely perfect production).

[Ravenclaw]

Posted: 3/17/21 at 5:33am

I've seen a number of intimate shows work in large houses (including the recent tours of Fun Home and The Band's Visit), but Little Shop is different because of the rules of the world it sets up. There's a cognitive dissonance when you hear the characters sing about "Skid Row" but then watch a fancy piece of stage machinery move a giant set piece around, or if the little shop takes up a 40-foot stage. The world that the characters inhabit is scrappy, claustrophobic, and falling apart, and thus it demands a production that embraces those qualities.