cool Little Shop video clip

[bjivie2]

Posted: 4/8/05 at 3:28am

I just found this in my Favorites file and thought I'd share if anyone was interested. It's a video of the production of Little Shop that I directed this summer. My icon is a picture of Audrey from the production.

http://www.villagetheatre.org/kidstage_little_shop.html

Everyone in it is 20 and under. Really fun. I posted it before within another thread, but thought I'd make my own thread for it. I'm directing Chorus Line this summer with the same program. I'm really excited.

Oh, and in case you're interested (since I know so many of you are theatre students) the blonde girl in the trio will be going to Carnegie Mellon next year, the slut in the trio goes to BoCo, Audrey goes to BYU, Mushnik is at Juilliard, Seymour will be going to Yale, the Dentist is at Cornish and Mrs. Luce/Custome will be at either BoCo or Penn State.

Updated On: 4/8/05 at 03:28 AM

[apdarcey]

Posted: 4/8/05 at 3:34am

i heart the middle of the urchins (the blonde/the alarm goes off girl)

[bjivie2]

Posted: 4/8/05 at 3:35am

Haha. She's on the board sometimes. Maybe she'll read this post.

[apdarcey]

Posted: 4/8/05 at 3:36am

really? she's really pretty too!!! what's her name?

[bjivie2]

Posted: 4/8/05 at 3:38am

Ryah Nixon. She's really cool. She's ghetto and makes me laugh.

[apdarcey]

Posted: 4/8/05 at 3:45am

well if she likes a nice white boy named andrew you send her my way.

[apdarcey]

Posted: 4/8/05 at 3:50am

wait. is your picture of the girl playing audrey in this production? that just occurred to me!

[bjivie2]

Posted: 4/8/05 at 3:52am

Yes it is. They're like 6 or 7 inch platforms. Ridiculous. She's 5' nothing without them.

I love how this is just our own private little conversation.

[apdarcey]

Posted: 4/8/05 at 3:53am

apparently i'm the only one interested. but i love little shop. and i love that ryah girl. and then i had the realization that that might be the audrey in your picture (which i had always just assumed was you!)

i noticed those platforms in the video and was like. damn girl.

[bjivie2]

Posted: 4/8/05 at 3:54am

Haha. No. Definitely not me. My name is definitely Brandon. Haha.

[apdarcey]

Posted: 4/8/05 at 3:56am

i'm pretty sure i've known that in the past, but alas, i can't remember everything.

[paradox_error]

Posted: 4/8/05 at 6:23am

That was great!

Though, the three girls were doing a little too much American Idol for me, but it looked like a fantastic production, with a fantastic cast!

[Joshua488]

Posted: 4/8/05 at 6:44am

Audrey's shoes bother me. Audrey is not a prostitute!

And you think the Broadway production was lame??

[Barnaby12345]

Posted: 4/8/05 at 8:09am

Wow, great talent! Looks like an awesome production. Good job.

[ckeaton]

Posted: 4/8/05 at 9:14am

I think it would have been MUCH classier for you to not slam the Broadway production. Especially since you are claiming to be the director of this one. It's not good form.

As for the production, I agree with the American Idol comment. Sometimes it's best to stick to the notes that the composer has written. But it wasn't necessarily bad. Just different.

Some of the blocking is a little forced. Lot of arms in the air. But other than that, they are a talented, and very good-looking group. I'm sure some of them will have much success.

[MissRyahCMU]

Posted: 4/8/05 at 10:17am

Updated On: 3/1/07 at 10:17 AM

[KelRel]

Posted: 4/8/05 at 10:30am

I think that it is really sad that you felt the need to say that the B'way version of LSOH is "lame" I am sure that the actors and actresses who put their heart and soul into it are glad to hear that. I watched your clip and thought that it was good for community theater...very good infact, but the way that it was presented sounded pretensious and set yourself up as a poor comparison to the B'way version. As a member of the theater community you should not be so critical of others work.

[magic8ball]

Posted: 4/8/05 at 10:46am

a) There was a ton of stuff wrong with the Broadway production.
b) You're all taking his comment way too seriously. Maybe he should have followed it up with a wink, but JESUS, people... Get over it.
c) Prostitutes are not the only people who wear plats.
d) There are some things that I see that I don't necessarily like in the video clip, but it's pretty good overall.
e) Ryah, you kick ass.

[JoshuaEads]

Posted: 4/8/05 at 11:00am

Having adored "Little Shop" and regarded it as my favorite show since the age of seven I must agree that I thought the Broadway production wasn't all it could have been. Mostly, I felt that it was hollow and insincere. I still enjoyed it, but longed for some heart. I've performed as Seymour five times and have seen well over a hundred productions (a little obsessed, I know!) and have seen some very good and some very bad productions. Your production looks pretty good. My only complaint would be the costuming ... the costumes present on the video clip span from the seventies to present day. Having not witnessed the full production I really can't say if this was an artistic choice or not, but it was a little distracting. The vocal talent was fierce and the other production values looked top notch. Keep up the good work!

~Joshua

[keggss23]

Posted: 4/8/05 at 11:07am

Wow - those are some talented kids!!

[paradox_error]

Posted: 4/8/05 at 11:20am

Ryah - You're great! What a voice!

[bjivie2]

Posted: 4/8/05 at 12:10pm

Wow, I didn't think my "lame" comment would cause such a ruckus. This is the last time I post anything like this on here. Sorry for being trouble.

But to answer some questions/comments...

The costumes WERE from all different periods. We set the show in a sort of "alternate dimension" in no real time period or specific place. And while the costumes are from different time periods, there's nothing really specifically "70s" or "80s" about any of them. The designer wanted to keep it somewhat annonymous.

American Idol - I see how people can say this, but I don't see a difference between the way my girls sang it and any other production, including the revival, original and movie.

It's not community theatre, it's youth theatre. Village Theatre KIDSTAGE sumemr program, ages 16-20. Ryah's 17, I'm 19.

Joshua - Audrey didn't wear the white plats for entire show. Just the opening scene. And she was pretty close to a prostitute, at least in the version we came up with. ("I put on cheap and tasteless outfits... and I'd...")

And by the way, the Broadway production WAS lame. It had no soul. There are so many things wrong with it that I can't get into it in this thread. We're all allowed to have our own opinion, and mine is that the LS revival was (in general) awful.

Updated On: 4/8/05 at 12:10 PM

[MissRyahCMU]

Posted: 4/8/05 at 12:27pm

Updated On: 3/1/07 at 12:27 PM

[JeffG]

Posted: 4/8/05 at 1:05pm

BJivie2

It's very easy for a director to fall in love with the work they created, so I won't criticize you for that.

The American Idol comment that people have made is valid. And if you listed to both the OBCR and OOBCR you'll hear a very distinct difference between belting, and what some of your performers (who are talented) did. As someone else stated, it's a question of trusting the material and singing the notes as written. It's ok to make it your own, but the constant up and down the scales isn't doing anyone, nor the score any great service. You want proof? Go and rewatch the American Idol from last week.

I am surprised that you as a director, and lover of the show would make a comment that Audrey is pretty close to a prostitute. She is nothing like a prostitute. Just because someone wears skimpy outfits doesn't make her have sex for money. Nor is working at a seedy club. It's almost offensive, to me, that you would equate dressing provactively with prostitution. She was a cocktail waitress at a bar where men would probably sexually harrass her and grope her as she walked by. BIG DIFFERENCE.

[AnothaPartofMe]

Posted: 4/8/05 at 1:44pm

I love the whole Hot Topic take on the Urchins... I hate when they put three white girls in pseudo-80s/ghetto get-ups... excellent touch.

Oh, and the girl in the fishnets... wow.

Updated On: 4/8/05 at 01:44 PM