July 8, 2024
Mr. Mushnik (Audie Gemora) owned a flower shop in a decrepit part of the city called Skid Row. Working for him were a foundling orphan boy named Seymour (Nyoy Volante), and a pretty but not-so-smart young lady named Audrey (Karylle). Because business was very bad, Mushnik declared that he has decided to close down shop. Desperate to keep the shop open, Seymour revealed that he had a new discovery which may improve business.
He brought out a strange plant which he found after a recent solar eclipse, which he called Audrey 2 for his crush. However Audrey currently had a boyfriend, the sadistic dentist Dr. Orin Scrivello (Markki Stroem), who frequently beat her up. At that time, the plant appeared to be dying, so Mushnick was not so impressed. That night, Seymour accidentally pricked his finger on a rose thorn. When drops of his blood fell onto the plant, it suddenly sprung to life.
The original "Little Shop of Horrors" was a 1960 horror-black comedy B-movie directed by Roger Corman. Two decades later, Alan Menken and Howard Ashman (before their Disney renaissance with Ariel and Belle) turned the film into an acclaimed off-Broadway stage musical which ran from 1982 to 1987. In 1986, there was a film version of the stage musical directed by Frank Oz, starring Rick Moranis as Seymour and Steve Martin as Dr. Scrivello.
I had long heard about this show and film, but I had not seen any version at all. This was the first time I was actually seeing this in full, so I was very excited to finally get to know what the fuss about it was all about. I was very pleasantly surprised how fun and entertaining the whole show was. Despite all the inevitable violence, abuse and deaths in the story, I, along with the rest of the audience, was laughing all the way through the supposedly revulsive scenes.
In the show I watched, Seymour was played by Nyoy Volante (in all his wide-eyed nerdiness), Audrey by Karylle (always seductively sweet), Mushnik by Audie Gemora (amusingly cantankerous), Scrivello by Markki Stroem (so good being slick yet crazed) and Audrey 2 by OJ Mariano (channeling a vicious Zuma without snakes) Their ability to sing and act had long been proven by their impressive track records, and their performances were all just so lovable.
The alternate cast will have Seymour by Reb Atadero (I can see him already simper so delightfully), Audrey by movie star Sue Ramirez in her theater debut (someone I am most excited to see), Scrivello by David Ezra (an actor I have never seen in an antagonist role before), and Audrey 2 by Julia Serad (this female interpretation of the blood-thirsty carnivore should be totally different from OJ's take, and I want to see it).
Hanging around Mushnik's flower shop and witnessing the events on Skid Row were three ladies, namely Crystal, Ronette and Chiffon (singular forms of 60s girl groups), collectively called the Urchins. This group functioned as a Greek chorus of sorts, filling in the details of the story with their inside information and insights. Abi Sulit, Paula Paguio, and Julia Serad (or Mikee Baskinas when Julia is Audrey 2) provide the Urchins with powerful singing vocals.
The other most remarkable aspects of this show is the colorful way how director Toff de Venecia and his crew conjured up Audrey 2. Puppeteers handled Audrey 2's various parts, as he grew from a tiny weak potted plant withering away in hunger, into a murderous monstrosity occupying the whole stage, engulfing entire human beings. One can't really capture this phenomenal execution fully in words. You've really got to go see it live to appreciate it best.
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UPDATE: July 20, 2024
My wife and I watched the matinee show as part of our wedding anniversary weekend. Caught Reb Atadero as Seymour and Sue Ramirez as Audrey. Atadero seemed to have been born to play the bumbling botanist Seymour, effortlessly cute performance. In her films, Ramirez knew how to play quirky like the back of hand, and she knocked it out of the park here. Her Audrey was flirty and lovable, and her singing was unexpectedly rich and delightful -- it was hard to believe that this was her stage debut!
Got to watch Julia Serad's portrayal of Audrey II this time around, and she gave it her sinister snarling best. Still preferred OJ Mariano's Audrey II. Also got to watch David Ezra's take on the sadistic dentist Scrivello. He did not seem to be the right fit for the role. The effort was showing but was not selling. Still preferred Markki Stroem's Scrivello.
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"Little Shop of Horrors" runs from July 6-28, 2024 at the Globe Auditorium, Maybank Performing Arts Theater, BGC. Ticket are available via Ticketworld, with prices ranging from P3,600 (L1 Center Premium) to P2,000 (L3 Sides).
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