OGDEN, Utah, Oct. 24, 2016 (Gephardt Daily) — The Ziegfeld Theater has built a name for itself by squeezing the maximum amount of offbeat fun out of every musical it tackles.
So the cast, director and designers seem totally at home in the world of a hungry, talking plant with soulful singing; a leather-clad, sadistic dentist who hurts loved ones and patients alike; and a trio of backup singers interpreting the action like a Greek chorus transported to the 1950s or so, and gifted with strong singing voices, flashy/trashy outfits and solid senses of humor.
All in a night’s work, or afternoon’s, if you see the matinee of “Little Shop of Horrors.”
But the company, left with no envelope to push in this particular show, created one. The actors add a comic book look to the show with makeup of hard lines and highlights. It’s the kind of art you would see in an old-style comic book.
In addition, the costumes, fashioned in crayon box colors with shades of brown for a few men, have black lines sewn onto collars, cuffs and pockets, as if the clothing itself also was drawn by a cartoonist.
Actor Eb Madson plays the nebbish Seymour, a clerk in Mr. Mushnik’s Skid Row Florist shop, who sleeps in the basement. Seymour is secretly in love with clerk Audrey (Aimee Lynn Chadwick), who is sweet and caring despite the physical and verbal abuse she takes from her boyfriend.
Too timid to share his feelings, Seymour lavishes his attention on an exotic plant he found after a storm. The plant, which Seymour names Audrey II, brings some positive attention to its keeper. But there’s a price to pay, locally, and perhaps globally.
The show, by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken, was deftly directed by Caleb Parry. Erica Choffel’s set, also comic-book inspired, adds a lot of fun, as do costumes by Dee Tua’one, who lends his rich baritone to Audrey II.
Adding to all that is strong choreography by Heidi Potter Hunt, and music direction by Rick Rea, who always sets his standards high.
The one thing that distracted from the production was the stylized makeup added to enhance it.
The idea was a lot of fun, but at least on opening night, the makeup application varied dramatically from one character to the next. Actors wore varying amounts of black lines, highlighted with differing amounts of white.
One actor wore thick lines, tapered at both ends. Others wore medium or even thin lines, subtle by comparison. Those differences brought too much attention to the makeup, robbing actors of an audience focused on their top notch singing and acting.
It’s possible that the cast has switched to more regulated lines and highlights since the show’s first nights. And that would erase the production’s only significant issue.
“Little Shop of Horrors” has some adult language, the suggestion of abuse, and, of course, various disturbing instances of people becoming plant foot. It may not be the best choice for children or adults bothered by such on-stage occurrences.
Shows are at 7:30 p.m. Fridays, and 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturdays, through Nov. 5 at the Ziegfeld Theater, 3934 S. Washington Blvd., Ogden.
Tickets are $20 or less, with discounts for online purchases. For more information, click here.
