Photo by Nile Scott Studios
Presented by Greater Boston Stage Company
Book and Lyrics by Howard Ashman
Music by Alan Menken
Directed by Ilana Ransom Toeplitz
Music Directed by Bethany Aiken
Choreographed by Chris Shin
Stage Managed by Shauwna Dias Grillo
June 6 – 29, 2025
GBSC
395 Main Street
Stoneham, MA 02180
Critique by Kitty Drexel
Run Time: Little Shop of Horrors runs approximately 2 hours including the intermission.
STONEHAM, Mass. — My apologies to the cast, crew and staff of Greater Boston Stage Company’s Little Shop of Horrors for the delay in getting this critique out. I’ve been selfishly disturbed by the chaos ripping through Los Angeles manufactured by the Fascists-in-Chief to distract us from the beastly, bulbous tax and spending legislation sitting in the U.S. Senate. Actual, factual L.A. takes precedence over fantastical L.A. no matter how awesome your show is.
GBSC’s Little Shop of Horrors has commonality with Richard O’Brien’s Rocky Horror Show. It has pervy aliens, stiff romantic tension, a soupçon of domestic violence, and solid bangers to get your booty in motion. The biggest difference between the two shows remains costuming: Little Shop’s cast wears its weather- and situation-appropriate clothing by Chelsea Kerl (who could easily have costumed both shows from the same closet) for the duration of the production. While Audrey II starts and stays naked, her tandem actors keep their trousers on. So, negligee notwithstanding, if you like one show, you’ll like the other.
The Rocky Horror Show is my favorite musical, and I was delighted by this production of Little Shop of Horrors. The pretend apathy and violence onstage were a necessary diversion from the ongoing apathy and violence occurring in Washington D.C. and the media. In it, Seymour Krelborn (a nerdy, sweet Stephen Markarian), a floral assistant working at Mr. Mushnik’s (a magnificent Bryan Miner) Skid Row flower shop with Audrey (Kayla Shimizu with a heart and stage presence of gold), the love of his life. Seymour encounters a mysterious plant named “Audrey II (Anthony Pires Jr. & Sydney T. Grant).” With promises of fame in exchange for blood, Audrey II’s sinister intentions gradually unfold. Jared Troilo appears as Orin, a sadistic dentist. Becky Bass* (Crystal), Pearl Scott (Ronnette), and Cortlandt Barrett (Chiffon) titillate the senses as a trio of streetwise, amoral narrators.
The cast nails the comedic timing and spirit of Ashman and Menken’s science fiction/horror musical. They are firmly in this reality: they are invested in their characters and relationships of Little Shop, but they don’t take the musical too seriously. Bass, Scott and Barrett make a wickedly captivating trio. Their vocals busted through the tech problems in the musical’s first half and soared through the second. Menken’s music is already catchy. Their singing made it more so.
Anthony Pires Jr. and Sydney T. Grant are a great team. Pires rich spoken and florid sung vocals with Grant’s energetic puppetry made it easier to believe Audrey II a real albeit whiny threat.
The scenes between Seymour/Orin at Orin’s dental practice give Repo! The Genetic Opera vibes. Blood splatters adorn a grimy backdrop. Shadow puppetry and a wretched gasmask fan the flames of the already disturbing musical number, “Now (It’s Just the Gas):” Nitrous Oxide, like Zydrate, comes in a glass vial. Who needs a senselessly gyrating Paris Hilton when you’ve got a forcefully cognizant Jared Troilo riding a dentist’s chair like a bucking bronco? It’s not my kink, but it might be yours.
I’d argue that most science fiction and horror lovers will enjoy this particular production more than most Little Shops. Directors Ilana Ransom Toeplitz, Bethany Aiken, and choreographer Chris Shin take it to more adult dark places. Audrey’s injuries are hauntingly obvious; we can’t (and shouldn’t) disregard her abuse. Audrey II might look like a velveteen soft squishmallow, but her murderous actions are unchecked. The trio and Mushnik will do anything for a buck because poverty is the ultimate motivator. It’s a marvel that Seymour and Audrey have such decent hearts at all. Any other character caught in this curious nightmare would’ve either starved Audrey II to death or taken the plant’s promises to the deepest depths of human depravity. Their deaths by carnivorous plant via their own gullibility was their way of taking the easy way out.
It’s a Raffle Extravaganza: BGSC has a raffle going through the show’s run. You can buy tickets for a chance to win one of 14 baskets, champagne to evenings out. Adventurous attendees can buy a flowering plant of their own. I didn’t see teeth as I walked by the table, but I wasn’t paying close attention. Purchase at your own risk.
If you’re a person seeking perspective during this apocalyptic time, I offer Under the Desk News as an alternative news source. V Spehar is a decent person and a trustworthy, independent journalist who speaks directly with informed primary sources to provide the news.
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