Last Chance for “Little Shop” at Slow Burn
By Skip Sheffield
Slow Burn Theatre bids a fond farewell to Boca Raton with
the riotous musical “Little Shop of Horrors,” continuing through June 28 at
West Boca Raton High School Performing Arts Auditorium. Starting in October
Slow Burn will be resident theater company of Broward Center for the Arts.
Slow Burn began very modestly five years ago in an
out-of-the-way location for South Florida theatergoers, specializing in
little-known or little-performed theater pieces. “Little Shop” is an exception.
Based on a 1960 Roger Corman cult classic, Little Shop was rewritten for the
stage in 1982 by Howard Ashman, with catchy 1950s-1960s style pop music by Alan
Menkin. It ran for five years Off-Broadway.
The mood is set by the title song opener “Little Shop of
Horrors,” sung by a close harmony female trio named after famous girl-groups:
Ronette (Nicole Dikon), Crystal (Christina Alexander) and Chiffon (Elisa
Dannielle).
Seymour Krelborn (Mike Westrich) is a born loser, literally.
He was born and abandoned by his parents on Skid Row, USA (every city has one).
A flower shop owner named Mr. Mushnik (Slow Burn co-founder and executive
director Matthew Korinko) took pity on hapless Seymour and hired him as an
assistant- though not a very good one.
Audrey (Amy Miller Brennan) makes her grand entrance into
Mushnik’s shop (another wonderful design by Sean McClelland) at 2 p.m.,
apologizing for her tardiness. Seymour, who secretly adores Audrey, can’t help
but notice she has a black eye. Audrey says she has had an accident. Seymour
knows better. Most likely she has been hit by her abusive boyfriend, Orin
Scrivello, D.D.S. (Shane Tanner). Orin is a sadist who wears a black leather
jacket and rides a motorcycle.
Orin (and more than a half-dozen others, including Life
magazine publisher Claire Boothe Luce) is the real-life husband of Amy Miller
Brennan, all tarted up in tight, low-cut dresses and a platinum wig. Perhaps
this real chemistry helped Amy deliver her best performance ever at Slow Burn.
Her powerful voice is a natural wonder. She sells Audrey’s anguish in an
uproariously funny over-the-top manner.
Audrey is the namesake of Audrey II, the infamous plant that
thrives on human blood, nurtured by Seymour. The role calls for a deep male
voice and director/choreographer Patrick Fitzwater found it in Geoffrey Short.
The larger Audrey II puppets are manipulated by Rick Pena, who designed the
period costumes as well. Andrew Gilbert leads an onstage but unseen band that
includes Caryl Fantel on keyboards, Roy Fantel on percussion, Guillermo
Gonzalez on guitars and Pat Ward on bass. This outfit plays rock-solid in
late-1950s, early-1960s style, though most were not even born yet.
The original film was more silly than scary. That’s why the
stage show is even sillier. Fitzwater has the good sense to whip through the
proceedings in about 90 minutes. Clever as it is, “Little Shop” does not
inspire deep thinking. It’s strictly for laughs, and laughs it delivers.
Tickets are $40 general admission and $25 students. Call
866-811-4111 or go to www.slowburntheatre.org.
“Marie’s Story” a French Helen Keller
If you are looking for something a lot more serious and
heart-moving, there is the lovely French film “Marie’s Story,” directed and
co-written by Jean-Pierre Ameris, and recipient of numerous awards in Europe.
The film is based on the true story of Marie Huertin, born
deaf and blind in 19th century France. Unlike Helen Keller, Marie
was also a savage; subject to fits of uncontrollable rage. In desperation her
parents sent her to Larnay Institute near Poitiers, France, run by the Catholic
Sisters of Wisdom.
Larnay was a school for deaf girls. Since Marie was also
blind and violent, the Mother Superior (Brigitte Catillon) did not want to
admit her. Marie found an ally in young Sister Marguerite (Cesar Award-winner
Isabel Carre), a woman of infinite patience. Sister Marguerite found a key to
communicate with a 14-year-old girl locked in her world of silence and darkness.
It was a small pen knife; her most cherished possession. If you need a dose of
inspiration, Marie’s Story” is playing at FAU’s Living Room Theaters.
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