FALMOUTH — Your eyes don’t deceive you — there’s another exceptional performance of “Little Shop of Horrors” opening on the Cape this week. In Falmouth, the nationally renowned College Light Opera Company (CLOC) is taking on the horror comedy as one of nine productions this summer season. The result is a hilarious, sonically stunning, thought-provoking show featuring the best young performers from across the country.
Name of show: “Little Shop of Horrors” by Howard Ashman; music and lyrics by Alan Menken; stage and music direction by Bryce Pinkham and Devon Hunt; presented by Falmouth’s College Light Opera Company.
“Little Shop of Horrors” has a 2 p.m. matinee today, Thursday, July 25, and will run at 7:30 p.m. this Friday and Saturday at College Light Opera. Coincidentally, Cotuit Center for the Arts is also running its production of the show , through July 28.
What is “Little Shop of Horrors” about? Set in the 1960s to an amalgamation of early rock, Motown, and doo-wop tunes, “Little Shop of Horrors” follows Seymour Krelborn (Ronan Green), a dirt-poor Skid Row orphan hopelessly in love with his coworker, Audrey. Seymour’s miracle plant, Audrey II, transforms him into an overnight botanist sensation and his adopted father’s flower shop into a hub of activity. However, keeping the plant alive proves to be a difficult task—Audrey 2 feasts only on human blood. Seymour is forced to consider just how far he’ll go to keep his famous plant alive. “Little Shop” is a love story, but it’s also a story about greed, fortune, and fame — not even the most wholesome, forgotten underdog can resist.
Reasons to see 'Little Shop of Horrors' at College Light
CLOC’s “Little Shop of Horrors” is a testament to the bright future of both on- and off-Broadway theater. Every member of the incredibly talented cast is a current college student or recent college graduate, each of whom already boasts an impressive repertoire. The cast is charming, often comedic, and immensely talented, shining brightest during group numbers like “Finale Ultimo: Don't Feed the Plants.”
Highlights: Between gorgeous 3-part harmonies, hilarious quips and flashy costume changes, Sachiko Nicholson (Crystal), Katheryn Ximena-Rojas (Ronette) and Lily Ramras (Chiffon) offer the most engaging performances of the show. If the three aren’t featured prominently in a number as street urchins on Skid Row, patients for sadistic dentist Orin Scrivello (Connor Kelly-Wright), or assistants to Seymour they’re most likely performing essential backing vocals. Ronan Green and Molly Sturgeon (Audrey) also offer touching, earnest renditions of “Somewhere That’s Green” and “Suddenly Seymour” that pull on audiences’ heartstrings.
A commotion for the puppeteers! No production of “Little Shop” is complete without a host of talented puppeteers. Tollef Currell and Daniel Watson take on the role of the 6-foot-something Audrey II, an enormous flytrap that adorns the center of the stage. Their ability to manipulate the puppet allows the plant to come across as a full-fledged character with a grating, manipulative personality.
One more thing: College Light Opera Company features a unique casting structure. Prior to the summer, CLOC assembled a 27-member vocal company for its 56th season, with each member performing in multiple shows across 11 weeks. Many cast members from “Little Shop” will take the stage in the following weeks in performances of “Legally Blonde,” “Patience,” and more. If you go: Act fast! “Little Shop of Horrors” will run at 7:30 p.m. this Friday and Saturday, with a Thursday matinee at 2 p.m. Tickets, available at collegelightoperacompany.com or by calling 508-548-0668, cost $45. The box office opens in person one hour before show time. The performance, housed at the Highfield Theatre, runs for 2 hours, 15 minutes, including a 15-minute intermission.
Olivia Pozen
This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Review: Three days left to see 'Little Shop of Horrors' showing in Falmouth or Cotuit
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