By Esmeralda Salinas
Special to the Sentinel
CAST’s newest stage delight had me laughing and smiling at the storyline and the characters - they were all fabulous!
You won’t want to miss Mr. Mushnik played by Matthew Boren - what an accent that never faltered!
The set design was truly spectacular as it really felt like we were on Skid Row - kudos to Larry Bose for ensuring the lighting was just right!
When I spoke with Darve Smith, Co-Director, he said the set came out exactly as he imagined it would.
The choreography by Ray Garcia, Co-Director and Seymour, was also beautifully done.
The unseen star of the show, however, was Darren Norris who provided the voice of Audrey II, the bloodthirsty plant that we all know and love!
But I would be remiss to leave out Ron Cowart who also provided puppeteer support for Audrey II as well as Michelle-Rose Mirelez and Alianna Paschall who so artfully portrayed the vines creating the magical effect of the fully grown Audrey II.
The entire cast blew me away with their acting and singing skills, and every time I see a show I have to remind myself that they do this for the love of performing because they don’t make a dime.
One of my favorite characters was Audrey, portrayed by Kara Cowart. Not only did she really step into and embody her character, but I could really sympathize with her, too. Audrey is in an abusive relationship and when the girls ask her why she continues to stay with her boyfriend, she says she deserves a guy like him.
But when they suggest Seymour, she doesn’t believe she could deserve someone so good.
Her solo reveals that she has dreams she didn’t even know she had.
It was so beautifully sung and so touching as well.
Todd Bonny did a fantastic job playing Orin Scrivello, DDS, and when asked how he was able to step into that character said, “Well, we all have those people we don’t like in our lives.”
Cowart said, “This role was a stretch for me artistically because I didn’t have any experience to draw from except knowing some women who have been through situations like that.”
Seymour was another dynamic character with some huge growth.
He went from being shy and timid to a huge success.
But at what cost?
I know I might be alone in my analysis of this, but it is an interesting look at what success could cost you, and I think that this might be precisely why there even exists the concept of “fear of success.”
Because we fear that we might turn into someone we’re not.
And Seymour certainly did change into someone else.
It wasn’t until the end that he realized it wasn’t worth it and that he was becoming someone he couldn’t recognize anymore.
Ray Garcia did such a great job with the varying emotions and development that Seymour goes through.
If you haven’t seen Little Shop of Horrors yet, you need to grab your tickets before you miss out!
It was one delightful show.