On the brink of its closing, Mushnik’s Florist finds its way back to prosperity through an unusual flytrap; and now, the shop has become so popular it’s made its way to the Cypress Falls stage.
Between the days of January 9 and 11, the Golden Eagle Theatre Company – Troupe 5274 put on their musical production of the year, choosing Howard Ashman and Alan Menken’s Little Shop of Horrors.
The show kicks off with the Urchins, a group of three girls—a double casted role for Ronnette and Chiffon, but not Crystal, who was played by Sofia Suarez and stood out both times with her spunky attitude—leading you into the story. One of the positives of the show was the use of the entire auditorium, a choice that never fails to amaze, but is also incredibly important for the overall theme of Little Shop of Horrors. In the times when the Urchins would specifically perform to the crowd or, in “The Meek Shall Inherit,” where Seymour has his moral dilemma if he should continue to promote his plant Audrey II—allowing himself to pursue fame at the consequence of killing others—gave so much for the atmosphere and drew in the audience.
One of the best parts of the entire show was by far the double-casting of Audrey with Sarah Nelson performing at the evening shows of the ninth and the 11th and Vivienne Lee performing at the evening show of the tenth and matinee of the 11th. Although both had slightly different interpretations of the character and are both new names in the theater program, both had performances that ended in a rapture of applause and emotion for Audrey’s eventual death. This applause was not exclusive to them though. All actors, especially those who played the other main characters, Seymour (Kahari Sherman), Mr. Mushnik (Adrian Ortiz), and Orin Scrivello (Aiden McCarver) brought energy to every performance. Their spirit made for an intense show where it was impossible to look away.
Of course, props have to be given to the costume and set design crew as well. The flytrap Audrey II, which was hand made by a volunteer family, had so much detail and character with the puppets being motion controlled by multiple people throughout the production. The combination of these two aspects of the plant led to emotion for what was technically a set piece with only a voice (Travon Charleston). Costumes at the end of the show featured all characters becoming one with the plant, including vines entangling them, green face paint, blood stained uniforms, and even a new dress replicating Audrey II for the Urchins and showed that the attention to detail was strong.
Although the show has officially ended its run, it was incredible while it lasted. There were times where enunciation would falter or they would face technical difficulties, but the theatre’s passion for the show was apparent and made up for it. So, if you have time next year and the Golden Eagle Theatre happens to be doing a production, it would be worth your time to go see it.
