By John Lyle Belden
Despite the poshness of the city’s reputation, for the next couple of weekends, Carmel, Indiana, has a Skid Row.
Actors Theatre of Indiana presents “Little Shop of Horrors,” the popular musical by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken based on the classic horror film by Roger Corman.
It’s likely you are familiar with the story – a nerdy guy finds a weird houseplant that brings him instant fame, but it requires a very special (and gruesome) diet. If you know this from the 1986 film musical, know that the stage version has a few differences, as well as the original “Don’t Feed the Plants” ending. Other popular songs include “Dentist!” and “Suddenly Seymour.”
Joey Boos, a regular at Beef & Boards, makes his ATI debut as Seymour Krelborn in all his nebbish glory. Michaela McGarel, whom we recently saw in “Beehive,” is amazing as sweet, tragic Audrey. Mark Fishback plays the florist Mushnik, their impatient and frustrated boss. Jameelah Leaundra, Maya Mays, and Kayla Perry deliver harmony and guide the allegory as the Motown-inspired chorus.
Jathan Briscoe and Evangeline Bouw appear briefly in the beginning, then vanish to bring the alien flytrap Audrey II to life as voice and puppeteer, respectively. Kevin Toniazzo-Naughton nimbly plays all the other roles, most notably sadistic Orin Scrivello, DDS.
The director and choreographer is D.J. Salisbury, whose love of this musical shows through. The performances all hit the right tone for this campy romp with heart and a lot to say about ambition and what we are willing to do for our dreams.
The scenic design by Jay Ganz makes good use of the modest-sized Studio Theater, including movable walls that smooth the costume and set changes. Musical direction is by Nathan Perry. Stage manager is Nina J.S. Ludwick, assisted by Melissa A. Nathan. Kudos also to costume designer Guy Charles Clark, especially for the outfits in the final number.
As this posts, there are still tickets available for Halloween night. ATI’s “Little Shop of Horrors” runs through Nov. 8 at the Allied Solutions Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Carmel. For info and tickets, go to atistage.org or thecenterpresents.org.
