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| Elaine Hayhurst as Audrey and Trey Compton as Seymour; photo provided |
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At the Theater Barn in New Lebanon, New York, where young musical stars are born, the best rock musical since Hair is playing to ovations that are decidedly deserved. For the first time in all the productions I’ve seen, Seymour Krelborn, the leading male character, is being played by someone who actually looks like a person that the abused Audrey could love. That’s something very, very new. Usually some nerdy guy whose thick, black-rimmed glasses make no difference to his appearance, on or off, plays the role, sings fine, acts okay, looks funny gets to be the accidental anti-hero. In this presentation, however, the company has given the role a young actor who looks, acts and comports himself with class, glasses on or off, but needs a bit of help in the singing department. He carries his tunes well, but he could use a bit of volume. Even so, he is a romantic lead and his downfall is all that much more depressing because he has so much going for him to start with. It gives an unusual twist to the tale.
Seymour is an orphan, taken in by the florist Mushnik, who toils all day and all night developing new plants. He has finally hit on one that revolutionizes the florist’s business at his Skid Row location. The only problem is the plant food needed is hard to come by and Seymour does what he must to keep things growing. The result, or at least the temporary result, is universal adoration, personal love and adoption papers. The outcome, in true Sci Fi fashion, is the demise of Peoria which is not where the show is set. More details? Go see the show and find out for yourself.
Trey Compton is an adorable Seymour. You actually believe this boy is serious in everything he does, says, or wishes. He is not stupid, which helps. He is not nerdy, which helps. He is not vulgar, which also helps, especially in his romantic entanglement. If Compton could just sing out so his lyrics were heard in the seventh row he would have it all.
John Trainor plays Mushnik. He is just about right for the role. He handles it with an honesty that is unusual in this part, without over-acting, or hammy acting and he makes the florist a bit less sympathetic than he sometimes appears to be.
Elaine Hayhurst plays Audrey, the abused sales girl, who find true love with Seymour only to lose it to the boy’s work/hobby/cross to bear. She is not the sexiest Audrey, but she plays it as though she was and she does just fine. A bit more fear and terror in her body would have been nice as she dealt with her dentist boyfriend, but even without that she managed to get across the character she was playing here. In fact, with the exception of one actor, everyone mentioned played with a realism that is unusual for this show.
Matthew Daly, in multiple roles, gave this presentation much more of the traditional renditions, but even he was somewhat restrained. As Orrin, the dentist, he was brutal and pretty. As everyone else he was that rare multiple, an actor who quickly adapted to the needs of the moment. This is something he does very well and the show’s laugh track is greatly dependent upon his fine work. In his scene with Compton in the dentist’s office there was room for broader, more blatant, comedy but even there he was with his character as directed and it worked well.
Three women who sing beautifully together play the Greek Chorus of this show, Chiffon, Crystal and Ronette (each named for a girls rock group of the period). Jillian Wallach, Masonya Berry and Kristyl Dawn Tift do very well as the ubiquitous trio.
Then there’s Audrey II, the plant developed by Seymour. The role is divided into two parts, like ancient Gaul (which may have been three parts, but in her own way, so is Audrey II). John Edwards manipulates the plant and Edgar Acevedo provides the vocals. Audrey II is a winner here, in more ways than one and delighted the audience constantly.
Keith Andrews should be applauded for his humanized version of this show. While his more realistic characters may be depriving the audience of a few laughs, they are laughs at the expense of exaggeration and he has replaced these with the much more solid, genuine laughter given to the familiar experience being repeated by younger, more foolish individuals. He has brought a solid sense of tenderness to this show and it works.
Abe Phelps set is perfect and Jonathan Knipscher’s costumes certainly express their characters. Robert Eberle’s lighting is not all it could be in this show and sometimes not even what it needs to be. Michael McAssey’s musical direction with his trio of players is just fine, but he needs to coach his singers a bit more.
This is the final musical of the season at the Barn, and it is one that provides musical highlights, comedy, pathos and a sense of science fiction wonderment. When you go remember it is a parody of the sci-fi/horror genre and also a parody of the big, heart-tug musicals of the golden age of the Broadway show. As both it works really well and provides a good, solid two hours of entertainment.
◊08/25/2007◊
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