Little Shop of Horrors at PTC

Last night I got to see another really fun production of Little Shop of Horrors, this time at PTC, and it is one of the best I've seen! A meek and awkward floral assistant named Seymour Krelborn (Andrew Faria) discovers a strange and interesting carnivorous plant, which he names Audrey II after his coworker crush, while working at a failing flower shop on Skid Row. As Audrey II grows larger and larger by feeding on his blood, it brings Seymour sudden fame, fortune, and the affections of Audrey (Alanna Saunders), but it soon demands more blood than he can spare. Driven by desperation and ambition, he feeds Audrey's abusive boyfriend, Oren Scrivelo (Brandon Espinoza), and their boss, Mr. Mushnik (David Benoit), to the plant only to realize too late that Audrey II's ultimate goal is world domination. The reason why this is one of my favorite musicals is because the music is a fabulous pastiche of popular rock and roll, doo-wop, and Motown songs from the 1960s (you will be humming them for days after seeing the show) and I especially love the use of a girl group to narrate the story. Lauren Wilmore, as Crystal, Maya J. Christian, as Chiffon, and Tyler Symone, as Ronnette, were highlights of the show for me because they harmonize beautifully in the songs "Little Shop of Horrors" and "Skid Row (Downtown)" and they are very lively whenever they suddenly appear on stage to serve as backup singers and dancers in other songs. The rest of the performances are equally outstanding. Saunders sings "Somewhere That's Green" with a voice full of yearning but then she belts out "Suddenly, Seymour" after gaining some confidence and just about blows the roof off the theater. Faria displays an earnestness that is fun to watch (although I wish he had leaned more into Seymour's physical awkwardness) and his versions of "Grow for Me," "You Never Know," and "Sudden Changes" are nuanced and vibrant. Benoit is very persnickety but he lets loose in "Mushnik and Son" to great comedic effect (I loved the way he uses a scarf throughout the song but especially when he imitates a matador with it). Espinoza is completely over the top in "Dentist!" and "Now (It's Just the Gas)" but he almost steals the show by portraying three completely different characters in "The Meek Shall Inherit" (he had the audience laughing out loud). I can't forget the R&B stylings and the diabolical laugh of Nicholas Ward, who voices Audrey II, because he gives the plant a lot of personality. I was also impressed with Joe Gallina, as Audrey II's puppeteer, because he seamlessly matches Ward's vocal performance with his physical one and I particularly loved seeing the plant dance in "Feed Me (Git It)." The stage is dominated by a large and elaborate set for the flower shop (I loved the attention to detail, especially the refrigerated display cases with glass doors) with only a small alley in front for other scenes (my one criticism would be that this doesn't allow for more dynamic choreography). Finally, the colorful period costumes and wigs are a lot of fun (especially those worn by the girl group). This is a really entertaining show that is perfect for Halloween and I definitely recommend getting a ticket (go here). It runs through November 7.

Wicker

Last night I had a lot of fun seeing Wicker at the Broadway with my sister.  The Fisherwoman (Olivia Colman) lives in a conservative and superstitious medieval village near the sea where the inhabitants are known by their occupations and women are treated as the property of their fathers and then their husbands.  She is mocked and harassed because of her unmarried status and independence (and also for her stench) so she decides to take matters into her own hands and asks the Basket Weaver (Peter Dinklage) to make her a husband.  Once the Wicker Husband (Alexander Skarsgard) is completed, he marries the Fisherwoman, treats her with love and respect, and satisfies her every want and *ahem* desire.  Soon all of the men in the village are disconcerted by the Wicker Husband's behavior towards his wife because their wives begin to expect the same treatment.  The Tailor's Wife (Elizabeth Debicki) is incredibly jealous and makes the Fisherwoman doubt that the Wicker Husband could actually love and be faithful to someone like her.  This leads her to question his loyalty but the Basket Weaver devises a plot to reconcile them and expose the villagers for their narrow-minded behavior.  This is a delightful fable with a lot to say about the dangers of conformity and gender inequality (the marriage ceremony involves having the groom place a collar on the bride) but it is also surprisingly romantic despite the absurd premise.  There are lots of really wild sex scenes (of the bed breaking variety) but the most sensual moment in the movie involves a dance at a wedding in which the Fisherwoman and the Wicker Husband act as if there is no one else around them.  There are also some really tender scenes in which she slowly falls in love with him (that made me and my sister swoon) and I absolutely loved the reason for his devotion to her.  Colman is brilliant in the way she portrays her character's physical and emotional transformation after experiencing love and her performance is quite funny (she has perfect comedic timing) but also extremely vulnerable.  Skarsgard is strangely compelling despite the fact that he is covered in wicker (the practical effects are amazing) because he fully commits to the physicality and his eyes convey so much emotion.  I also really enjoyed Dinklage, especially when he philosophizes about his creations.  Finally, the production design, costumes, score, and illustrated chapter titles create a fairy tale vibe that adds to the charm.  Even though I am a big fan of Skarsgard, I was still surprised by how much I loved this and I highly recommend checking it out.

Bright Star at the Terrace Plaza Playhouse

Last night I was so excited to see Bright Star at the Terrace Plaza Playhouse because it is one of my favorite musicals. I think the story about second chances is incredibly moving and I love the bluegrass music by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell. Billy Cane (Ryland Mahony) returns home to Hayes Creek, North Carolina after World War II and briefly reunites with his childhood friend Margo Crawford (Grace Jensen) but then decides to go to Asheville to try writing for The Asheville Southern Journal. He meets the uptight editor Alice Murphy (Teaira Burge) who then transforms into a wild and rebellious girl who loves Jimmy Ray Dobbs (Porter Beesley) in Zebuon, North Carolina during the 1920s. The narrative alternates between the two timelines as Alice learns to deal with heartache and loss and Billy learns the importance of home and the one who loves him. I was really impressed by Burge's performance because she does a great job portraying Alice at two different ages and her emotional renditions of "Please, Don't Take Him" and "I Had a Vision" are incredibly powerful and brought tears to my eyes. The rest of the cast is also really strong and I especially enjoyed Jensen's version of "Asheville" (it is my favorite song in the show and she adds a lot of vulnerability as a girl worried that the boy she loves will forget her), Mahony's version of "Bright Star," and Beesley's version of "Heartbreaker." Another shoutout goes to Ian Wellisch as Darryl Ames because he is hilariously overwrought (I've seen him in several shows at this theatre and he always makes me laugh because he is so over the top). The choreography is a lot of fun, especially for "If You Knew My Story," "Way Back in the Day," "What Could Be Better" (the way that lanterns are incorporated is really cool), and "Another Round" but I also liked the inclusion of the ensemble in "Whoa, Mama" and "Firmer Hand/ Do Right" (I don't remember seeing that before). The set features a large wooden barn with doors that open to reveal projections that enhance, but do not dominate, the scenes.  Various pieces are seamlessly brought on stage by the ensemble to become Margo's bookstore (I loved the ladder on the bookcase), Alice's office, the Mayor's office, the cabin in the woods, and other locations. The lighting design is used to great effect during a key scene on a train. The barn doors are closed so the flashing lights visible through the wooden slats give the impression of a train car that it is traveling at speed (I always look forward to seeing how this particular scene will be staged in every production I see and this one did not disappoint). I always prefer productions that have a live band on stage but the Terrace Plaza Playhouse does a great job with this show and I highly recommend getting a ticket (go here). It runs on Mondays, Fridays, and Saturdays through November 14 (except Halloween).

A Talent for Murder

The second movie in the double feature with my nephew yesterday was A Talent for Murder and we both loved it.  A young and inexperienced editor named Edward Ridgeway (Alden Ehrenreich) travels from New York to Switzerland to convince the reclusive and misanthropic novelist Patricia Highsmith (Helen Mirren) to write a sixth novel featuring the character Tom Ripley when another editor goes missing after attempting to do the same.  Ridgeway's job is contingent upon getting Highsmith to sign a new contract, so after she derisively refuses to revisit Ripley, he offers to collaborate with her because he is such a fan of the character.  They eventually begin writing together and create a narrative in which Tom Ripley pursues Clementine Balfour (Olivia Cooke), a young heiress who Rideway met on the train to Switzerland.  In the story Ripley contrives to marry Clementine and then murders her aunt Peggy (Juliet Stevenson) so she will inherit her fortune while Ridgeway slowly adopts the persona of Ripley in his interactions with the real Clementine and her aunt.  This is a sleek and stylish psychological thriller with glamorous European locations in which art imitates life and then life begins to imitate art.  Ehrenreich portrays both Ridgeway and Ripley so the lines are often blurred between what is real and what Highsmith is imagining and it is very fun to watch.  I also found the idea that everyone has a dormant capacity to commit murder to be very intriguing.  Mirren is having a blast as the diabolical author and Ehrenreich more than holds his own as they go toe to toe in a dangerous game.  I definitely recommend this entertaining riff on Highsmith and her most well-known character, especially to fans of both.

Klara and the Sun

I went to a fun double feature with my nephew yesterday starting with Klara and the Sun.  This has been savaged by the critics but I actually liked it.  In a dystopian future, Klara (Jenna Ortega) is an outdated AF (Artificial Friend) on the verge of being sent back to the factory to be melted for parts by the Store Manager (Natasha Lyonne).  She is placed in the store front window in a last-ditch effort to find a buyer and her quirky personality endears her to Josie (Mia Tharia) who convinces her uptight mother Chrissie (Amy Adams) to buy her.  Josie has been genetically engineered, or "lifted," to enhance her intelligence and abilities but this procedure has made her terminally ill and her grief-stricken mother is desperate to create a synthetic copy of Josie using Klara's processor.  The solar powered Klara reveres the sun as a deity and prays to it daily to help her fulfill her purpose as a companion to Josie.  She ultimately decides that Josie is irreplaceable and sacrifices herself so the sun will heal her.  There are a lot of themes to unpack (I have not read the novel by Kazuo Ishiguro upon which this is based) but I was really struck by the fact that it takes an artificial intelligence to reveal the true nature of humanity.  Even though she is not human, Klara exhibits an unusual amount of empathy, rejects the machinery that pollutes the air in favor of the life-giving sun, dismisses Josie's "lifted" friends as superficial in favor of her childhood friend Rick (Aran Murphy), and discovers what it means to truly love someone.  I've seen a lot of criticism about the tone (director Taika Waititi infuses his signature whimsy into a narrative about grief) but I think it really works because Klara acts as a ray of sunshine (pun intended) in the grim reality inhabited by Josie and her mother and I think the pixelated visuals whenever Klara recalibrates to her surrounding are effective in showing her perspective as she attempts to understand the world and the humans around her.  Finally, Ortega gives a wonderful performance and I really enjoyed her physicality, especially when she imitates Josie and Chrissie.  I recommend that you ignore the critics and give this a chance.