“˜Shop’ a little show with a lot of “˜Horrors’

Although “Little Shop of Horrors” is shrouded in
campy comedy, it’s filled with poverty, deprivation and
instances of the human necessity to rely on others when unable to
provide for yourself.

The musical, which opened Sunday at the Ahmanson Theatre and
runs through Oct. 17, has an orphan protagonist, Seymour (Anthony
Rapp), happy to be overworked by his boss. A love interest, Audrey
(Tari Kelly), puts up with being beaten by her boyfriends because
she doesn’t know any better. To top it off, a trio of African
American soul sisters (Yasmeen Sulieman, Amina S. Robinson and
Latonya Holmes) when not singing doo-wop charge lost outsiders for
directions in the show’s Skid Row.

It’s fitting, then, if not always enjoyable, that the
production feels deprived, as well. Skid Row, instead of seeming a
real place, is made up of cartoon-like backdrops. The orchestra
only has 10 people in it, the cast eight ““ one member has so
many roles he could open a bakery.

The most expensive part of the production must have been the
giant puppet for Audrey II, the talking, man-eating plant that once
grown takes up half the stage. This fits, as the plant’s
promises of fame and riches lure Seymour to help it, setting the
story in motion.

But it’s tough to fill a large house with what’s
inherently a small show. It works as the 1986 film, where the
camera’s frame masks a cheap production, not as a
mega-musical that occupies a much larger stage.

That doesn’t mean it isn’t enjoyable, but it does
leave you feeling that maybe “Hairspray” was higher art
than you might have thought.

-Jake Tracer