Howard Ashman - Little Shop Of Horrors: Original Cast Album (1982 Off-Broadway Cast)
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Free Music Notes for Little Shop Of Horrors: Original Cast Album (1982 Off-Broadway Cast)
Free Music Review: Quality CD
Hit: 5 Stars
The CD was exactly what I looked for. Dealer service was excellent as well.Free Music Review: A must-get for Little Shop fans, but really not for anyone else
Hit: 4 Stars
I love Little Shop of Horrors, and my biggest regret is that I've only seen the stage show when my high-school performed it the year after I graduated. That will be remedied in the future, but for now, let's get on with the review. This disc is the recording of the original cast of the theatrical run of Little Shop of Horrors in 1982. Ellen Greene plays as Audrey, who went on to reprise the role in the 1986 film version. Most people who know LSoH mainly have seen the film version, and are familiar with those versions of the songs. This album may cause a negative reaction from those at first, for a couple reasons: 1) The film's score is a lot "bigger" in terms of bombast and production. The theatrical arrangements are much simpler. 2) Some of the songs they know are either a) missing, or b) a little different. Notably, there is no "Mean, Green Mother" and "The Meek Shall Inherit" is quite different, and "Some Fun Now" is actually "Ya Never Know". Not to mention that the acting in parts of the songs is not Hollywood-quality (it's not supposed to be!) and this album may be a bit of a turn off. For those people (and actually for any LSoH fan), I recommend the 2003 Broadway version; the acting is better and the songs are bigger. However, now that I've gotten all that out of the way, this is not a bad album! It's actually quite interesting once you get into it, but let me go ahead and now get my personal annoyances out of the way. "Mushnik & Son" is heavily abridged, as is "Now (Just The Gas)", and "Somewhere That's Green (Reprise)" is gone entirely. Lee Wilkof's Seymour may have been okay on stage, but as an audio recording the lines come off as forced and a little too quick. However, the dentist, Orin, comes off much differently than later incarnations, and it's a little creepy, though this works well. Ron Taylor is Audrey II, and while the spoken lines aren't great (at least on this recording), the singing is excellent. He doesn't carry the same energy as Levi Stubbs did in the film version, but he rocks it in a different way, and I like it. There are also some interesting things happening with the instruments that were abandoned entirely in later versions; it almost sounds like it's being done with cheap keyboards at times, but it gives it a very unique sound and one I wish that had at least carried over a little more in later versions. Ellen Greene's Audrey is about the same as the film, with some minor differences in her tone (this was four years before the movie was released, after all) though she sings some of the songs slightly differently (one of her first lines in "Skid Row (Downtown)" is sung so differently it was jarring, though my girlfriend actually preferred it, so YMMV). Mushnik is...different. Not bad, but not the same Mushnik you know. And then there's the ending. Fans of the film know it ends with Seymour and Audrey running into their little house from Audrey's daydreams, and then we see the little Audrey II plant in their garden...ooh, scary! Well, that ending was tacked on, because in this recording (and even originally in the movie, which is a rant for another day) everyone is eaten. Audrey gets chomped by the plant and Seymour pulls her out, but once they get out of the building, Audrey dies in his arms after requesting he feed her to it so that in a way they can be together forever. He does, but shortly thereafter realizes that Audrey II's plan is to take over the world with thousands of harvested clones; he attempts to murder the plant himself; failing to do any external damage, he grabs a knife and lunges into the gaping maw of the plant, and is eaten. The three singing ladies than sing of the outcome: similar events happen all over the country, and soon the plants are everywhere, attacking major cities and basically becoming the plot of a B-movie (which is the point!)
So, to sum it all up: If you are a fan of the film and are starting to explore more of the recordings, I suggest you first get the 2003 Broadway recording, then get this one once you are familiar with the songs and the changes. If you are already a big fan, or actually saw this live (in which case you should already have this, shame on you!), then I highly recommend this!
Free Music Review: Quaint, but Enjoyable!
Hit: 4 Stars
I really like this show. I must say that it is better live and with all of the tracks. This version doesn't include all of the material included in say the newer (less pleasing) Broadway version.
Ellen Greene shines as Audrey, but I must say that the girl I saw, Tari Kelly, in the national tour is superior. She has a funny way of saying her words which adds to the character, but then she gets into this weird little kind of soultry, kind of soprano, and kind of belty voice. She did this more in the movie version, but in the song SUDDENLY SEYMOUR, she gets into it and it detracts from the song. But I do give her an A because, I mean, she made the role. Every actress sculpts themselves based on her performance. She's got to be good.
Ron Taylor is much less satisfying. He sings beautifully with ease and flare. That's a bad thing! Seymour can have a good voice, but it has to be character fitting. Mr. Taylor just sings too prety. GROW FOR ME lacks the nerdiness. SUDDENLY SEYMOUR is weak until Audrey comes in, and even then, it is lacking something. Because of that this is my least favorite version of SUDDENLY SEYMOUR. I give Mr Taylor a C, just because I feel his MEEK SHALL INHERIT is haunting.
Lee Wilkoff is good, but forgettable. Some of his funnier lines are left out, which detracts from his character. The guy who plays Mushnik is okay, but also forgettable. The three girls are okay, but one of them sings like she wants to be a soprano but can't get up there like she wants. MEEK SHALL INHERIT is done well by the three, but the title song is lacking.
The guy who plays Orin and all the others is good. His DENTIST is plain, patly because of the blah orchestrations and partly because of the weaker lyrics. *I feel DENTIST is one of the most lacking songs in the show, the worst is CLOSED FOR RENOVATION!* But the guy is eally good in MEEK SHALL INHERIT. I love those lyrics! His voice does sound a little bit the same for every part, but that is understandable knowing that he doesn't have his costumes.
The writers of this play eally did a great job. There are many standouts on this CD such as:
SKID ROW
GROW FOR ME
YA NEVER KNOW
SOMEWHERE THAT'S GREEN
NOW
SUDDENLY SEYMOUR (just because it's good)
MEEK SHALL INHERIT
SOMINEX
DON'T FEED THE PLANTS
This CD is a great listen. I highly suggest it. I feel it is the bets recording of the show. The movie version takes second place, while the new version takes third. I fel original is best. However, the larger number of tracks on hte other CD's are really a great thing.
Thanks for Ellen Greene and some really great writers, this CD is must buy!
4 stars?
2 stars for Ellen Greene
1 star for the writing
1 star for the guy who plays Orin, Lee Wilkoff, and MEEK SHALL INHERIT
Free Music Review: An exuberant pop musical, differing from the film...
Hit: 4 Stars
I was lucky enough to see this iteration of "Little Shop of Horrors" in it's original incarnation way Off Broadway back in 1982.
I loved it then, and love it now.
This remastered recording of the original show is cleanly done; this is as good as it's ever gonna sound.
Since now I am more familiar with the film version, there were a few interesting differences.
First, this is more literate - more witty. There is more dexterous wordplay here; you'll find yourself chuckling at lines non-existent in the film. Since the stage version couldn't rely on visuals in the way the film did, this stuff "fills in" a lot around the edges of the story.
Second, the ending is fatalistic...I seem to remember the ceiling covered with Audrey tentacles at the end of the show.
Third, the singing in the film is more over-the-top than this version. Compare Steve Martin's dentist to this one. This one is way more subdued, though no less demented! "Suddenly Seymour', and I realize this may be heresy in some parts, is simply better in the film...the tempo change fits the song, and Ellen Greene's vocals soar. The Greek chorus girls are a bit more sassy in song in the film, although they have more to do here.
Fourth, so many things in the film are "shown" to you, while here there are these delightful patter songs...like the one about his TV contracts and exposures.
Fifth, there are songs unique to each show. They've been mentioned in other reviews, but I have to tell you, they're more fun if you discover them on your own.
A hearty enthusiastic recommendation on this excellent remastered version!
Free Music Review: FEED ME!
Hit: 4 Stars
What can I say? "Little Shop of Horrors" is one of my favorite musicals. I own both films--the original 1960 non-musical and the 1986 musical version, and have met Mel Welles (orig. 1960 Mushnik) and took an acting class with him. So this CD brings back a lot of great memories.But anyway, I digress. The singers on this one are quite good. Ellen Greene, of course, is amazing as Audrey, she was so nice they had her record her part TWICE (she's also on the movie soundtrack). But she sounds infinitely better on the original cast CD. Lee Wilkof is only an adequate Seymour, however. He's not as "sweet and innocent" as Rick Moranis, half the time he sounds like he's mad at the world. Ron Taylor is an amazing Audrey II. He has that booming voice that jumps out at you, and he puts a lot of soul into "Feed Me (Git It)" and "Suppertime".
The supporting cast is also very good. Hy Anzell does a bang-up job with "Mushnik and Son", and Franc Luz is a very intimidating Orin (the dentist), he sounds a bit like the lead singer from Bauhaus at times on "Dentist!" but he's still really awesome. The doo-wop girls are very soulful, too!
As Audrey II says, GO GET IT!