Little Shop of Horrors (2003 Broadway Revival Cast)
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Free Music Notes for Little Shop of Horrors (2003 Broadway Revival Cast)
Free Music Review: LITTLE SHOP OF MERRY MAYHEM
Hit: 5 Stars
"Little Shop of Horrors" was a cheapo Roger Corman movie from 1960 that now is most notable for showcasing a very early career appearance from Jack Nicholson as a masochistic dental patient.
Following its humble origins the original off-broadway production opened in a small theatre in the 80's in New Yorks' bowery neighborhood and was an instant success and ran for many years. The popularity was due to a sharp and hilarious book, the performance of Lee Wilkoff as Seymour Krelboin, the nebbishly hero/villain and most outstandingly by Ellen Greene as Audrey, the blonde, bimbo-ish skid row flower shop clerk whose taste in men range from sadistic(Orrin) to wimpy(Seymour). Above this was the music and lyrics of Alan Menken and Howard Ashman. The songs were seeped in the "wall of sound" arrangements from the late 50's , early 60's and were absolutely delicious.
This new production saw the "Little Shop" in 2003 march uptown to Broadway and was not successful. Was the big theatre Broadway locale the blame for the shows brief run? Was the much bigger orchestra? a real mystery, but this production still boasted the same hilarious book and the same bouncy delicious songs of Menken and Ashman and had some fun and funny performers. Hunter Foster made a perfect Seymour, the nebbishy and put upon flower clerk with a fondness for nurturing strange and exotic plants. His latest "patient" being a blood-thirsty, human eating venus flytrap hybrid. Kerry Butler as Audrey was good but she lacked the lost soul vulnerabilty of Ellen Greene from the earlier production. And Douglas Sills as Orrin the sadistic dentist boyfriend of Audrey was a riot and in keeping with the tradition of the original musical, he also plays a variety of other roles.
Another big asset of the show is a trio of sassy, street urchins whose names are taken from girl groups of that bygone era. And so, Crystal, Chiffon and Ronnette are a "American Bandstand" greek chorus weaving in and out of the story and they ARE the glue that binds the show and spins it merrily along.
The songs are all fun and among the best are the title song, "Skid Row" "Somewhere That's Green" which has a literal reprise, "Grow For Me" where Seymour sings plaintively to his wilting plant until he realizes the nourishment his plant needs--human blood. There is a song about the profession of sadists "Dentist" and "Feed Me(Git It) where Seymour finds that now his growing plant can talk and now needs bigger and better nourishment (Mankind) and there's even a power ballad for Audrey and Seymour "Suddenly Seymour"
There are other goodies like "Ya Never Know' "The Meek Shall Inherit" and the finale, "Don't Feed The Plants" where the now monsterous sized plant now sports flower buds that resemble the cast who have been devoured.
Wonderful show, wonderful music and lyrics and a really fun and funny show and a wonderful cd to listen to the music over and over again.
Free Music Review: It grew on me
Hit: 5 Stars
When I first listened to this recording, I didn't like it quite as much as the Original Cast Album (excepting Ellen Greene - more on that in a moment), but with repeated listenings it has quickly become my favorite of them all. For one thing, there's more material here, not just in terms of the number of tracks but also in terms of what's in the tracks that are there. The Original Cast Album was a sort of a bare-bones music-only recording, whereas this recording has some of the spoken dialog with it, which I think enhances the quality rather than diminishes it.
While I think that Lee Wilkof is a better *singer*, I think Hunter Foster is a better *Seymour*. He brings across Seymour's nerdiness a little better.
Michael-Leon Wooley simply has a much richer voice than Ron Taylor (Levi Stubbs barely deserves mention, IMHO), especially on the lower notes required in the part of Audrey II.
I know this is something of a sacrilege among Little Shop fans, but I *can't stand* Ellen Greene. I can't stand her voice. I can't stand her over-the-top ditzy interpretation of the character of Audrey. (While I don't think she's an ugly woman, I don't think she quite has the looks for the part, either [at least not anymore], but that's irrelevant as far as the relative quality of the cast recordings goes).
So, I immediately liked Audrey on this recording better than I did on the Original Cast Album or Movie Soundtrack, but it's a separate question as to whether I liked Kerry Butler's interpretation of the role apart from it being different than Ellen Greene's.
In the end, I would have to say that, yes, I did like her interpretation of it. She's still a bit ditzy, which does suit the character, as long as it's *in moderation* - but she's not so ditzy that I just don't care about her as a character. Ultimately, she's as much a victim of "nice guy" Seymour as Orin and Mushnik - in fact, she should be the most tragic of his victims, more so than he himself is. If the character is played *too* air-headed, then her death loses much of its impact.
So - even though my initial impression of this album wasn't favorable - now that I've had a little time to get used to it,if I want to listen to Little Shop, I almost always choose *this* recording. It's by far the best one.
The final thing that needs mention is the "bonus tracks" at the end of the CD. Personally, I thought they were interesting to listen to once, but they were otherwise forgettable. Even though I think "Mean Green Mother" was retarded (mostly because of its references to King Kong and Frankenstein - it's otherwise a decent song, actually), the song "Bad" is simply *horrible*. They actually *toned down* the "other monster" references for "Mean Green Mother". Wow.
Fortunately, the value of this CD doesn't hinge on the bonus tracks. The main material is very solid and well worth the purchase price.
Free Music Review: Old Dog, New Tricks
Hit: 5 Stars
Just for the record, let me state that I am a huge fan of Little Shop. Therefore it's no surprise that I'm a big fan of this new recording. However, I'll be the first to point out its [few] flaws. Sure it's not perfect, but it's damned close. I will say that this is the best recorded version. Hands down. However, you should hang on to your original cast album.
PROS:
* There are some new arrangements & most of the songs are fleshed out a bit more. For the most part they're subtle, but still noticeable. I like the addition of congas in some songs, the Jewish fervor to Mushnik & Son, & the rollicking new arrangement of Feed Me. I think this album is better than the more simplistic Off-Broadway version (which I understand was the whole charm, but...)
* Hunter Foster's Seymour is absolutely fantastic. As is Douglas Sills' Orin (the dentist). Foster got nominated for a Tony. Sills should have been.
* This is the complete score. So this recording includes more songs than the original album (like "Call Back In The Morning"). But most noteworthy is the essential & heartbreaking "Somewhere That's Green" reprise. I don't know why this was excluded from the original album. Perhaps they didn't want to give too much away? And eliminating it from the movie completely was just asinine!! (That's a whole other argument!) So I'd say this version is worth it just for that reprise.
* In addition to the added songs, there is also more dialogue-- which I think is a sort of staple to cast albums-- giving you a better understanding of the show (for those who are only familiar with the film version).
* There's also the bonus demos, which are fun, but just that: a bonus.
CONS:
* As much as I love Kerry Butler, she's no Ellen Greene. For that reason it's worth holding on to your original cast recordings. Butler's a tremendous singer, but boy, could that Ellen Greene belt. Butler's bimbo accent also takes some getting used to. It at first comes off as silly, whereas Greene's is somewhat more endearing, more natural, etc. The new Audrey takes some getting used to, and it will grow on you, but simply put, it's not as good as the original.
* I felt that Michael Leon Wooley's Audrey II is kind of phoned in & less superior to the previous two Audreys (Levi Stubbs gave the best Audrey II voice in the film version). He has a commanding, able-bodied voice, but I just don't feel like it stands up to the other performances in the show.
All in all this version is a must for fans. Shame the production wasn't as big a hit as it could have been.
Free Music Review: Very well done; especially fantastic in its completeness
Hit: 5 Stars
I am quite pleased overall with this album. The whole cast is absolutely brilliant--of note, Kerry Butler plays a sweeter, more innocent Audrey than Ellen Greene of the original cast; Michael-Leon Wooley is a fantastically dynamic Audrey II; and Douglas Sills is absolutely brilliant (of course) as Orin, Bernstein, Snip, Luce (that's right, Mrs. Luce), and Everyone Else (he definitely distiguishes between his characters, for those of you concerned about that).Some of the songs ("Skid Row" particularly) are a hair slower in tempo than the original versions; quite noticeable when comparing the two, but not quite as much when listening just to the Broadway album alone. Some of the vocals also seem a little more restricted at times when it comes to tempo and playing with rhythms. This detracts somewhat from the life and vibrancy present in the original cast recording. However, the new orchestrations are generally quite good. And the vocals, as I said, are wonderful. It's a bit of a trade-off in that respect.
This CD's greatest appeal is definitely its COMPLETENESS. It has all the songs in their full versions, as well as introductory and overlying dialogue for any tracks to which they apply ("Suppertime" and "The Meek Shall Inherit," for example). The bonus tracks are a particular treat; it's fascinating to have demo recordings by Menken and Ashman themselves that, although not all necessarily recommendable for inclusion in the show, are nevertheless pieces of art. And although fans might be a little disappointed that gems like "Crystal, Ronnette, and Chiffon" were left out, it's hard to complain considering they didn't have to include anything extra at all.
My personal vote for Most Improved over Original is "Mushnik & Son." Don't get me wrong--I love the original cast version. But here the song is given new life. Not only is it presented here in its full version, but the new orchestrations are brilliantly entertaining. It now sounds more like the Hora than the Tango, which I feel fits Mushnik's kinda-paternal Yiddish-wielding character a bit better. Most of all, the song is wildly fun, as it is meant to be.
Overall, this CD is an excellent collector's piece and a must for all fans and potential fans. I wouldn't necessarily choose this over the original cast recording... it's hard to improve upon the original. But this recording is just as good; better in some ways, lacking in others. I personally recommend owning both this CD and the original cast recording; that way, you are guaranteed to get the best of everything.
Free Music Review: One of the Best...
Hit: 5 Stars
Little Shop is one of the best musicals out there and this is one of the best recordings of its undeniably catchy tunes thus far. Not to mention it is virtually complete. New/Good Things: The newer, louder, fresher orchestrations; Hunter Foster's Seymour; Kerry Butler's unconventional just-out-of-high-school feel she brings to Audrey; the Doo-Wop girls (although at times they can sound a little rigid - it's obvious that nothing vocally is improvised); the opening number (AMAZING!), "Suddenly, Seymour" - mainly the orchestrations, as Butler sounds thoroughly drained of all emotion on the recording, but live she's much better; the inclusion of numbers not previously released; the Bonus Tracks (although I could have gone for "Crystal, Ronnette, and Chiffon").
Not-So-Good Things: This has more to do with staging, but "Skid Row (Downtown)" could have involved more movement on the stage. "Da-Doo" on the recording is a little weak, and comes off as a secondary number (It is, anyway, but here it is practically un-noticeable)..."Ya Never Know" orchestrations are very weak to begin with, but comes in strong on the last verse. Michael Leon-Wooley does not sound very intimidating when he first begins to speak as Audrey II, but makes up for it in his perfect groove when singing. Douglas Sills (Orin) sounds far too much like Mr Broadway Man than an Elvis-wannabe, but it's decent, bringing the role a new twist (the show is always usually just a carbon copy of the original). Audrey's death is portrayed as overly-comical in this production, which is one of the things that brought it down in the end. "Little Shop" is known for its mysterious, frightening, and moving killing of Audrey, and here it comes of as Sitcom Dream Sequence Material. Even on the recording, Butler sounds as though she's just discovered a recipe for Chile Con Carne, rather than bleeding to death. "Dentist Chair Music" was not included, I personally feel it should have been. And "Tic Toc" would have been a nice inclusion...the new orchestrations in the production play "Shing-a-ling, what a creepy thing" in counterpoint during the tic-tocs, which I found superhot.
All-in-all, it is an exceptional recording, with equal flaws and triumphs. It is for now the One To Buy, if one feels the need to buy a "Little Shop" recording.