Play review by Andrew Evans aka the Pickleball Librarian
If you never been to a play at the Andrew J. and Georgia Neese Gray Theatre inside the Garvey Fine Arts Center at 1700 SW Jewell Ave on the Washburn campus, you are missing out! It’s a beautiful 330-seat acoustically-designed thrust stage. Nice and intimate with no bad seats!
The play starts in a florist shop with shy guy Seymour, who obviously has a thing for his co-worker Audrey. However, Audrey is going out with the mean dentist Orin. Seymour then finds a special plant, which he names Audrey 2 in honor of his crush Audrey.
Before I go any further, I need to say I really enjoyed the 80s movie where Steve Martin played Orin and Rick Moranis as Seymour. If you’re expecting the same story in the theatre version, you’re in for a surprise!
The ending for the play is different and darker. Also the music was more fun on stage. It’s a lot of doo-wop numbers with some funkier sounds. The live band consisting of guitar, bass, piano, synthesizer, drums, conductor was solid.
The acting was amazing! Ethan Brooks played Orin as well as Bernstein, Luce, Skip, and Martin. It actually took me a while to realize that! The power trio who played Chiffon, Crystal, Ronnette got me into the time period and place. I also enjoyed their dance numbers.
I loved the period costumes that reflected the 1960s and New York City’s Skid Row. The set design was beautiful. I loved how the crew rearranged the stage between scenes to accommodate the growing plant monster Audrey 2.
During the second half of the play, Audrey 2 took four people to operate. The plant monster took over the whole stage from floor to ceiling. While I included a pic of Audrey 2 during an intermediate stage, you need to see the full-grown version yourself!
One more thing about the set design: you are able to see Kolton Scott, the actor who plays Audrey 2’s voice, and the band in the background. That was cool! I felt like I was watching the inner workings as I saw the magic on the stage. Scott added to the magic with hand gestures as he got into the dialog and musical numbers.
Conductor Joseph DeSota guided the band. I’m used to seeing musicals where the band was hidden. Absorbing all the background workings made my experience unique!
While I mentioned how there’s no bad seat in the house, I found it easier to see the band or Kolton the closer you sit to the center.
This play is a great way to celebrate the Halloween season. The play has no profanity or nudity. While some of the feeding of Audrey 2 has some body horror, it is more darkly comedic than terrifying. I recommend this for all audiences who are old enough to enjoy a play.
Showtimes are Friday and Saturday at 7pm, October 30–31; Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 7pm, November 5–7; Sunday at 2pm, November 8. You can get your tickets here: https://cur8.com/18042/project/141109
