Customer Reviews

Little Shop of Horrors (2003 Broadway Revival Cast)

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

I am a HUGE fan of "Little Shop Of Horrors" in all its incarnations (show, films, cast recordings so on and so on) and have played Mr. Mushnik in several productions of the show. I like most costumers have yet to see this current revival and base my entire review on the cd its self... not on how good the actors were live. So I will do a play by play

1. Prologue / Little Shop of Horrors- this is the first taste I got of the new 10 piece orchestra sound of the show. It's a nice sound but it can feel a little overblown here. The song features the addition of the bridge from the film (Oh Here It Comes Baby/Tell the Bums Baby), which is an excellent addition. The Trio sounds perfect.

2. Skid Row (Downtown)- It starts off a little rough, the powerful opening to the song falters here. Its usual tremendous finish seems hidden underneath the excess orchestrations. Hunter Foster does well; unfortunately our first taste of Kerry Butlers Audrey isn't her best. But everyone holds well and the songs comes out all right.

3. Da-Doo- The cute story of how Seymour came across his man-eating moneymaker is still strong. It features a little more of the scene before which is a nice little treat.

4. Grow for Me- Hunter Foster does incredibly well with this song. Beautiful orchestrations make the songs feel more like late 50's ballads its was intending to mock.

5. WSKID- a nice little track featuring the scene change music and the scene between Seymour and The Radio Announcer.

6. Ya Never Know- Finally we let the girls wail away... and they rock out. Some minor changes were made such as the song originally sung by Ronette is now sung by Chiffon, most likely to expand her role a little. Features the scene between Mr. Mushnik's verse and The Girls verses.

7. Somewhere That's Green- As many fans of the show know you can usually judge an Audrey by her somewhere that's green... if she breaks your hart she's got what it takes. Well Butler delivers... arguably the best-recorded Somewhere That's Green out there.

8. Closed for Renovation- New orchestrations and harmonies take the song to new heights.

9. Dentist!- Sills is overqualified for this role, his Dentist is more or an egotistical pretty boy than a legitimate thug. And it's absolutely phenomenal. He maintains his own without becoming Steve Martin.

10. Mushnik & Son- BLECH! Its nice to have a recording of the full Mushnik & Son, but the orchestration behind it on this is HORRIBLE! The pace is much to slow! Rob Bartlett and Hunter Foster do nicely vocally.

11. Feed Me (Git It)- Impressive... Michael-Leon Wooley gives a mega performance. You can hear his manipulation of Seymour in the way he sings this rockin song. The addition of more for the Trio here is nice

12. Now (It's Just the Gas)- Again Sills shines in this song.

13. Act 1 Finale- referred to in the score as the "Coda", its neat to have it here. The album would have been fine without it though.

14. Entr'acte- A brand New Entr'acte, the orchestra REALLY shines here.

15. Call Back in the Morning- I have always hated this song; it has no function in the show. Still it's nice to have it here at last.

16. Suddenly Seymour- The song everyone wants to know about. A truly definitive recording of one of the greatest songs in musical theatre history. Hunter is a gem he finally gets let out that voice that we loved so much in "Urinetown"; Kerry Butler really lets go here and seems at home wit song. Its one of those recordings that will make you believe Seymour and Audrey are going to be together forever and nothing could separate them.

17. Suppertime- Again Wooley blows this score up, features the dialogue too.

18. The Meek Shall Inherit- Can we just hand Douglas Sills a Tony now... His performances as the salespeople are fantastic. His Mrs. Luce will have you rolling on the floor. Again the harmonies are beefed up and sound seamless.

19. Sominex / Suppertime II - Now here is where the things go really wrong, usually a scene of foreboding and legitimate fear, is turned into a comical joke on B-Movies... which makes...

20. Somewhere That's Green (Reprise)- Audrey's death into a big joke. Usually a moving moment... when Audrey says her final goodbye to Seymour is now nothing but a desperate attempt at laughs. Also features the music to the choral piece "The Death Of Audrey"

21. Bigger Than Hula-Hoops- The scene that precedes Seymour's demise... a nice addition

22. Finale Ultimo (Don't Feed the Plants)- with INCREDIBLE new harmonies this song packs a brand new punch that will have you hitting the replay button.

BONUS TRACKS- The addition of these tracks is nice... every Little Shop Fan has hunted down recording of these songs. Well at least I have... its a shame that Crystal, Ronette, and Chiffon another cut song didn't make the cut.

All in all the recording is very nice, most theatre trying to put on production of Little Shop will want to use it as a reference piece but I still recommend everyone get the original Broadway cast or even the film version first. Powerful performances by all the leads and yet at some point during the recording you will find yourself wishing, you were listening to Lee Wilkof and Ellen Greene again.

This is what "Little Shop" fans have been waiting around 20 years for, a CD that contains the entire score of the musical, including quite a few songs that those who only saw the movie do not know. This album also has bonus tracks--demo tracks recorded by the composers of "Little Shop," Alan Menken and the late Howard Ashman (the team that later wrote Disney scores such as "The Little Mermaid" and "Beauty and the Beast"), of songs that were later excised from the final product. So, not only are you getting ALL of the music from "Little Shop" but music that didn't end up making the final cut.

And even more so, you are getting the best cast to ever perform the show. I saw them on Broadway two weeks ago, and they are absolutely a revelation. Every actor, from the three fantastic girls in the Greek Chorus, DeQuina Moore, Trisha Jeffrey, and Carla J. Hjargrove, as Chiffon, Crystal, and Ronnette, to Hunter Foster (who originated the role of Bobby Strong in "Urinetown"), who is absolutely perfect as Seymour, Kerry Butler (of "Hairspray" and "Bat Boy" fame), whose acting and vocal talents as Audrey are stunning, to the inimitable Douglas Sills as Orin Scrivello, D.D.S., as well as about 8 other small parts, Rob Bartlett, who takes the role of Mushnick to new comedic heights, by way of Tevye from "Fiddler on the Roof," and the pitch-perfect Michael-Leon Wooley as the Big Green himself.

The lyrics are just as fresh and hilarious as the day they were written, and the music remains one of the most tuneful, beautiful scores in the history of the musical theatre--not a small feat for a play about a plant who eats people. This recording will also introduce those who have only seen the movie to the dark, grim ending of the original play.

The most amazing thing is I never thought I would be recommending a recording of "Little Shop" that didn't star Ellen Greene as Audrey, but Kerry Butler more than fills her shoes, and brings a completely new interpretation to the role that is just as satisfying, and on its own merits is simply dazzling.

If you live in New York, run to the Virginia Theatre to see the greatest production of this outrageously fun musical ever...Those who don't but are fans NEED to purchase this CD pronto!

Just when you thought they'd NEVER release a Little Shop of Horrors cast CD with the FINAL VERSIONS of all the songs, here comes the 2003 cast album. This show has appeared on Broadway, and after much deliberation I bought this with a theatre-loving companion. I devoured this CD like Audrey II wolfing down a sumo wrestler! I can tell that this cast is having lots of fun doing this musical (and why not?). Hunter Foster is perfect as Seymour...nice mix of Haze, Moranis, a dash of Wilkof but still definitively Foster. Kerry Butler makes Audrey more realistic and less of the ditz that Ellen Greene made her out to be. While Ellen is going to be synonymous with Audrey for generations, Ms. Butler definitely pumped some fresh blood into the role. Rob Bartlett...what can I say. From the WWE and Don Imus to this. He knocks 'em out the box with his rendition of "Mushnik and Son", and his performance of Gravis Mushnik can only be rivalled by that of Mel Welles, who created the role in 1960. The doo-wop girls...terrific as always, I have yet to see an awful Crystal, Ronnette & Chiffon anywhere. Douglas Sills, usually called upon as a lead by Frank Wildhorn for his more serious shows, proves he can be funny as Orin Scrivello, DDS (and he is QUITE the ham on "Dentist!") and several other characters. Then there's Michael-Leon Woolley. THIS has to be one of the smoothest-sounding plants I've EVER heard. Where most Audrey II voices sound like a cross between James Brown and James Hetfield, THIS one sounds like Isaac Hayes! I can tell he's enjoying this part immensely. Plus he has a voice that would seduce ANYONE into chopping up a dentist so the plant could have a midnight snack.

But, wait, there's more! Much like the reissues of cast albums past (London cast of "Fiddler...", original Bway cast of "Cabaret"), there are demos of songs that were cut as sung by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken. Of these,the best treat is hearing "Bad" as sung by the first Audrey II voice, the late Ron Taylor. This was the song that would eventually become "Mean Green Mother From Outer Space" and earn Ashman & Menken one of many Oscar nominations.

I said it about the 1982 cast and I'll say it about this one. Like Audrey II says...GO GET IT!

Whenever I see that one of my all time favorite pieces of theatre is being revived and released on CD, I am always optimistic that any changes that have been made will make the piece sharper, more focused, and allow the artists to re-create their roles with fresh interpretations. Happily, this is the case with much of the new recording of Little Shop of Horrors.

First, what hasn't changed; not much has been added to the score itself. A few bits which were in the Original Broadway Production but not on it's CD have been added. ("Call Back in the Morning" as well as an expanded "Mushnik and Son".) The bridge to the title song (used in the film) has been added to this Broadway score, which I like. Most of the organ has been replaced with brass, which I am not sure if I like, but it adds a bit of pop to things.

The portrayal of Seymour varies little from that which is heard on the Original Broadway Cast Recording. Hunter Foster does, as the New York reviews said, have a very nice voice indeed, and his characterization is nice... it's just the same.

For the new things: Kerry Butler gives a surprisingly good performance as Audrey here. Much more grounded in reality than Ellen Greene, while still maintaining that SCI-FI fairy tale feel. She makes Audrey more of a real person rather than just capitalizing on a unique character voice... and what a voice!! A remarkable mix of sweetness and power that make her tracks a joy.

I like the Doo-Wop girls a lot here, and I think they were sleighed by their recording technicians. The opening recording sounds very sparse and flat compared to the previous recording, but it is definitely not their voices. I think the recording is to blame, as well as a bit of monkeying around with the arrangement of the harmonies. A bit of work could have made them sound as full as I am sure they do in real life. The rest of their songs, including "Ya Never Know" and "The Meek Shall Inherit" are done well, and are very cool.

Mushnik and the Dentist give excellent performances here as well. Mushnik's voice is strong and clear without that false "Mushnik" character voice that is so commonly heard in the role. Orin (the Dentist) is very good here too, meeting the challenge of doing the role justice without imitating Steve Martin.

The demo tracks here are a great treasure to find, including Alan Menkin performing "A Little Dental Music", a song Seymour sings with the "Muzak" playing in the dentist's waiting room. Such a beautiful melody.

There are parts of this recording that I wish had more "kick". Sharper percussion, maybe, or just slightly more focused timing. Overall, there are tracks here that are not as good as the versions on other recordings, but, and this is my big but, there are tracks that are better, and will stand (for a while anyway)as definitive. Well done.

"Little Shop Of Horrors" been a performed in local productions since its Off-Broadway premier in 1982, but it didn't reach Broadway until this 2003 Revival.

The cast is headed by Hunter Foster ("Urinetown") and Kerry Butler ("Hairspray"). While both are excellent, Ms. Butler lives in the shadow of Ellen Greene, the show's original (& best) Audrey.

Its great to see the return of certain tracks eliminated from the original 1982 cd ["Closed For Rennovation", "Somewhere That's Green (Reprise)], but they are not the show's highlights. The score's orchestrations are much improved, however, over the original's cd.

Best tracks of this classic score:

Prologue / Little Shop Of Horrors
Skid Row (Downtown)
Somewhere That's Green
Suddenly Seymour

Well, gee, I'm always happy to see updates of musicals. And this one, a favorite of mine since the original off-Broadway recording, came out fairly well. Still, I have a few gripes.

First, the song "Dentist!" Please, somebody, PLEASE get the word out to ALL directors of ALL musicals that it just isn't a good idea to have a singer hold a note for a long, long time, as happens in this song. It may work on stage, but it doesn't work on a CD. It ruins the song. For some reason, the singer here holds the word "I" for about 30 seconds. It distracts from the flow and just isn't interesting. In fact, it quickly gets annoying. At first I thought my CD was skipping.

Second, a few of the songs could have used some trimming, in particular, "Now (It's Just the Gas)." The interstitial dialogue between the singing parts is nice to have, but it's too full of "What's?" and other such pauses which slow down the pace of the song. Might work fine on stage when you have a visual, but on CD it sounds like dead space.

Third, regretably, when Audrey II sings "Feed Me," he emphasizes ME" over "FEED." So it's like "feed ME" instead of "FEED me." Annoying.

The good, though, finally. Voices are nice. It's great to have the full collection of songs. I prefer the orchestrations in this version to either of the previous two. I agree that the singing seems flat on the opening number, which is a shame, but the Greek Chorus is otherwise stellar.

Let me start out by saying I too love the movie, as it was my first exposure to this show, it wasn't until years later I found out it was based on the Roger Corman movie. And I cannot argue that Ellen Greene OWNS the role of Audrey (as the originator of the role on Broadway, she just ran with it and made it her own), and Levi Stubbs as Audrey II is perfect as well. I was also pleasantly surprised that Rick Moranis held his own, I never would have thought of him as a singer.

That said, the movie and it's attendant soundtrack are not perfect. First and foremost, the lyrics are muddled throughout, to the point of incoherency in a number of spots. That's a shame, because Howard Ashman's playful lyrics and verbal gymnastics are, for me anyway, the star of the show. (I miss Howard terribly, and frequently wonder what other masterpieces he and Alan Menken would have created, after their stint at Disney. But I digress...) Also, there are some quite talky parts of the movie that seemed odd for a musical, although Mean Green Mother from Outer Space was written specifically for the movie, and is a worthy addition. Finally, I heard the ending had been changed, due to some bad test screenings. I know the original ending exists somewhere, and I would love to see it.

But all those problems are resolved with this magnificent CD. This is the complete show, with all the songs and the original ending, which is wonderfully dark. The lyrics are crystal clear, and there is far more dialogue from the show incorporated, instead of the truncated songs from the movie soundtrack. I especially like the counterpoint in Now (It's Just the Gas), where Seymour sings the exact same sentiments 2 different ways in consecutive stanzas, a fine example of Ashman's clever wordplay, on display throughout. Mushnik and Son is a twisted version of If I Were A Rich Man, from Fiddler On the Roof. There are a number of other short songs cut from the movie that just enrich the entire show, weaving as more complete story than the movie soundtrack.

While the music and lyrics are perfect, and I agree that Micheal Leon Wooley's Audrey II does not hold a candle to Levi Stubbs, I think it's time to lay off Kerry Butler as Audrey. No, she is not Ellen Greene, but who else is? It must be daunting, to have to live up to that original performance, as ingrained as it obviously is in these reviewer's minds. In all honesty, I prefer her more focused and human Audrey to Ms. Greene's cartoony Betty Boop voice frequently over-the-top and mannered phrasing, especially in Somewhere That's Green. I found Ms. Butler's performance to be much more down-to-Earth and heart-rending, instead of making it a big "Look at me, I'm on Broadway" number. But that is one man's opinion. Also, she gets to sing the tragic Reprise of that song, cut from the movie, in favor of the new ending.

Look at this show as the director's cut of your favorite movie, remixed to sparkling clear stereo with added scenes that fully flesh out the story (the songs cut from the movie), and even deleted scenes (the demos, all of which would have been fine additions to the show, with We'll Have Tomorrow being my personal favorite). I find this to be a more complete, satisfying meal than the movie soundtrack, which seems to me more like an over-stuffed hors d'oeurve platter. And if you still miss the movie, do what I do: Play Mean Green Mother from Outer Space either before Sominex / Suppertime II (so as not to destroy the flow between that song and the Somewhere That's Green Reprise) or after (where it seems to logically fit).

But no matter how you play it, this is a worthy successor (and is in some ways superior) to an obviously much-revered soundtrack.

I bought this CD on a whim. Previously, I had only heard three songs from the show (Grow For Me, Somewhere That's Green, and Suddenly Seymour) and I wasn't sure if I would like it or not. Usually I am sketchy about buying CDs I have never heard before, but based on the musicals popularity, I gave it a try.

And boy am I glad I did. I experienced instant gratification when I played this CD for the first time and immediately played through it a second time. I have always been a fan of Alan Menken's music and this is definately one of his best works. The music is very well written and the orchestrations are full and very satisfying. Micheal-Leon Wooley as Audrey II steals it for me.

As for all of you Original Off-Broadway Fans, I don't see any reason to bash this recording. True, I didnt grow up with the simplified version, nor have I even heard it, but being a huge fan of another very simple, Off-Broadway show (The Fantasticks) I can understand why you would be a "Little Shop" Purist and hate this "overblown" production. But in my mind, I see this as a show by itself, and not a re-due of the original. I was very pleased with this CD and I wonder why it took me so long to catch on.

I really enjoyed this soundtrack; it's has a 50s-ish style to it which can be really catchy sometimes. The vocals are nice and the music sounds great. Another must-have for those who enjoy Broadway.