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29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Old Dog, New Tricks, December 11, 2003
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.
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22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The definitive "Little Shop of Horrors" soundtrack!!!, October 25, 2003
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!
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29 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Very Nice, but Hold on to your Original Cast Recording, November 11, 2003
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 play1. 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.
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