‘Little Shop of Horrors’ at People’s Light is the perfect summer vacation treat

Little Shop of Horrors, a cult classic 1960s monster movie (featuring a very young Jack Nicholson) was first transformed into a musical in 1982. Penned by Disney Renaissance founders Howard Ashman and Alan Menken, the musical version garnered even more of a cult following, becoming a major motion picture in 1986 and spawning countless productions across the world.

Now, this lovable macabre tale of a murderous man-eating plant from outer space manipulating a susceptible shop boy Seymour and the woman he loves, Audrey, is onstage in Malvern.

People’s Light is presenting a fresh take on this iconic story, in a production that showcases the strength of the material, while also making bold choices to set it apart from other iterations.

Leading the charge are Anna Faye Lieberman and Jessica Money as Seymour and Audrey, respectively. Casting Seymour with a nonbinary, queer performer is an inspired creative choice, and Lieberman’s performance is an excellent blend of neurotic and endearing. Money’s vocals are impressive, but her understanding of her character’s innocence is what truly shines through. Her rendition of “Somewhere That’s Green” is the pitch perfect balance of beauty and sadness.

But Chabrelle Williams as the voice of the murderous plant Audrey II is the true highlight of the show. Her fresh take on the alien plant is hysterical, and the vocals are seriously impressive.

The remaining ensemble are all fantastic: each with moments to shine, while being able to cohesively work as a collective.

Director Molly Rosa Houlahan has a great eye for staging scenes and creating set pictures. The drab flower shop set juxtaposed with patent leather lab coats and a dentist-inspired leather jacket (among other costumes) creates a delightfully campy aesthetic. An eerie shadow play of limbs being fed to a plant while the music crescendos into an unsettling cacophony is another marvelous example of what a thrill theater can be when all the design elements work in tandem.

A minor grievance lies in the design of the plant. While it is innovative, and each growing iteration feels fresh and more alien in nature, it doesn’t feel like there’s enough connection between the different forms of the plant. We see the plant through three phases, and outside of the color scheme, they don’t seem to have many design elements in common.

On the whole, the cast sounds great, and the mix between them and the live band onstage is well-balanced. As this production made the choice to cast primarily with higher registered voices, there are a few moments where the music sounds just a touch hollow from the lack of lower voices to fill out the sound. It’s a minor issue, but is particularly prominent in the early group number “Skid Row.”

People’s Light has a really solid production of Little Shop of Horrors on its hands. A stellar cast and fresh production design fully support what is truly one of the best campy musicals ever written.

(Community/Arts)

The cult classic ’60s monster movie that grew into an even more popular musical is now onstage in Malvern. A lovable macabre tale of a murderous man-eating plant from outer space manipulating a susceptible shop boy and the woman he loves

⌚️ Through Aug. 3,📍 39 Conestoga Rd., Malvern, 🌐 peopleslight.org

Theater reviews are produced independently by The Inquirer without editorial input by their sponsor, Visit Philadelphia.