'Little Shop of Horrors' takes Jaeb Theater stage at Straz Center
'Little Shop of Horrors' takes Jaeb Theater stage at Straz Center
"Little Shop" has something different – a talking and singing man eating plant named Audrey 2. Bringing that plant to life takes a lot of work and four puppets.
TAMPA, Fla. - In some ways, "Little Shop of Horrors" – currently in production at the Straz Center in Tampa – is a typical musical. It has catchy songs, memorable characters and like so many modern musicals, it’s based on a movie.
But "Little Shop" has something different – a talking and singing man eating plant named Audrey 2. Bringing that plant to life takes a lot of work and four puppets.
"There’s a total of four puppets," said Ashley Lord, the main puppeteer for Audrey 2. "You have to have a strong sense of musicality in order to be a puppeteer because you have to understand the cadence of things."
Lord doesn’t provide the voice for Audrey 2. That comes from an actor offstage. Lord’s goal is to match her performance inside the costume with the plant’s voice.
"The most fun thing is envisioning what the audience is experiencing, hoping that they're suspending disbelief just enough to actually believe that this plant is talking and that my lip sync is precise enough that they can actually not be broken out of the moment," Lord said.
Nicholas Hoop, who plays Seymour in the show, brings to life a smaller version of Audrey 2.
"The biggest challenge with puppeteering is not staring at him while you use them," said Hoop. "You have to trust yourself, and you have to trust that you know what you're doing… They want you to be active and in the moment while still being able to do this and not having to stare at him the whole time."
READ: Broadway is back: Straz Center raises curtain after nearly two years of darkness
This production of "Little Shop of Horrors" was originally cast about two years and nine months ago, but the pandemic put it on hold. All the performers were able to be a part of the show now that it’s finally made it on stage.
"It's a story about a whole community that's down on its luck," said director David Jenkins. "And all of a sudden everything changes when this plant, magical plant, shows up from outer space."
"Little Shop of Horrors" runs through May 1 at the Straz Center’s Jaeb Theater. For more information, visit https://www.strazcenter.org/