REVIEW: ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ is a bloody good time

Every once in a while, a show comes along where its main purpose is to give the audience a fun break from life. The Sandbox Collective’s Little Shop of Horrors does just that, in the best version of camp that it has to offer. A shy lovesick nerd, a sweet beautiful girl, a conniving shopkeeper, a nefarious dentist AND a murderous plant. What else could you be looking for? Put together, it is a hilarious jumble of bizarre situations that has you clutching your belly with non-stop laughter. In short, a bloody good time!

With Little Shop…, Toff de Venecia proves himself to be a gifted director. The staging feels instinctive, like the actors were given room to just play, guided by his creative vision. After all, he did have four years to think about this, with the production originally set for a 2020 run. The extra time seems to have given De Venecia the opportunity to refine how he imagined his own “director’s cut” of the cult classic. It is a wild and fantastic one, in the best way. Musical director Ejay Yatco ups the ante with a refreshed take on the show’s songs.

Having an immensely talented cast also worked in De Venecia’s favor too. Nyoy Volante is a perfect fit as Seymour. He is awkward, charming and shy, but goes full on knight-in-shining-armor mode, all in the name of love. Karylle shines on stage as Audrey, playing her with a sweet Betty Boop vibe. It’s a role she was born to play! When the two leads share a scene, they are cute to the point of being a bit cloying, but in all ways, adorable. You want them to end up “Somewhere That’s Green,” sans all the bloodshed.

Audie Gemora, as Seymour’s conniving boss and sort-of father figure Mr. Mushnik, oozes sleaze and greed under a very thin blanket of fatherly concern. He just runs with it, and it’s awesome! With choreography to match! Extra props go to Markki Stroem for his multi-character run on Little Shop... He is pure villain, Elvis hair and all, as the sadistic dentist, Orin. His face-off with Seymour in the dentist’s office just leaves the audience in stitches. But it is his rapid fire character (and costume) changes in Act 2 that is pure theater gold. As the urchins who open Little Shop… in song, Abi Sulit, Mikee Baskiñas and Julia Serad, give the show a sexy dose of sass and fabulosity.

Mio Infante, as scenographer, is true to form, turning the show’s set and costumes on its head, much like he did in Tick, Tick, Boom! and Rent. He creates the decrepit world of Skid Row in shades of gray and black, with a ‘60s steampunk spacey vibe. His costume design is hinged on individual color palettes, adding its own layer to each character’s personality. Lovelorn Seymour is in dour brown, while the villainous Orin is in stark black and white. On the other hand, Stroem’s string of costumes in Act 2 just screams “The louder the better!” That said, can someone explain the green grapes (?) or plant babies growing on the backs of Seymour and Mr. Mushnik’s clothes?

Of course, there is no Little Shop… without the carnivorous and murderous Audrey 2. Puppet designer Kayla Teodoro works her magic in bringing the plant to life — from baby to full grown — on stage. The transformation is a wonder to see! Audrey 2’s menacing growl is courtesy of OJ Mariano, who casts quite a presence on stage that world domination seems plausible. Except you have to see the show to find out how he gets that done.

So here’s the rub — Little Shop of Horrors serves up the show with two casts. Reb Atadero and Sue Ramirez (who marks her theater debut here) take on Seymour and Audrey, alongside David Ezra as Orin, et al, and Julia Serad as Audrey 2. By all accounts, they’ve earned their own set of rave reviews. Which only means a ticket to a rewatch is in order. As they say, really good things are worth repeating. This is one of them.

If you aren’t convinced to catch Little Shop… by this point, back to top please! This show takes you on one wild and wildly funny ride from lights up to curtain call. It is pure camp, where no one really knows what to expect, especially with that surprise reveal, but you just go with it. In Mariano’s own words, “I was nervous if it would work as we wanted it to. When the ‘gasp’ from the audience came, we knew! That was so cool!” Yes, it was, indeed, but sorry, still no spoilers! Little Shop… is the show you need to forget about the crazy week you just had. So take your seat in the theater, suspend all disbelief, head on down to Skid Row and have a bloody good time!

The Sandbox Collective’s Little Shop of Horrors runs all weekends until 28 July at the Globe Auditorium, Maybank Performing Arts Theater, Bonifacio Global City. Matinee shows are at 3 p.m., while evening shows are at 8 p.m. on Fridays, and 7:30 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Get your tickets at TicketWorld now, lest you become Audrey 2’s midnight snack!