Director Toff de Venecia’s clever rendition of the 1982 off-off-Broadway musical delves on social issues in a totally entertaining, not-so-serious way.
The local production of the monster musical Little Shop of Horrors has quite an impressive ensemble. There’s Nyoy Volante, whose portrayal of Lola in Kinky Boots is indelible; OJ Mariano, who played Tom Collins in the 9Works production of Rent in 2010; and the most veteran of them all, Audie Gemora, whose resume includes Evita and Les Miserables.
Yet, given the star-studded cast, the one who truly deserves the ovation from The Sandbox Collective’s Horrors is director Toff de Venecia, whose clever rendition of the 1982 off-off-Broadway musical delves on social issues in a totally entertaining, not-so-serious way.
The multi-awarded musical is wacky, campy, and darkly humorous. And in a sea of serious stage dramas the Manila theater scene has been crowded with lately, it comes as a most welcome breath of fresh—and funny—air.
The show was originally slated for a 2020 release, but the pandemic shoved it for a later date. De Venecia held on to the rights for four long years and felt now was the perfect time to stage the rock musical.
“It took a while for us to get back on our feet after business closure of about three years,” he says. “I was also not personally ready to direct this last year that’s why we focused on doing smaller, more intimate shows. We needed to build confidence and allow audiences to regain their confidence too in coming back to the theater. I’m so excited that we finally get to do it this July and on Sandbox’s 10th anniversary at that.”
Little Shop of Horrors tells the story of flower shop assistant Seymour Krelborn who discovers a plant during a total eclipse. Its appearance lures customers in and brings fortune to Mr. Mushnik’s business, however, its survival poses as a problem as it thrives only on human flesh and blood.
The book written by Howard Ashman and music by Alan Menken has been interpreted in both stage and film multiple times, each having slight departures from the original. The 1960 movie, for example, includes Seymour’s hypochondriacal Jewish mother Winifred; the 1986 version includes a masochistic dental patient played by Bill Murray. Both aren’t in the musical. In addition, the plant, which looks like a hybrid of a Venus flytrap and butterwort, is named “Audrey II,” unlike the film’s “Audrey Junior.”
Toff, who first directed Horrors for the Ateneo Blue Repertory in 2011, also injects some of his unique ideas for the three-week staging, consequently making the 2-hour-30-minute play feel a lot shorter as it ended up being that much beguiling.
The real revelation—and perhaps, the member truly deserving of the most hardworking award—is Markki Stroem, who fulfilled a handful of roles throughout the two acts, each one played to a very entertaining tee.
“Without giving away any spoilers, Audrey II is unlike anything you’ve seen before. We’ve also leaned into some themes of the shows, most especially late stage capitalism, the temptation of man, violence, and moral dilemmas left and right.”
He adds, “We also approached this from a theater of the absurd standpoint, and the visual language most closely associated with it is surrealism championed by the likes of Salvador Dali. There’s a lot of that in this Little Shop.”
Karylle, whose theater comeback has been on a trajectory, continues to soar, much like her vocal capability as proven by her version of Suddenly, Seymour, the musical’s contribution to an elusive roster of definitive songs from musicals that include One Day More (Les Miserables), Seasons of Love (Rent), and Defying Gravity (Wicked). Her interpretation shows her range that spans from growling lows to powerful highs.
The real revelation—and perhaps, the member truly deserving of the most hardworking award—is Markki Stroem, who fulfilled a handful of roles throughout the two acts, each one played to a very entertaining tee. Not to discount the portrayal of other actors (Mariano, Volante, and Tatlonghari have always been great and this is no exception) but be it as the sinister dentist or the eccentric Patrick who wishes to sell leaf cuttings of Audrey II, the thespian truly comes into his own as a support that, by a thin hair of leaving an impression, edges the leads.
While every character portrayal was on point with their roles, there were three that somehow failed in comparison to the rest. The street urchins, namely Crystal, Chiffon, and Ronette, who opened the show, could have kicked things off on a high note—and they did with their dynamic and harmonious voices—but it felt that their dance routines lacked pep in their step, some sense of snappiness and spunk as well as synchronicity that could have elicited more entertainment value, especially since they performed multiple times.
At first glance, the set looked sparse, but as the production unfolded, one couldn’t help but wonder at how the cast made use of every square inch of the stage as the blank wall on the corner was used for projected photos, the moon doubled as a clock, and the cityscape as a grand landing for the mean green from outer space. The colorful lights, dancing “petals,” and stems that had a life of their own added to the spectacle as well.
The multi-awarded musical is wacky, campy, and darkly humorous. And in a sea of serious stage dramas the Manila theater scene has been crowded with lately, it comes as a most welcome breath of fresh—and funny—air.
Perhaps, the years-long delay worked to De Venecia’s benefit as his ideas were allowed to grow and develop over time, fed with blood, sweat, and tears—much like the mean green from outer space.
The Sandbox Collective’s Little Shop of Horrors runs at the Globe Auditorium, Maybank Performing Arts Theater in BGC, Taguig until July 28, 2024. You can purchase tickets via Ticketworld.
