'Little Shop of Horrors' by the Goshen Players - My Review

The Goshen Players tackle the popular tale of a man-eating, ever growing plant in Little Shop of Horrors and because they have gathered a cohesive cast of local theater stars, they come out on top.

I was one of the critics invited to attend a final dress rehearsal at the venue at the traffic circle in Goshen. A reception for volunteers was being held prior to a preview of the upcoming show; I was graciously invited to join the party. Serving beverages was Board Member Matt Cornish, who told me about an upcoming production of Almost Maine at the New Britain Rep that he is directing. Lydia Babbitt, President of the Board, came over to introduce herself. Lori Poulin invited me to sit with her group to enjoy the show and brought me up to speed about the one-act festival coming to the Phoenix Stage.

The preview performance started after musical director Dan Porri took to the side of the stage to play the prologue with the four piece band. AJ Bunel expertly played the keyboards, Mr. Porri was on bass guitar, Kristen Della Volpe played guitar and Ryan Schoerner was the subdued drummer. The cast did not wear microphones and the band was just loud enough to not overpower.

The multi-talented Mr. Checovetes writes about how much the cast and crew have enjoyed staging the cult classic and the expectations that come along with doing  any show with mass appeal. Here the production staff set out to give the audience what they would expect while attempting to add their own twist. Since my recent review of the show at Woodland High School marked the third time I have seen it, I guess I had these expectations as much as anyone else in the audience.

What set this production above the rest for me was the quality of the performances. Yes, the set and lighting designed by the director were effective, and the props by Nick Kreonides perfect. The costumes designed by Helen Adams, an adjunct professor at Post University, were certainly both charming and plentiful; the street urchins had three changes, including beautiful matching dresses in the second act. The choreography by Jennifer Bunger definitely added to the fun, as did the recorded voice of Tom Chute at one point. I had seen the three versions of the evil plant before and it worked well enough.

The members of this mostly young cast nailed the quirky roles in Little Shop. Goshen Players veteran Scott Stanchfield (Lend Me a Tenor) was a terrific Mr. Mushnik. Katie Brunetto was adorable as Audrey and sang beautifully. I loved her accent and her version of "Somewhere That's Green" melted my heart. Mark Roemich played the role of the sadistic dentist Orin.

Meric Martin, in his first Goshen appearance, almost sings too well to be the offstage voice of the Audrey II, while Kasey Geremia (Naugatuck Teen Theater's Seussical) served as the plants' puppeteer. The talented Frank Beaudry (Rumors, Spelling Bee, Rocky Horror, et al.) played eight roles, each one completely different than the rest; I couldn't wait to see which character was up next.

The aforementioned street urchins were the best ever. Meredith Porri is the newlywed wife of Dan Porri and she was lovely as Chiffon. The always impressive Alyssa Fontana (Spelling Bee, Joseph, The Last Five Years) was an outstanding Ronette. Gia Wright proved that yes indeed, she can sing in the role of Crystal. These three ladies were a solid doo-wop trio as they helped move along the story as the Greek chorus.

Last, but certainly never least, was James "Jimmy" Donohue in the lead role of Seymour. This uber talented young man has a multitude of credits (Spelling Bee, The Gefilte Fish Chronicles, Miracle on 34th Street to name just a few) and makes the most of any role. Here he IS Seymour, the "ever longing, ever wishing, ever-well-meaning, ever sweet hero." His clear tenor voice is enviable and his acting spot on.

I know that Goshen is a bit of a drive from the Waterbury area, but the theatre is easy to find and the show is well-worth the trip.

Preview of the show on Patch

“Little Shop of Horrors” will be presented by Goshen Players, Inc. at Old Goshen Town Hall, 2 North Street, at the Rotary junction of Routes 4 and 63, Goshen CT on April 19, 20, 26, 27, May 3 and 4 at 8:00 pm and April 21 and 28 at 5:00 pm.

All seating is reserved and can be purchased by calling the Box Office at 860.491.9988 or by visiting www.goshenplayers.org. All tickets to all performances are $22. For information on group sales and discounts, please call the Box Office.