'Little Shop of Horrors': University production of off-Broadway musical shines

Phil Newman is a complete dork.

He's only playing, of course. As Seymour in the Southeast Missouri State University production of "Little Shop of Horrors," he fumbles with flower pots, trips over nothing and even has the ultimate nerd accessory: thick black-framed glasses taped together with white tape.

His performance makes the audience laugh at and root for his character through both 45 minute acts of the musical. He's in good company, with Abby Vatterott trotting around the stage as Seymour's love interest, Audrey.

Wardrobe can often make or break a character, and Audrey's dresses have the right amount of wannabe professional but with that telltale skid row trampiness. Vatterott scurries around the stage on four-inch heels better than most women walk down the hallway in them.

Jeff Lautkenhaus designed the set and had help from students and others in the department to build skid row, where the failing flower shop that employs Seymour and Audrey is. It's a massive brick-and-window set that opens up to reveal the inside of the flower shop and still shows the audience the grime and trash associated with such areas.

The strange and unusual plant in the Little Shop of Horrors gets it's first taste of human blood from the Seymour, the man who found it, during the River Campus production of the musical which runs through Sunday. (Laura Simon)

The set frames the gorgeous plant puppet, which is rented from a theater company and is just as glittery and disturbing as it should be.

The musical is moved along with a three-girl company of Tayloir Pace, Jazmin Patino and JoJo Ramos. They convey the proper skid row attitudes, but the girls seem much more confident and comfortable singing than they do performing the choreography they have. The company's dancing is either simply unpolished as of yet or meant to look a bit ragtag to reflect the gritty life on skid row. If the latter is the case: success.

The best thing about a university production, though, is you've got professionals analyzing each performance, fixing things with each show. And many students who you see onstage want to make a career out of this sort of thing, so they're always trying to best themselves.

As far as off-Broadway shows go, "Little Shop of Horrors" is a classic. As for performances, it's a high bar to set for the rest of the year.