Originally, I hadn’t planned on reviewing Little Shop of Horrors, but I was so tickled by the preview show that I had to recommend it. The show works well with the venue: the intimacy of the Play Ground enhances the campy, B-movie qualities of the musical. Delightfully kitschy costumes, hair and make-up; excellent vocal performances; and palpable chemistry among the cast members make this a fun end-of-the-summer distraction.

In the role of Seymour, Cory Regnier is exceedingly well cast: the doo-wop numbers are well-suited to his vocal range, and his boyish looks certainly make him believable as a meek, orphaned florist. Sarah Diener continues to impress as Audrey: like her performance as Roxie Hart in Chicago, Diener excels at creating characters that, despite being unrefined graduates of the school of hard knocks, retain overwhelming pathos. I defy anyone in the audience to resist get choked up during her tender performance of “Somewhere That’s Green”: though the lyrics are often laughable in their kitsch-factor, Diener sells it with such wide-eyed hopefulness that one can’t fail to be moved by how modest and unpretentious Audrey’s dreams are.

As Mr. Mushnik, Lawrence Lee clearly relishes the humor in his role. In “Mushnik and Son,” Lee gets to channel his inner Tevye with some klezmer-infused vocals while showcasing his comedic chemistry with Regnier. Jody Kujawa (as Dr. Orin Scrivello, DDS) drew laughter from the audience before he even delivered a line. Little wonder: anyone familiar with his work in local productions would likely anticipate an uproarious performance, and Kujawa doesn’t disappoint. Though his turn in “Dentist!” is expectedly hilarious, he also instills in his character considerable amounts of both menace and sex appeal. Rather than remaining a one-dimensional bully, Dr. Scrivello becomes a much more interesting character in Kujawa’s energetic, sometimes anarchic performance.

Gabriel Mayfield finds the perfect blend of camp and danger in his performance of Audrey II (his fourth time playing the role to date). His experience with the role is evident: after all, it is no small feat to bring an anthropomorphic plant with designs on world domination to life. Mayfield’s rich, resonant voice (coupled with Pat Carroll’s puppetry work) makes Audrey II a weirdly compelling, eminently watchable character.

The rest of the cast deftly portray a motley assortment of ne’er-do-wells from Skid Row. The DuWops, functioning as a sort of Greek Chorus, give notable vocal performances, marked by tight harmonies and plenty of soul.  Across the board, the actors really seemed to enjoy the show, and the chemistry among the cast members was evident: Regnier, in particular, seemed to play well off of everyone.

Exuberant performances, plenty of camp, and a killer plant: not a bad way to spend an evening during these dog days of August.

What: Little Shop of Horrors
Where: The Duluth Play Ground
When: August 11-13, 18-20, 25-27 at 7:30 PM