SALT LAKE CITY — Pioneer Theatre Company opened their production of Little Shop of Horrors on Friday, October 23rd to welcome in the spooky season with this cult classic musical. Through evocative design, impressive vocal performances, and detail oriented direction, Pioneer cements themselves as continued theatre arts leaders here in Utah.
Little Shop of Horrors is a pastiche of early 1960’s American Downtown, with a taste of man-eating plant sprinkled in. When clumsy florist Seymour Krelborn decides to take in a “strange and interesting plant,” little does he know how much his life is going to change. The plant miraculously changes the luck of the flower shop, and Seymour becomes an over-night sensation! Could this be Seymour’s chance to leave behind the hopelessness of Skid Row for good? With the book and lyrics by Howard Ashman and a score by Alan Menken, this musical runs for 1 hour and 45 minutes, (including a 15 minute intermission), and doesn’t waste a second of that time.
The set of Pioneer’s Little Shop consists primarily of Mr. Mushnik’s grungy flower shop. All other scenes take place in the alley in front of the shop, and this design choice by Scenic Designer Bryce Cutler highlights the claustrophobic feeling of life on Skid Row. Additionally, the audience can see into the wings of the theatre that have endless gray walls reading “POST NO BILLS.” This design choice is highly evocative, dwarfing the “little shop” in the cold downtown world and emphasizing the feelings of insignificantness of Skid Row. Leaving the theater after the show feels as if you are finally escaping the bottom of a metal trash can where Skid Row and its inhabitants are permanently doomed to reside.
Concerning the residents of Skid Row, Alanna Saunders as Audrey is stunning in her emotional depth. Saunders brings out the laughable parts of Audrey with bouncing steps that cause her luscious blonde curls to subtly jump as she runs across the stage. However, aware of the power of Audrey’s sincerity, Saunders adeptly grounds Audrey with big genuine smiles and heart-breakingly beautiful expressions of yearning. Her rendition of “Somewhere That’s Green” smartly kept simple in terms of blocking, brought a tear to my eye.
Andrew Faria dutifully plays the part of Seymour the nerd. His voice-cracks and clumsy movements embellish Seymour’s outward attributes, while his singing voice helps Seymour’s inner character touch the hearts of the audience. With impressive harmonies and vocal runs, Faria brings an advanced skill level to the underestimated character. While I occasionally desired for more earnestness from Faria’s performance, especially in Act II, his vocal prowess and overall goofiness easily charm over any disingenuity. Particularly impressive is Faria’s convincing puppet choreography in the toe-tapping number, “You Never Know.”
David Benoit is a grounded Mr. Mushnik who, opposite to Faria’s Seymour, brings out the exuberant sides of his character only occasionally. This choice provides an excellent balance to a script that is already overflowing with zany characters. Benoit’s down-to-earth performance reminds the audience of the kernels of truth that exist within the story. Additionally, Benoit’s voice is mesmerizing, and he lets it soar in passionate Fiddler-esque exclamations during “Mushnik & Son.”
Speaking of mesmerizing, Nicholas Ward voices the dangerous Audrey II plant with enchanting richness. Ward seems unphased by the challenge of using only his voice to bring the character to life, as his dynamic inflections, sonorous vibrato, and goose-bump evoking laugh ensure the intimidating presence of Audrey II is felt by each character, as well as each audience member. Joe Gallina is the Audrey II puppeteer and is equally impressive in his ability to match Ward’s energy and inflections seamlessly throughout the entire duration of the show.
However, the biggest show stealer is Brandon Espinoza as sadistic dentist Orin Scrivello. Espinoza is always filled to the brim with energy, injecting every line, step, and look with hilarious intensity. Espinoza plays several characters throughout the show, and each one is carefully crafted with fierce attention to detail that enhances the unhinged hilarity. A standout moment, however, is at the very end of the show when Espinoza plays his final character: a average businessman who is collecting samples of Audrey II. This is the first time that the audience sees Espinoza perform in a realistic manner, and it masterfully conveys the importance of this moment in the world of the play. This directorial choice by Gerry McIntyre and the delivery by Espinoza both demonstrates a powerful understanding of the script and showcases Espinoza’s impressive acting range.
This balance of character and pastiche is clearly a focus of Director and Choreographer Gerry McIntyre in this production. While the excellent performances of the actors demonstrate the high quality of the direction, McIntyre continues to shape the world of Skid Row in distinctive ways. McIntyre employs classic horror movie effects to enhance the connection to the 1960’s. This is seen in the use of lightning flashes, thunder bangs, sudden spotlights, and whodunit tableaus that break the fourth wall. This added layer of comedic theming is a unique choice that is used only occasionally, and left me wanting to see even more of it integrated throughout the production.
Another element that grounds the production in the world of the 1960’s is the fantastic hair and makeup design by Kate Casalino. With numerous wigs for each actor, the sheer quantity of pieces is impressive. However, Casalino goes above and beyond by designing beautiful hair pieces that accentuate the situations of each character. Of particular note are the large beehive bumps that the ever-dancing urchins sport for a majority of the show. The quality of all the wigs is so high that I mistook them for real hair, multiple times.
Lastly, it wouldn’t be a review of Little Shop of Horrors if the puppet design of Audrey II is not mentioned. Martin P. Robin beautifully crafts the puppets to emphasize the terror of the man-eating plant. Each version of Audrey II grows in size and detail, and the methods by which the actors interact with each version also grow more impressive. If you are looking to add a musical spookiness to your Halloween season, you will not want to miss seeing Little Shop of Horrors at Pioneer Theatre Company. Audrey II is waiting for you!
MORE INFO: Little Shop of Horrors runs from October 23rd to November 7th, 2026 at the Simmons Pioneer Memorial Theatre, (300 1400 E, Salt Lake City, UT 84112). Tickets range from $62 to $89. For more information, visit their website: https://pioneertheatre.org/production/little-shop-of-horrors/
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