- This page is about The 2003 Broadway Production of Little Shop of Horrors. For other uses, see Productions.
The 2003 Broadway Production was Little Shop of Horrors first appearance on Broadway. It qualified as a revival due to the massive off-Broadway and movie success - though there were many bumps in the road along the way.
After a tryout in Florida for the heavily-publicized Broadway production, the director and all of the cast members except Hunter Foster (Seymour) were dropped - and then following 10 months of performances on Broadway, Foster and two of his new costars were replaced.
The show ran for 40 previews and 372 performances before closing at the Virginia Theatre on August 22, 2004. The national touring company zigzagged across the United States from August 2004 to November 2005, playing an additional 416 performances.
Tryout[]
In 2003, a tryout was held in Coral Gables, Florida for the Broadway revival with Lee Wilkof, the man who originated the role of Seymour Off-Broadway, stepping into the role of Mr. Mushnik, with Hunter Foster playing Seymour and Alice Ripley as Audrey. The production was poorly received and the Broadway run was initially canceled,[1][2] but it got a last minute reprieve with only Foster retaining his job.
The Untouchables star and Unsolved Mysteries host Robert Stack provided the show's opening narration,[3] in what was to be his final piece of work before his death[4] on May 14, 2003 - two days before previews had finished and the show officially opened.
Originally the Broadway soundtrack was to have been recorded with Alice Ripley and Lee Wilkof on June 23rd 2003,[4] but when plans for the show were initially scrapped, so was the recording session.
Cast[]
- Hunter Foster as Seymour Krelborn
- Alice Ripley as Audrey
- Lee Wilkof as Mr. Mushnik
- Reg Rogers as Orin Scrivello, D.D.S.
- Billy Porter as Audrey II
- Dioni Michelle Collins Crystal
- Haneefah Wood as Ronnette
- Moeisha McGill as Chiffon
Broadway[]
Cast[]
- Hunter Foster as Seymour Krelborn
- Kerry Butler as Audrey
- Rob Bartlett as Mr. Mushnik
- Douglas Sills as Orin Scrivello, D.D.S.
- Michael Leon Wooley as Audrey II
- Trisha Jeffery as Crystal
- Carla J. Hargrove as Ronnette
- Dequina Moore as Chiffon
Revisal[]
In June 2004, there was a casting shakeup. Hunter Foster exited the show on June 6, leaving understudy Jonathan Rayson to fill in as Seymour for several weeks. Douglas Sills (Orin) left the show on the 13th, leaving his understudy, Darren Ritchie, with the part. On June 22, 'N Sync's Joey Fatone took over the role of Seymour and Jessica-Snow Wilson replaced Kerry Butler as Audrey.[5] Ritchie was committed to Dracula: The Musical," so Rayson played the role of Orin for a week,[6] then he returned to being an understudy when Robert Evan took over the part.[7] The rest of the cast remained unchanged.
Replacement Cast[]
- Joey Fatone as Seymour Krelborn
- Jessica-Snow Wilson as Audrey
- Robert Evan as Orin Scrivello, D.D.S.
Opening Night Playbill[]
Images[]
National Touring Company[]
For the national touring company, director Jerry Zaks and a few people behind-the-scenes stayed on, but the entire cast was changed. Anthony Rapp (Rent) took over the role of Seymour, and Tari Kelly portrayed Audrey.
Beginning in Dallas, the show crisscrossed the country for over a year, ending in Cleveland with a total of 416 performances.
Cast[]
- Anthony Rapp as Seymour Krelborn
- Tari Kelly as Audrey
- Lenny Wolpe as Mr. Mushnik
- James Moye as Orin Scrivello, D.D.S.
- Michael James Leslie as Audrey II
- Amina S. Robinson as Crystal
- Latonya Holmes as Ronnette
- Yasmeen Sulieman as Chiffon
Tour Schedule[]
Venue | City, State | Start Date | End Date |
---|---|---|---|
Dallas Music Hall | Dallas, TX | 10 Aug 2004 | 21 Aug 2004 |
Ahmanson Theatre | Los Angeles, CA | 24 Aug 2004 | 17 Oct 2004 |
Keller Auditorium | Portland, OR | 19 Oct 2004 | 24 Oct 2004 |
Capitol Theatre | Salt Lake City, UT | 26 Oct 2004 | 31 Oct 2004 |
Paramount Theatre | Seattle, WA | 2 Nov 2004 | 7 Nov 2004 |
Golden Gate | San Francisco, CA | 9 Nov 2004 | 5 Dec 2004 |
Civic Auditorium | San Diego, CA | 7 Dec 2004 | 12 Dec 2004 |
Hobby Center for the Performing Arts | Houston, TX | 4 Jan 2005 | 16 Jan 2005 |
Majestic Theatre | San Antonio, TX | 18 Jan 2005 | 23 Jan 2005 |
Andrew Jackson Hall | Nashville, TN | 25 Jan 2005 | 30 Jan 2005 |
Fox Theatre | Atlanta, GA | 1 Feb 2005 | 6 Feb 2005 |
Bass Concert Hall | Austin, TX | 9 Feb 2005 | 13 Feb 2005 |
Orpheum | Memphis, TN | 15 Feb 2005 | 20 Feb 2005 |
Memorial Auditorium | Raleigh, NC | 1 Mar 2005 | 6 Mar 2005 |
Bushnell | Hartford, CT | 8 Mar 2005 | 13 Mar 2005 |
Merriam Theatre | Philadelphia, PA | 15 Mar 2005 | 20 Mar 2005 |
Heinz Hall | Pittsburgh, PA | 22 Mar 2005 | 28 Mar 2005 |
Wharton Center | East Lansing, MI | 29 Mar 2005 | 3 Apr 2005 |
Aronoff Center for the Arts | Cincinnati, OH | 5 Apr 2005 | 17 Apr 2005 |
Hippodrome Performing Arts Center | Baltimore, MD | 19 Apr 2005 | 1 May 2005 |
Colonial Theatre | Boston, MA | 3 May 2005 | 15 May 2005 |
Fisher Theater | Detroit, MI | 17 May 2005 | 12 Jun 2005 |
Saenger Performing Arts Center | New Orleans, LA | 14 Jun 2005 | 19 Jun 2005 |
Auditorium Theatre | Chicago, IL | 21 Jun 2005 | 3 Jul 2005 |
Marcus Center for the Performing Arts | Milwaukee, WI | 5 2005 Jul | 10 2005 Jul |
Fox Cities Performing Arts Center | Appleton, WI | 12 Jul 2005 | 17 Jul 2005 |
Orpheum Theatre | Minneapolis, MN | 19 Jul 2005 | 24 Jul 2005 |
Whitney Hall | Louisville, KY | 26 Jul 2005 | 31 Jul 2005 |
ASU's Gammage Auditorium | Tempe, AZ | 9 Aug 2005 | 14 Aug 2005 |
Segerstrom Hall | Costa Mesa, CA | 16 Aug 2005 | 28 Aug 2005 |
Blumenthal Performing Arts Center | Charlotte, NC | 20 Sept 2005 | 25 Sept 2005 |
DeVos Performance Hall | Grand Rapids, MI | 27 Sept 2005 | 2 Oct 2005 |
Landmark Theater | Richmond, VA | 4 Oct 2005 | 9 Oct 2005 |
Palace Theatre | Cleveland, OH | 8 Nov 2005 | 13 Nov 2005 |
Playbill (Dallas, Texas)[]
Images[]
Soundtrack[]
After plans for the cast recording were halted in June, Hunter Foster and the new Broadway cast members found themselves in the studio on September 15, 2003,[8] under the watchful eye of composer and executive producer Alan Menken.
The soundtrack was rushed for an October 21 release,[9] and included material cut from the original Off-Broadway album, such as the Entr'acte for Call Back in the Morning and the WSKID portion of Ya Never Know.
Tacked on as bonuses were several of Howard Ashman and Menken's unused demos for the original production, including The Worse He Treats Me, I Found a Hobby, A Little Dental Music, and We'll Have Tomorrow, as well as Bad, which was composed for the film but ultimately replaced by Mean Green Mother from Outer Space.
References[]
- ↑ TheaterMania - Little Shop of Horrors Cancels Broadway Engagement
- ↑ NY Times - Planned Broadway Run Of 'Little Shop' Canceled
- ↑ Variety - May 19, 2003
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Florida Engagement of Little Shop of Horrors Opens May 16
- ↑ 'N Sync's Joey Fatone Makes Early Appearance in Little Shop of Horrors
- ↑ Playbill - Jonathan Rayson credits
- ↑ Robert Evan is Little Shop's New Dentist
- ↑ Broadway's Little Shop Goes on the Record
- ↑ All Music - Little Shop of Horrors (The New Broadway Cast Recording