BWW Exclusive: Dick Scanlan Takes Us Behind the Scenes of Encores! Off-Center's Epic LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS!

Just last week, Jake Gyllenhaal, Ellen Greene, Taran Killam, Eddie Cooper, Joe Grifasi, Tracy Nicole Chapman, Marva Hicks and Ramona Keller took to the stage for Encores! Off-Center concert production of Howard Ashman and Alan Menken's Little Shop of Horrors, at New York City Center. The show got such an AMAZING response, that all of the Broadway World (pun intended) is still buzzing about, so we reached out to director Dick Scanlan for some behind the scenes memories and photos, which he graciously shared!

LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS is a sci-fi musical about Seymour Krelborn (Jake Gyllenhaal), a hapless florist shop worker who pursues a doomed romance with his ditzy, lovable co-worker Audrey (Ellen Greene) by acquiring an R&B-singing plant (Eddie Cooper) that feeds on human blood. The production also stars Taran Killamas Audrey's sadistic dentist boyfriend Orin Scrivello and Joe Grifasi as Mushnik, the owner of the florist shop. An R&B girl group, The Urchins, provides commentary on the action and features Tracy Nicole Chapman, Marva Hicks and Ramona Keller.

Dick Scanlan directed the epic event and he shared some behind the scenes photos from both the rehearsals and performances. Plus, read below to check out his 'gratitude list,' which reveals details about how the show was cast!

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Encores! Off-Center's LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS
A gratitude list by Dick Scanlan
Starring (in alphabetical order)

TRACY NICOLE CHAPMAN: Years ago, Tracy recorded a demo for Jeanine Tesori and I of "Only in New York," a song sung by the character Muzzy Von Hossmere in our stage adaptation of THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE. Tracy and I have not worked together since, though of course I loved her as one-third of the Radio in CAROLINE, OR CHANGE. In recent years, she's been raising a family in Los Angeles. For a process as truncated as this slot in the Encores! Off-Center schedule, it's imperative to do extensive pre-production. Interestingly, choreographer Patti Wilcox arbitrarily put Tracy in the middle of our trio, which was perfect: she's the middle child of the three, with a gorgeous voice that blends seamlessly.

EDDIE COOPER: Originally we cast Chuck Cooper, Eddie's Tony Award-winning father, as Audrey II. Chuck pulled out when AMAZING GRACE got the green light for Broadway. So, we held auditions. I'd already decided I wanted to anthropomorphize the plant, and casting directors Carrie Gardner and Stephen Kopel communicated that to the actors in advance of the auditions. Talented actor after talented actor came in and did "voice" acting, painting with sounds rather than talking. Then came Eddie. He played one clear objective: to get food. And, one clear obstacle: Seymour's conscience. The result was electrifying, both in the audition room and, a few months later, on stage.

ELLEN GREENE: At the end of the second day, we had a sing-thru of the score, and the actors got to hear each other perform. When Ellen finished "Somewhere That's Green," there was hearty applause, but we were all speechless...and moved. I remember saying that there are times in our careers where we're part of a moment so special, we lock it away in our hearts to bring us comfort when the hard times come-as they do for all of us. So many moments of witnessing Ellen's iconic performance are now in my heart's safe deposit box. I could feel all 2,257 people in the audience for each of our three performances storing the memory of her Audrey in their hearts, too.

JOE GRIFASI: Joe was actually an Ellen Greene recommendation, and I immediately recognized the wisdom in the choice. I've seen Joe on stage, on TV, in films-and once, years ago, across a dinner table, though I don't think he remembers! His body of work speaks volumes about the kind of consistently good-and consistently employed-actor he is. He stopped by pre-production when he was in the building for a vocal coaching. He put in a request for dance with a capital "D." We didn't have the time to do that, but Patti Wilcox came up with an ending for "Mushnik & Son" that got him twinkling his toes a bit.

JAKE GYLLENHAAL: The hardest working person in the room. Incredibly smart, and he approached the creation of his character with enormous integrity. But, we weren't sure how well he could sing because, well, prior to last week, who'd heard Jake Gyllenhaal sing save for a comic version of "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going" he performed on "Saturday Night Live" in 2007? So, it's the second day of rehearsal, and Patti and I are working with the Urchins, because we had two days with just them to get their vocals and staging taught. I knew that Jake was coaching with Jeanine, but I was taken by surprise when the two of them burst into our rehearsal studio-remember, at this point, Jake and I had not met. Jeanine sat down at the piano and told him "Start at the top and sing your way through the score." Seymour's first vocal is an extended (and thrilling passage) in "Skid Row." By the time Jake was halfway through it, we were agog: HE CAN REALLY SING. LIKE REALLY. I sang "Git It" with him, and I could feel how solid he was on his vocals as he wailed his harmonies, hitting stratospherically high notes with precision and passion. The response I had that day is same response audiences had: thrilling.

MARVA HICKS: Marva is part of my MOTOWN THE MUSICAL family. We spent several glorious months putting that show together, and never exchanged a cross word. I was so excited to get back in the room with her, and out of everyone in the cast, she entered the process knowing me best. I actually heard about Marva years before I worked with her on MOTOWN, even years before I saw her in CAROLINE. A friend of mine who lives in L.A. saw her sing at a club and told me to be on the lookout for Marva Hicks. I'm awfully glad I found her-and anyone who was lucky enough to hear her sing the opening strains of "Skid Row" was lucky, too.

ANWAR KAREEM: I work with kids every summer in Johannesburg-except this summer, because between LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS and WHORL INSIDE A LOOP (my new play with Sherie Rene Scott, currently in rehearsals at Second Stage), I have no time off. So, I used my hour of auditioning eight-year-old boys to play young Audrey II as an excuse to do the kind of work I do in South Africa. Me and the ten candidates spent an hour playing games (Bippety Bippety Bop, a fave). One young thespian asked me, "Can't we play 'Duck Duck Goose?' Just one round, pleeeeease?" Anwar ranked high on the adorability scale, but there was also something elusive about him. That duality got him the job-and captivated audiences.

RAMONA KELLER: Ramona and I appeared together at Joe's Pub in 2012 as part of an evening Jeanine put together to celebrate vinyl (as in record albums). Ramona sang-thrillingly, of course-and I performed a monologue I wrote about being a record collector from the age of five. It was one of the wonderful nights when a group of artists comes together and has as much fun hanging out backstage as we were having on stage. When Ramona showed up for the first day of rehearsal, we hugged as if we'd worked together on project after project. Now we really have created something very special together, so our next hug will indeed have history behind it.

TARAN KILLAM: When we began the casting process-in early January!-the casting director gave me a list actors who could play Orin (and all the other roles Orin plays). Taran was not on that list-and the names that were there didn't excite me much. Then Joe Machota at CAA (both Taran and I are CAA clients) e-mailed me to suggest Taran Killam. It was a moment like in MARY POPPINS when a sudden wind blow all the applicant nannies away, and Mary Poppins floats in. There was no question in my mind that Taran was the man for job. I watch "Saturday Night Live" regularly to see what he'll do, and he always delights me. As a stage actor, it doesn't get any better: committed, specific, inventive, adept, collaborative, smart... not to mention a comic genius. I had wildly high hopes for Taran in LITTLE SHOP; he way surpassed them.

With our special thanks to Dick Scanlan, and Rommy Sandhu - check out photos below!