Interview: Ross Coughlin of THE LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS at Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre

The Little Shop of Horrors, with music by Alan Menken and lyrics and book by Howard Ashman, premiered off-off-Broadway in 1982. Featuring 1960s style music, The Little Shop of Horrors tells the story of Seymour, a young man who finds fame, fortune, and love thanks to a mysterious plant. But, it turns out there’s a terrible price to pay. Audiences can catch this horror comedy rock musical at Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre February 13th-March 21st starring Ross Coughlin as Seymour.

BWW: Tell us a little about yourself.

Coughlin: I’m a NYC-based actor, singer, and storyteller. I grew up in Plattsburgh, NY, on beautiful Lake Champlain, right across from Burlington, VT, and an hour and a half south of Montreal. My first role was the Conductor in my kindergarten production of The Polar Express, although I’d say I really got my start as the Grinch in Adirondack Regional Theatre’s Seussical, Jr. when I was nine. My hometown has a vibrant community theatre scene, and it was an amazingly supportive place to grow up and learn and play as an artist. I graduated from Wagner College on Staten Island with a BA in Theatre & Speech, Performance Concentration, with a minor in Spanish. I also spent a summer in Dresden, Germany, training in and performing musical theatre and opera at Orfeo Vocal Arts Academy. My professional career began post-pandemic, and I thoroughly enjoy my life bouncing around entertaining audiences across the US. So far, I’ve performed regionally in seven states, and I’ve traveled the country in the national tours of Disney’s Winnie the Pooh, Baby Shark’s Big Broadwave Tour!, and Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus. Some of my favorite regional credits are Huckleberry Finn in Big River, Mike Teavee in Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, and Ogie in Waitress – which I actually performed right here at Dutch Apple around this time last year!

BWW: What do you love most about performing?

Coughlin: I’m a storyteller at my core. It’s meaningful for me to spend my time connecting with strangers in the dark theatre and finding humanity in complex characters and sometimes absurd situations. In some ways, what separates us from animals is language and storytelling – and I’m proud to be part of that tradition. I also live for music and comedy. Both are how I get through my day, headphones in and jokes at the ready. I want to share that every day with as many people as possible.

BWW: If you could play any role in any show, what role would you most love to play and why?

Coughlin: Funnily enough, normally, I would say Seymour! He’s been my North Star theatrically for a long time now. But for a close second, I would have to go with Boq in Wicked. That was my first Broadway show back in 2011, and The Wizard of Oz was very much on repeat in my house growing up. So naturally, I think it would be so special for me to get to play him and step into the Oz universe I loved so much as a kid. Plus, he’s a sweet, nerdy, little tenor with a big heart, and acting-wise that’s right up my alley!

BWW: The Little Shop of Horrors has been one of my favorite shows for a long time. I distinctly remember seeing it when I was really too young to understand all of it, and I just thought a talking, singing plant was the best thing ever. Tell us about your first experience with The Little Shop of Horrors.

Coughlin: My first experience with Little Shop was actually as part of the stage crew when I was a kid. My dad had volunteered to help behind the scenes with a production at Adirondack Regional Theatre, and that meant that 11-year-old me got to tag along. The auditorium we were playing had a catwalk above the audience, and our job was to drop vines from the ceiling as a surprise when – spoiler alert – the plant “eats” the entire theatre at the end. It was a super fun job, but it was also the first time I was seeing a show multiple times without being in it. I got to watch actors get laughs and change things and make mistakes and grow in their roles, and I’m really grateful for that experience. Then, in college, I finally got to play Seymour in a student-run production alongside a bunch of my friends, hoping of course I’d get the chance someday to play him again. And now, here we are!

BWW: One of my favorite things about this show is the music. If you had to pick just one, which song is your favorite and why? (it doesn’t have to be a song you sing)

Coughlin: “Ya Never Know” has always been my favorite. It’s such a bop and so fun to perform because Seymour’s having a good time for probably the first time in his entire life. There’s so much joy at the surface. I also have a soft spot for a song that never made it into the final version of the show called “We’ll Have Tomorrow,” originally written as a hopeful late Act II duet for Seymour and Audrey. Exactly one line of it made its way into the finale, so look out for that short little Easter egg moment when you come see the show at Dutch Apple!

BWW: The Little Shop of Horrors continues to delight audiences even forty years after it premiered. What is it about this show that gives it such staying power in your opinion?

Coughlin: I mean, it’s a perfect musical. It has everything: Incredible songs, campy comedy, high-stakes drama, a killer ’60s girl group, and a talking plant! Howard Ashman and Alan Menken, who wrote the words and music to this show, were also responsible for generations of theatre kids raised on Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin. In that way, the show acts as a perfect bridge between childhood nostalgia and edgier, more adult (but still tween-friendly) themes of mistreatment, low self-esteem, greed, and death. It invites you in with something familiar and then surprises you, which is why audiences keep coming back to it decade after decade… despite the risk of becoming plant food!

BWW: Are there any aspects of your character to which you really relate?

Coughlin: At his core, Seymour is a kid desperately looking around him for connection, approval, and love. I think, in that way, we can all relate to him. It’s what makes his journey so compelling to watch, no matter how well-adjusted we are. He wants so badly to be good at his job to please Mr. Mushnik, to connect with and care for the girl of his dreams, and to get out of Skid Row to go somewhere over the rainbow where he’ll finally be safe and appreciated. Still, there’s joy in him, and I’m so excited to go on his journey every day at Dutch Apple.

BWW: Seymour has a way with plants, would you say you have a green thumb?

Coughlin: I do… not. I’m not specifically bad at tending to plants, but I’ve never really picked up the hobby. What I do have is a lot of respect for plant people. They’re usually very kind and caring.

Get your tickets for The Little Shop of Horrors at dutchapple.com and remember, don’t feed the plants!