The Crystal Heart

'Little Shop of Horrors' never loses its bite. Clever puppetry, a standout Greek chorus, and characters who reveal humanity’s darkest corners elevate Menken & Ashman’s timeless score, keeping this cult classic in full bloom onstage. #BWW #ATXTheatre

The fragrant aroma wafting through Greater Boston Stage Company these days isn’t only the scent of the nearby florist, it’s also the sweet smell of the success that the Stoneham company is having with its wondrously well done production of “Little Shop of Horrors.”

If you didn’t “Suddenly, Seymour” on stage at The Red Curtain Theatre in Conway between May 2 and 11, you missed a hilariously twisted night of toe-tapping terror. Their production of Little Shop of Horrors (Book and Lyrics by Howard Ashman, Music by Alan Menken, and based on the no-budget Roger Corman film from 1960) proved once again that this quirky cult classic still packs a punch right in the 'Dentist!' chair. 

“There are songs that come free from the blue-eyed grass, from the dust of a thousand country roads. This is one of them.” These are the first words stemming from the first line of the Foreword in Robert James Waller’s sweeping tale of love, passion, and the ability to see another, as if you have been waiting for them your entire life.

Little Shop of Horrors, the musical version of the 1960 cult film classic, has been as indestructible as Audrey II, its ravenous man-eating, soul music-loving plant. The 1986 remake, starring Rick Moranis, was the basis for the Broadway musical, which actually got its start before the Moranis remake, in an Off-Broadway production four years earlier. Since it finally reached Broadway in 2003, it has become a mainstay in regional and community theatre. The show's success can be traced to its Alan Menken/Howard Ashman score, a love letter to early '60s pop styles, including doo-wop, Motown, soul, and Phil Spector girl groups (the three-female members of the Greek chorus that hover in nearly every scene are named Crystal, Ronette, and Chiffon in Spector's honor). 

Just at summer's end, MUSE/IQUE and Artistic & Music Director Rachael Worby will present MUSE/IQUE's next show of their 2024 season Freedom at the Moulin Rouge, the incredible, under-told story of the first-ever fully integrated hotel and casino in the country.

The recent college campus protests in America seem to have surprised and bewildered a lot of people around the world. Why do privileged students who can afford a college education risk being expelled or jailed over a conflict in Gaza? Graduations are currently being cancelled, people are being arrested and police with riot gear are on standby from New York to California. It’s almost unheard of.

PCPA presents LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS at Solvang Festival Theater in June, featuring book & lyrics by Howard Ashman and music by Alan Menken, based on the film by Roger Corman, Screenplay by Charles Griffith.

Legendary entertainer and musician Pat Boone has announced that Pat Boone's Gold Label is releasing to all streaming and download services individual performances sourced from episodes of 'The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom' digitized and preserved by the UCLA Film & Television Archive, including Boone's hits like 'Love Letters in the Sand' and 'April Love'.

'Bliss Street,' a new musical recounting a significant chapter of New York's iconic 70s Rock & Roll history, is extending it's run by one week, through May 20, 2023.

Next month, 54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club & Private Event Destination, presents some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz, and beyond. A recipient of the 2022 Tony Awards Honor for Excellence in the Theatre, 54 Below is a non-profit organization with a mission to preserve and expand the art of the cabaret, honor the music of Broadway, and provide an unparalleled experience to diverse communities.

'Bliss Street' is a new musical recounting a significant chapter of New York's iconic 70's Rock & Roll history.  It documents the life and legacy of Paul Sub, who founded and ran a succession of New York music clubs in the 1970's.

In a remarkable partnership of institutions in three Texas cities, the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center will host Crystal City 1969, a play based on the true-life story of Mexican-American teenagers who walked out of class and into civil rights history. 

America's favorite musical about a man-eating alien plant, Little Shop of Horrors, has come to Stagecrafters in Royal Oak, now through October 23rd.

Cultivate South Park and the Cultural Space Agency have announced their successful purchase of  Four Properties in the Very Heart of South Park including South Park Hall • South Park Idea Lab • Resistencia Coffee and their permanent preservation as Community-Owned Cultural Space.

This is the last chance to vote for the 2021 BroadwayWorld Houston Awards! The 2021 Regional Awards honor productions which had their first performance between October 1, 2020 through September 30, 2021.

Time is running out to vote for for the 2021 BroadwayWorld Houston Awards! The 2021 Regional Awards honor productions which had their first performance between October 1, 2020 through September 30, 2021.

An unconventional holiday treat is on stage at Milwaukee's Skylight Music Theatre through January 2nd. Directed by Michael Unger (his first since taking the reins as Artistic Director), Little Shop of Horrors may not tee up glad tidings of comfort and cheer, but a show this fun is equal to the festive task. Little Shop brings joy, humor, astonishment... and a bloodthirsty plant.

The Grand Rapids Symphony has announced their 2021-22 concert season of live music planned for in person audiences at DeVos Performance Hall beginning this fall!

Nancy Manocherian's the cell theatre will host RANDOM ACTS, a solo play written and performed by Obie Award winner Renata Hinrichs. Directed by Jessi D. Hill, performances begin May 23 at the cell. Performances will be presented open air for a strictly limited audience.

Rockabilly Hall of Fame legend Al Hendrix has partnered with Time Life to release 107 songs from seven of his classic albums on all digital streaming platforms: The Best of Al Hendrix, Lonesome Whistle: A Tribute to the Great Hank Williams, Heart and Soul, Lover Boy, Rare & Rockin', Rockabilly Lovin' and Rockabilly Christmas.

The Beatles! Rihanna! Michael Jackson! Johnny Cash! Kanye West! The Rolling Stones! Aretha Franklin! Bob Dylan! Miles Davis! Nirvana! BWW Reviewer Peter Nason chooses the greatest albums from the rock and rap era (1950-2020); see if your favorites made the grade!

Pittsburgh Public Theater starts 2020 with Little Shop of Horrors, with book and lyrics by Howard Ashman and music by Alan Menken. This show is Marya Sea Kaminski's first musical at The Public, and features the return of Grammy winner John McDaniel as Music Director.

Pittsburgh Public Theater starts 2020 with the musical comedy Little Shop of Horrors, with book and lyrics by Howard Ashman and music by Alan Menken. This show is Marya Sea Kaminski's first musical at The Public, and features the return of Grammy winner John McDaniel as Music Director. Little Shop of Horrors runs January 23 a?' February 23, 2020 at the O'Reilly Theater, Pittsburgh Public Theater's home in the heart of Downtown's Cultural District. For tickets call 412.316.1600, go to ppt.org, or visit the Box Office.

As the decade comes to a close on Broadway, we're doling out some good, old-fashioned superlatives to acknowledge some of the best and brightest theatre people, show elements, and productions that have made this decade one of the best in Broadway history.