SponsoredAfter seeing the spectacular Mamma Mia! by Broadway At Music Circus, I was blown away. The theatre-in-the-round is a super cool experience and every seat is so close to the stage that you almost feel like part of the show.
I came home, raved about it to my family, and made plans to see another show. Luckily I didn’t have to wait long! Through the #instayelpatweetasnap community, Natalie and I got tickets to see Little Shop Of Horrors, a Broadway At Music Circus premiere.
Little Shop Of Horrors, based on the 1960s cult horror film of the same name, opens today and runs from August 21 to 26, 2018 at the Wells Fargo Pavilion in Sacramento.
This was my first time seeing Little Shop of Horrors (and Natalie’s too) and it was fun and entertaining and totally weird. The cast was small as compared to others shows we’ve seen, but dang, they were powerful and with credits ranging from Broadway shows and national tours, local Broadway productions, television, film, and local productions.
While we really enjoyed the banter between Sarah Litzsinger (Audrey), Jared Gertner (Seymour), and Michael Kostroff (Mushnik) — who I totally recognized from The Wire and Luke Cage — Jamison Stern (The Dentist et al.) stole the show with semi-rediciulous character and humor. He had us cracking up! We also loved Ken Page as the voice of Audrey II.
Throughout the show, the trio of Zonya Love (Crystal), Zuri Washington (Ronette), Destinee Rea (Chiffon) also impressed us with their strong voices and vibrant personalities, and their voices tied the songs together beautifully.
The Little Shop Of Horrors Story
Little Shop Of Horrors is a horror comedy rock musical, by composer Alan Menken and writer Howard Ashman, about a meek and nerdy flower shop worker named Seymour who would do or give anything to gain the love of his co-worker Audrey.
During an eclipse, Seymour discovers an unusual plant and names it Audrey II. The growing plant, which feeds only on human flesh and blood, brings Seymour unexpected popularity and attracts a great deal of business for the struggling store. After Audrey’s abusive boyfriend Orin The Dentist dies, Seymour feeds him to the plant. Then he must come up with more bodies for the increasingly bloodthirsty plant.
WARNING FROM MUSIC CIRCUS: Music Circus has the below warning posted on their website, but Natalie and I didn’t think any of the show’s content crossed the “fun/spoof” line.
This musical spoof is based on a cult horror film. The dark comedic plot includes a man-eating plant devouring several characters, a sadistic dentist who abuses his girlfriend, sexual innuendo, and a character dying from gas asphyxiation. While it’s not meant to be taken too seriously, there is onstage violence and gore, adult themes, and mild profanity.
About Broadway At Music Circus
The Wells Fargo Pavilion is the site of Broadway At Music Circus, and the box office for ticket sales of both Broadway At Music Circus and Broadway On Tour shows.
Music Circus was founded in 1951 as the first professional musical theatre in the round west of Mississippi. Until 2002, its first-class productions were presented under a canvas tent, the last of its kind in the country.
In 2003, on the same site as the original canvas tent, Broadway Sacramento opened the Wells Fargo Pavilion, which combines the traditional arena stage with improved audience comfort. Broadway At Music Circus is the largest, continually operating musical theatre-in-the-round in the country, making it a landmark in the professional theatre community.
- Broadway at Music Circus is located at the Wells Fargo Pavilion at 1419 H Street, Sacramento, California 95814.
- The $35 Under 35 Club is a low-price ticket program for theatergoers age 18–35. It’s free to join and gives you access to purchase $35 tickets to shows.
- There is parking in streets surrounding the Wells Fargo Pavilion, but restrictions do change so pay attention to signs to avoid getting a parking ticket.
- Follow Broadway Sacramento on social media @sacmusicals on Twitter, @sacmusicals on Instagram, and @BroadwaySacramento on Facebook.
