Stage Door: The unkillable 'Little Shop of Horrors'

'Stage Door' is our new theater column. We'll review plays and musicals and, because this is a film site, we'll end each column with related movie recommendations. - Editor 

Crystal, Ronette, and Chiffon, the doo-wop chorus of Little Shop, are still a major highlight

The October 2019 Off Broadway revival of the singular scifi-horror-comedy-whatsit musical Little Shop of Horrors is still going strong at the West Side Theater in NYC. Well, minus 18 months off for the pandemic of course. The production has been through five Seymours now in its run (Jonathan Groff, Jeremy Jordan, Gideon Glick, Conrad Ricamora, and Skylar Astin) with a fifth on the way; Rob McClure takes over on July 12th so this is your last chance to see Skylar Astin (Pitch Perfect) in the role. Curiously its original Audrey (Emmy winner and Tony nominee Tammy Blanchard) and Orin (Tony winner Christian Borle) are still recycling their sadomasochistic relationship every night in this iteration of Skid Row.  Why can't the show keep a Seymour!?

Well, it is surely an exhausting role even if the anemia and sore fingers from feeding the bloodthirsty plant is fictional...

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Tribeca 2022: The Failings of the Legal System in 'The Courtroom'

By Abe Friedtanzer

 

It's no secret that the way that law works in the United States has serious issues, and archaic rulings often lead to devastating and irreversible consequences for the least fortunate. Meanwhile those with power and access can evade justice. Among the most disproportionately affected groups are immigrants, whose own “legality” is fiercely questioned and denied by those who forget that this country came into being as a nation of immigrants. Lee Sunday Evan's directorial film debut The Courtroom tackles this subject in an experimental manner, one that leaves plenty to be considered...

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75th Annual Tony Awards in Review

by Nathaniel R

© Theo Wargo/Getty for Tony Awards Production

Ariana DeBose, fresh off her Oscar win, hosted the Tony Awards with enough theater kid energy to make Anne Hathaway blush. No reviews  will be able to claim (in good faith) that she didn't work her ass off to entertain the audience. She was "on" in every moment, pulling faces, doing little dance moves, singing, and engaging with the celebrity audience. She mentioned the 75th Anniversary several times but in truth the show's Diamond anniversary wasn't any different than any other Tony show; they've always mixed a couple "special" reunion-style performances with showcases for the current musicals (the ones that are still open that is). Even the Sondheim tribute -- which we expected to be epic -- was just one number long: Bernadette Peters singing "Children Will Listen" from Into the Woods. 

Best Speech, Ticket-Boosters, A New "EGOT" winner, and more after the jump...

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2022 Chita Rivera Awards Nominees Announced

by Nathaniel R

The Chita Rivera Awards took time off due to COVID but they're back with a grab bag mix of the 2020 and 2022 Tony seasons and the 2021 movie year  The awards are named after Broadway's high kicking living legend, and they honor choreographers of shows and individual dancers. They also honor movies that involve dancing (though not individual dancers) though weirdly not tv shows! Here are their movie nominations this year...

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Tweetweek: Multiverse Madness and Patti Lupone Worship

Amusing and/or thought-provoking showbiz tweets curated for you so you don't have to waste time on twitter!

All movies should be rated R so that children can't go to them.

— Eric D. Snider (@EricDSnider) May 10, 2022

  More after the jump including Toni Collette, Top Gun Maverick, multiverse mania, and responses to that story about Patti LuPone ranting at a maskless theatergoer on Broadway after Stephen Sondheim's Company...  

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