Video: LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS Celebrates 1000 Performances

Hello, I'm Richard Ridge for Broadway World

The smash hit off-Broadway production of Little Shop of Horrors is celebrating its 1,000 performance

and I caught up with a company and alumni here at Brian Park Grill

What was today like for you, Alan? It was thrilling. It was amazing. First of all, there are some people there I haven't seen in so long

Just very emotional. As always, I look at what's happening on the stage

First point I think of is Howard. It's just so brilliant. And I'm just so impressed on this production

how new people come in, and it's like reinvented, and it's just basically always kept fresh

Let's just talk about Howard again, how proud Howard would be today. Just how creativity lives on

he's as popular today as he was when you were all creating these shows

Oh, more so. Howard, with every day becomes more and more legendary

in terms of what he's done. when people take in the impact of the work

and the influence on the entire generation. It's impossible for me to watch this

or the Little Mermaid movie that just came out. And it just always comes flooding back to me

I'm tripping right now because I can't believe that this little thing we made

right before COVID is now still running and a thousand performances. We never could have dreamt that that would happen

And then to see Corbyn and Constance play so beautifully it like it a new show again each time They were superb today I just love that every eight weeks or 12 weeks

brand new Seymores and Audrey's come in. This is like old school, but they're brilliant

It is old school. It's a lot of work. I have to say I'm so proud of the company

the crew, stage managers, designers, and the cast who keep, they welcome new people

They allow the show to accommodate the very special gifts that each new actor brings to it

But they maintain the integrity of this absolutely perfectly written piece of musical theater

Today was a dream come true. I finally got to open my official performance

in Little Shop of Horrors. It's a role I've wanted to play for years

I'm just so grateful that I get to, one, come back to New York, be back on the stage again

and then to be in this fabulous show. It's such a perfect show. Sharing the stage with Constance Wu, what that means to you

Constance, first of all, she is a phenomenal performer and a wonderful human being

I am loving working with her not only just on stage and off

but the fact that we have the diversity on stage, can we talk about the fact that we have a Black Seymour and an Asian Audrey

that is the coolest thing ever? You are so wonderful as Audrey

What made you say, yes, I want to come and do this. I want to do Little Shaw. I've actually wanted to do little shops since I was a kid

And I saw a little community theater production in my hometown of Richmond Virginia And my agents and managers have known that this is something I wanted to do forever So it truly is my childhood dream come true

You're bringing a lot of people to this show that maybe have never seen a live show before

because they know you from other mediums. And it's going to change their life forever as it did all of us

What that honor means to you. I hope it does because I still remember being a 12-year-old and seeing my first

of Little Shop and just being blown away. And it's like when theater is good

it's magic. It knocks your socks off. It takes your breath away

And so, I mean, yeah, people know me from fresh off the phone

crazy rotations and hustlers. But it's like, this is what I've always wanted to do

Your comedy bits are incredible of all the little people you get to play that are hilarious

I mean, what is that like, Just switching out clothes and playing someone else

and the audience falls in love with you. Well, it's incredible. It's sort of like gentleman's guide in reverse

Like, you know, I get to play all the parts this time. But, you know, I have to give credit to Christian Borrell

You know, it's his, he created the track. And I know I can just imagine what rehearsal must have been like

to come up with all these incredible ideas. So credit to him, and I'm very grateful that I get to do it and making my own

And, you know, Andrew Call and Drew Galing, like, we've all had a chance to put our own stamp on the

dentist and it's a special thing for someone who loves doing this to get to

make something your own and I look forward to passing the drill on to somebody after me but yeah it an incredible role and it one that as a kid I would have dreamed of doing So I love it I love going crazy every night

I love Little Shop. I love the people there. I loved what I learned being there

And I just couldn't sing to leave. The first time I left, I left for six, the musical

I played Catherine Parr for a summer. And did some other work after that

And they needed help during COVID times. and I came back and played another urchin

And just when I thought that was going to be my last time, they called and asked if I could play Audrey

And best thing I ever could have, best summer I've ever had

I remember when I was playing Chiffon in 2019, just watching Tammy Blanchard wide-eyed and soaking it all in as much as I could

and being like, I wish I could, I hope I can do that someday. And I got to. It's very special

Little Shop is a perfect show. It is a perfect piece of writing

Alan Mankin and Howard Ashman, who wrote the script and the lyrics and directed the original production

He created a Swiss watch. And so it's, for the audience, it's such thought-provoking, extreme fun, and entertainment

And then inside of the show, it's Macbeth. Put the toy, whatever it is that we do

But yeah, it's like, it's a Shakespearean tragedy. So you get to sing extremely fun music, brilliant music

but also play the most epic emotions. So it's everything all in one