Understudy Matthew Taylor Smith got shot out of a cannon and stuck a show-stopping landing as Seymour Krelborn at the post-Opening Night matinee of La Mirada Theatre’s absolutely sensational big-stage revival of the cult classic to end all cult classics, Little Shop Of Horrors.

Spoofing such 1950s B-movie horror flicks as Invasion Of The Body Snatchers, Creature From The Black Lagoon, and It Came From Outer Space, not to forget the 1960 black-and-white, non-musical sci-fi comedy of the same name on which it is based, Little Shop Of Horrors introduces us to orphan Seymour Krelborn, longtime clerk at Mushnik’s Skid Row Florists, the crummiest and least successful flower shop in town … but perhaps not for too much longer, given how pitiful business is of late.

Fortunately for Seymour and his curvaceous coworker Audrey (Grace Stockdale), the first customer they’ve had in days is so charmed and fascinated by the “strange and interesting plant” sitting in the store window (one that Seymour just happened to find soon after a total eclipse of the sun and quickly named Audrey II) that he buys $100 worth of roses, and before long, business is booming, the shop’s cranky owner Mr. Mushnik (Jay Winnick) is thinking of adopting Seymour for less than altruistic reasons, the latter is finding it harder and harder to think of the lovely Audrey as a mere work colleague, and Audrey is wondering if Seymour might just be the nerd in less than shining armor who can rescue her from her physically abusive dentist boyfriend Orin Scrivello D.D.S. (Travis Joe Dixon).

There’s just one problem with Audrey II. It has a craving for blood, human blood, and the drops Seymour provides from his increasingly ravaged fingers are soon nowhere near enough to satisfy its cravings. Audrey II wants a body’s worth of blood, and it wants Seymour to supply it posthaste.

As in their later Disney collaborations The Little Mermaid and Beauty And The Beast, composer Menken and book writer/lyricist Ashman display a knack for creating one instantly hummable, cleverly worded song after another, from the catchy doo-wop show-opener “Skid Row (Downtown)” to the heartstrings-tugging “Somewhere That’s Green” to the uber-romantic “Suddenly Seymour.”

I’ve now seen a grand total of 18 different productions of Little Shop Of Horrors, but it’s been fifteen years since I’ve last seen it done Broadway-scale (that was Little Shop #8 on the very same La Mirada stage) which is Reason #1 not to miss it.

Reason #2 is the inspired direction of the always masterful Michael Matthews, who’s made this Little Shop as much about the acting as it is about the musical’s decidedly quirky plot and the showstopping vocals of its all-around phenomenal cast.

No longer is Audrey merely a bleach blonde bimbo but in the magnificent Stockdale’s hands, she is a real (albeit bad-man-attracting) woman whose dreams of a better life will break your heart, which is why when Stockdale’s Audrey sings of an aching longing for “Someplace That’s Green,” have your handkerchiefs ready like rarely before.

Winnick goes beyond stereotype as well, giving us a crafty and conniving but never cartoonish Mr. Mushnik, and the fabulously multi-tasking Dixon not only embodies a true monster of a man, his multiple cameos provide delightful comic relief.

Joslynn Cortes (Crystal), Janaya Mahealini Jones (Ronnette), and dance captain Marisa Moenho (Chiffon), too, go beyond simply providing three-part 1960s girl-group harmonies, director Matthews ensuring that they remain an integral part of the Skid Row universe throughout the show.

Last but not least, though there’s a part of me that wishes I could have seen Thomas Hobson in a role he’s been dreaming of playing for years, what a thrill it was to see Smith, just three months out of UCLA, not only step into someone else’s shoes at virtually a moment’s notice but give audiences the sweetest and most endearing of Seymours while singing and acting the living daylights out of the role and establishing onstage relationships with Stockdale’s Audrey, Winnick’s Mr. Mushnik, and Dixon’s Orin as if he’d been playing opposite them for weeks.

As for Audrey II, this time round she’s not just sung to R&B perfection by Wilkie Ferguson III but brought to frighteningly multi-tentacled life by master puppeteer/puppeteer technician Betsy Zajko.

Clarice Ordaz’s pizzazzy choreography, Michael Polak’s fight choreography, and Jennifer Lin’s expert musical direction merit kudos of their own as does Josh Bessom’s expert sound design, and what a treat it is to see Scott Pask’s 2003 glorious Broadway revival touring sets and William Ivey Long’s stunning costumes (both designs uncredited) along with Melissa Dupont’s hair, wig, and makeup designs spectacularly lit by Steven Young.

Smith’s fellow understudies are Nick Lunetta, Erich Schroeder, and Rianny Vasquez. Casting is by Michael Donovan Casting.

Ilana Elroi is associate sound designer. Polak is intimacy choreographer. Julian Olive is production stage manager and Megan Elizabeth Reed and Siena Vivivano are assistant stage managers. David Elzer is publicist.

There’s perhaps nothing more exciting for a reviewer than to see an understudy step into a major role and nail it, and when said understudy does it without a single rehearsal, it’s the stuff of headlines. Simply put, Matthew Taylor Smith’s star turn as Seymour Krelborn gave Little Shop Of Horror’s Opening Weekend Sunday matinee event status.

La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, 14900 La Mirada Boulevard, La Mirada. Through October 16. Thursdays at 7:30, Fridays at 8:00, Saturdays at 2:00 and 8:00, and Sundays at 1:30 and 6:30.
www.lamiradatheatre.com

–Steven Stanley
September 20, 2026
Photos: Jason Niedle
Additional photos capped from the La Mirada Theatre promotional video
Curtain call photos: Steven Stanley

Visit www.theatreinla.com/nowplayingrs.php for a review roundup of what’s now playing in theaters around Los Angeles.

Tags: Alan Menken, Howard Ashman, La Mirada Theatre For The Performing Arts, Los Angeles Theater Review, McCoy Rigby Entertainment