‘Horror’ show
Jake comes up big in ‘Little Shop’
Never mind whether he can sing: Can Jake sell a joke? To everybody’s surprise, including maybe his own, Jake Gyllenhaal is appealingly funny and sweet in Encores’ semistaged concert of the comic musical “Little Shop of Horrors,” playing City Center for just two days.
Not bad for a guy who’s best known for heavy-duty movies like “Brokeback Mountain” and “Nightcrawler,” and a pair of somber-minded plays (most recently Broadway’s “Constellations”).
Yet there he is, marking his grand entrance as meek florist Seymour with a pratfall. Things barely pick up for poor Seymour, who spends most of the show trying to feed a bloodthirsty plant — played by Eddie Cooper in a gigantic green furry coat and oversize glasses that made him look like Funkadelic’s George Clinton.
Gyllenhaal didn’t even get the biggest applause at the Wednesday- night premiere: That went to Ellen Greene, who created the role of Seymour’s goofy love interest, Audrey, back in 1982. The Betty Boop–voiced Greene was welcome with a hysterical roar.
She and Gyllenhaal didn’t have great chemistry, though, and this had nothing to do with their 30-year age difference — which, refreshingly, is the exact opposite of the one in Hollywood romances. Rather, they have completely different acting styles, as evidenced in their duet “Suddenly, Seymour”: He sang with contained, affecting emotion while she shamelessly milked the number, dropping to her knees and grabbing fistfuls of air.
Yet there was such joy in the air during the show that it’s hard to quibble. Special kudos go to Taran Killam, of “SNL,” who slayed in several supporting roles — including the key one of Audrey’s boyfriend, a sadistic dentist who gets high on nitrous oxide. Killam was fantastically at ease in his stage debut, and proved he can really sing, too. Broadway awaits this guy.
Backed by a five-piece band, Howard Ashman and Alan Menken’s 1960s-inflected score remains catchy as ever, paying playful tribute to girl groups, R&B and even milquetoast ballads. You could tell Gyllenhaal and company had fun with it — their enjoyment was infectious, as hard to contain as that darn plant.