"Little Shop of Horrors" and "Buyer and Cellar" arrive in time for Halloween

The fall theater season keeps late summer aglow with two fun shows about loners battling monsters. "Little Shop of Horrors" Great Lakes takes no box office chances opening its 2022-23 season with the original retro doo-wop musical masterpiece, "Little Shop of Horrors." Indeed, the boutique musical by the team of Howard Ashman (book and lyrics) and Alan Menken (music) was quite the cutting-edge takeoff of the 1960 cult classic horror hit (featuring a then-unknown Jack Nicholson). It concerns a flesh-eating otherworldly plant that takes over a small skid-row flower shop and eventually the world. The box-office and critical jewel has proved to be a sure-fire hit for regional theaters for nearly four decades, having opened Off-Broadway in 1982. (An open-ended production ran on Playhouse Square in the mid-'80s.) Of course nothing wilts so fast as the bloom of trendiness — and this production might easily have been a tedious go-round of milking an old cash cow. But Victoria Bussert, one of Cleveland's foremost directors of musical comedy, makes sure this "Shop of Horrors" still has the merchandise that sells. The cast brims with energy — particularly Alex Syiek as the nearly foaming-at-the-mouth sadistic greaser dentist and Andrew Faria as the bright-eyed nebbish Seymour, who makes a Faustian bargain with a not-so-decorative potted Venus Man-Trap (voiced in R&B extravagance by Savannah Cooper and vividly puppeteered by Chad Ethan Shohet). Sara Masterson as the blond and black-and-blue-eyed object of Seymour's affection balances pathos and pulchritude well, and Aled Davies captures the quintessential old-man shop owner. Jaclyn Miller's canny choreography (making a small ensemble seem like a full chorus), Matthew Webb's infectious musical direction and Jeff Herrmann's charmingly seedy sets, assiduously lit by Trad A. Burns, complete the Off-Broadway polish and panache of this production. Strangely, costume designer Danae Iris McQueen, who seems no less accomplished than anyone else in this nearly perfect production, makes the odd choice to dress the omnipresent doo-wop street teens, serving as sort of a girl-group Greek chorus to narrate the proceedings, in contemporary fashion — hair braids and all. Part of the musical's charm is its loving send-up of the time frame of the original 1960 film, with a threesome of street teens embodying the intrinsic early R&B spirit of the score. Together, these teens — Chiffon, Crystal and Ronnette (Kris Lyons, Sydney Alexandra Whittenburg and Savannah Cooper, respectively) — make up a girl group multinamesake trio who would obviously embrace the emblematic coiffure of the day, the bouffant. No such festive teased-up head adornment here. But weighing everything else, what may have been a stylistic misfire won't put a dent in what is otherwise a horrifically big treat from a charming "Little Shop of Horrors." "Buyer & Cellar" The other loner and his monster comes from an unlikely one-man show about a homosexual, lost in the gossamer Los Angeles gay scene, who becomes a docent and custodian for another otherworldly creature — Barbra Streisand. On the issue of what is fact and what is fiction, it would seem a gay man working for the notorious narcissist and drag icon, often referred to as "Babs," would be more of a reality than Streisand turning her entire basement into a boutique shopping mall — just for her. But, no, actor/playwright Jonathan Tolins, upon reading about Babs' foray into ultimate retail exclusivity in Harper's Bazaar, conjectured a tale where he becomes employed by "Her" to manage this fantastical faux-merchandizing self-indulgence. In this scenario, the assistant also assumes the role of salesclerk, as he must improvise bartering with Streisand over the price of rare artifacts, costumes, clothing, shoes, bric-a-brac and tchotchkes — all displayed in a Hollywood-quality shopping mall facade of storefronts and walkways. Of course, there's no actual monetary exchange, because Streisand already owns everything. One would think this imagined brush with the super-famous would run out of dramatic brush strokes well before the 90-some-minute show concludes. But local actor Scott Esposito is so narratively vivid — assuming the roles of his boyfriend, Streisand herself, her secretary and even handsome hubby James Brolin and other incidental figures — the audience remains hilariously mesmerized. Unsurprisingly, Esposito does have some help. The Beck Center production value well elevates this show into something that would feel at home Off-Broadway. Jamie Koeth's direction allows Esposito to fill the stage like an entire ensemble. Dave Brooks' sets, extremely well defined by lighting designer Tim Chrisman, mix basic furniture with marquee-framed projections (also by Brooks) of Streisand's actual "mall." All this helps complete a picture as involving as a trailer for "Funny Girl." The only thing raining on this parade is audience laughter and applause. Contact Howard Gollop at howieeg@hotmail.com. IF YOU GO WHAT: Great Lakes Theater presents "Little Shop of Horrors" WHEN: Through Oct. 9 (times vary) WHERE: Hanna Theatre, 2067 E. 14th St., Cleveland TICKETS: $20 to $89 ($15 tickets for patrons 25 and younger) INFO: Call (216) 241-6000 or visit Greatlakestheater.org IF YOU GO WHAT: Beck Center for the Arts presents "Buyer & Cellar" WHEN: Through Oct. 9 (times vary) WHERE: Beck Center Studio Theater, 17801 Detroit Ave., Lakewood TICKETS: $10 to $38 INFO: Call (216) 521-2540 or visit Beckcenter.org