Night & Day

Wednesday
July 7
"My goal is to return the musical to its roots -- no pun intended," says Gregory Boyd, of the Alley Theatre's production of Little Shop of Horrors. To this end, Boyd has brought in the original designers of the 1984 off-Broadway hit: set designer Edward Gianfrancesco, costumer Sally Lesser and Martin Robinson, the designer and manipulator of the first Audrey II. "I've always wanted to present Little Shop of Horrors the way it was originally created, as a 1950s sci-fi horror comedy with this great musical score in a comic-book setting," Boyd says. "I'm eager to present it to a generation that may be familiar only with the movie." Here to help the movie generation with the transition to theater is choreographer Marguerite Pomerhn Derricks, whose work has been seen on the MTV Movie Awards, in Drew Barrymore's recent teen flick Never Been Kissed and in both Austin Powers movies. Oddly enough, she seems like a good fit for the play. An insatiable man-eating plant from outer space is most definitely shagadelic, baby! Little Shop opens tonight at 7:30 p.m. and runs Tuesday through Thursday at 7:30 p.m.; Friday at 8 p.m.; Saturday at 2:30 p.m. and 8 p.m.; and Sunday at 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. through August 1. Alley Theatre, 615 Texas Avenue. Call (713)228-8421 for tickets. $17-$30.