The hit Off-Broadway production of Little Shop of Horrors is set to get some new stars.

Emmy, SAG, and Golden Globe Award nominated star Evan Rachel Wood (Westworld) will make her New York stage debut as Audrey, with Golden Globe Award winner Darren Criss returning to the New York stage as Seymour.

The stars will join the cast of the show at the Westside Theatre in New York from 30 January 2024.

This production of Little Shop of Horrors started its run at the Westside Theatre on 17 September 2019, and has won 2020 Drama League, Outer Critics Circle, and Drama Desk Best Musical Revival awards.

The current cast includes Tony-nominated Broadway veterans Bryce Pinkham (A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, The Heidi Chronicles, Mercy Street) as Dr. Orin Scrivello, D.D.S. and Brad Oscar (The Producers) as Mr. Mushnik, alongside Aaron Arnell Harrington as The Voice of Audrey II, D’Kaylah Unique Whitley as Ronnette, Tiffany Renee Thompson as Crystal, Khadija Sankoh as Chiffon, as well as, Camryn Hampton, Najah Hetsberger, Michael Iannucci, Weston Chandler Long, Jeff Sears, Teddy Yudain, Zakiya Baptiste, Jonothon Lyons, Noel MacNeal, Johnny Newcomb, and Kevin Pariseau.

Constance Wu and Corbin Blue will play their final performances as Audrey and Seymour on 28 January 2024.

The musical first premiered Off-Broadway in 1982.

Little Shop of Horrors has a book and lyrics by Grammy and Academy Award winner Howard Ashman (The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast), and music by Tony and Academy Award winner Alan Menken (Aladdin, Newsies).

The production is directed by Tony Award winner Michael Mayer (Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Spring Awakening) and choreographed by Ellenore Scott (Funny Girl, Mr. Saturday Night).

The creative team also includes Scenic Designer Julian Crouch, Lighting Designer Bradley King, Costume Designer Tom Broecker, Sound Designer Jessica Paz, Puppet Designer Nicholas Mahon, and Hair and Makeup Designer Tommy Kurzman. Original puppet design is by Martin P. Robinson, Puppets are by Monkey Boys Productions, and Will Van Dyke serves as Music Supervisor, Orchestrator & Arranger.

A producer’s statement said: “The casting of this show has become one of the greatest joys of our lives. The fact that in year five, we continue to attract talent like Evan Rachel Wood and Darren Criss is a testament to Howard Ashman’s and Alan Menken’s Little Shop of Horrors being one of the finest achievements in musical theater, and to Michael Mayer’s perfectly and joyously staged production at the Westside Theatre. As two of the most daring, enticing, and dynamic stars of their generation, we cannot wait to see the magic that real-life friends Evan & Darren bring to their roles.”

More about Rachel Evan Wood

Since her breakout role in Thirteen, for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe and SAG Award, Evan Rachel Wood has gone on to leave her mark in several iconic performances on television and film. She earned critical acclaim and accolades for her role in “Westworld”, the HBO miniseries “Mildred Pierce”, the film The Wrestler, and more. One-half of “Evan + Zane,” her band with Zane Carney, Wood has also sung in the films Frozen 2 and Julie Taymor’s Across the Universe. Her advocacy on behalf of LGBTQ rights as well as for Sexual Assault and Domestic Abuse Survivors, has led her to testify on Capitol Hill, as well as, to create, write, and champion The Phoenix Act in California, which extends the statute of limitations for domestic violence felony crimes. In 2022, Award winning director Amy Berg dropped her two part HBO documentary Phoenix Rising in which Wood details her experience as a survivor of domestic violence to pursue justice, heal generational trauma, and reclaim her story, in a culture that instinctively blames women.

More about Darren Criss

Multi-hyphenate actor and musician, Darren Criss burst on to the scene as one of the most memorable TV characters of all time, Blaine Anderson in Fox’s hit show “Glee.” His portrayal of Andrew Cunanan in Ryan Murphy’s critically acclaimed limited-series, “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story,”earned him a Primetime Emmy, Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild, and Critics’ Choice Award. In addition to his work on television, Criss is a veteran of the stage whose Broadway credits include the titular role of Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2015), How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying (2012), and most recently American Buffalo (2022) opposite Laurence Fishburne and Sam Rockwell. He released a solo EP in 2021 titled Masquerade (BMG), and in the same year, released a full-length holiday album titled- aptly- A Very Darren Crissmas (Decca), for which he recently toured in North America.

Darren Criss also performed at the London Palladium in October 2023, in a solo concert.

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Main photo: Little Shop of Horrors New York 2024 casting - Rachel Evan Wood and Darren Criss. Photos courtesy of Vivacity Media Group

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