Jinkx Monsoon is Audrey and Corbin Bleu is Seymour in ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ Off-Broadway

This post was originally published on Playbill - News

Written by: Andrew Gans, Logan Culwell-Block

Production Photos

The hit revival of the Alan Menken-Howard Ashman musical also welcomes James Carpinello to the Westside April 2.

Two-time RuPaul’s Drag Race winner Jinkx Monsoon—who made her Broadway debut in Chicago in 2023 and is set to rejoin the revival in June—joins Off-Broadway’s Little Shop of Horrors as Audrey beginning April 2. The casting makes Monsoon the first drag queen to play the role in a major production of the Howard Ashman-Alan Menken musical.

Monsoon joins the cast alongside Corbin Bleu, who is returning to the company as Seymour after starring in the production opposite Constance Wu last year. Also joining the cast is James Carpinello as Orin Scrivello.

Take a look at the new stars in the photos below:

“Little Shop of Horrors was my favorite movie musical as a kid but Audrey is a role I considered out of the realm of possibility for me,” said Monsoon in an earlier statement. “To get to play her in this incredible production is terribly exciting. As a drag queen who grew up watching the iconic Ellen Greene performance, I’m thrilled and honored to get to bring Audrey to life in a whole new way that also pays homage to her memorable origins.”

Monsoon, Bleu, and Carpinello succeed current stars Evan Rachel Wood, Darren Criss, and Bryce Pinkham, respectively, who all played their final performances March 31.

                                                             James Carpinello and Corbin Bleu in Little Shop of Horrors, Evan Zimmerman

READ: To Jinkx Monsoon, Starring in Chicago On Broadway Is Just Another Round of Snatch Game

The current cast of Little Shop of Horrors also features Tony nominee Stephen DeRosa (Mr. Saturday Night) as Mr. Mushnik, alongside Aaron Arnell Harrington as The Voice of Audrey II, Tiffany Renee Thompson as Ronnette, Morgan Ashley Bryant as Crystal, Khadija Sankoh as Chiffon, as well as Camryn Hampton, Michael Iannucci, Weston Chandler Long, Jeff Sears, Teddy Yudain, Zakiya Baptiste, Noel MacNeal, and Johnny Newcomb.

Previous players in the roles of Seymour and Audrey have included Jonathan Groff, Tammy Blanchard, Jeremy Jordan, Lena Hall, Maude Apatow, Gideon Glick, Rob McClure, Skylar Astin, Conrad Ricamora, and Matt Doyle.

The Off-Broadway revival resumed its run September 21, 2021, after temporarily closing in March 2020 due to the pandemic.

Directed by Tony winner Michael Mayer, the revival opened in October 2019. The creative team for the Howard Ashman-Alan Menken musical also includes choreographer Ellenore Scott, scenic designer Julian Crouch, lighting designer Bradley King, costume designer Tom Broecker, sound designer Jessica Paz, puppet designer Nicholas Mahon, original puppet designer Martin P. Robinson, hair and makeup designer Tommy Kurzman, music supervisor, orchestrator, and arranger Will Van Dyke, and casting director Jim Carnahan. Puppets are by Monkey Boys Productions.

General management is by Live Wire Theatrical/Chris Aniello, and production stage management is by Sara Sahin.