Downtown…there’s no rules, you know. Downtown… you’ll have to see their show. Downtown… the urchins of Skid Row— this one’s about the-ee-eem. There on Skid Row. That’s right— Crystal, Ronette, and Chiffon— the urchins of Skid Row and in a sit-down TheatreBloom exclusive, we’re talking with Tigga Smaller, Isabel Bray, and Kalea Bray on what it’s like to play the ‘ensemble’ of an ensemble-less show.
Thank you all so very much for taking some time to sit and talk with me. I love that we’re actually able to do that! Sit— and talk— in person! Tigga Smaller, Isabel Bray, and Kalea Bray, you three are playing the urchins— Crystal, Ronette, Chiffon, but who is who?
Tigga Smaller: I’m Crystal.
Isabel Bray: I’m Ronette.
Kalea Bray: I’m Chiffon.
What was the draw to want to come and be a part of Little Shop of Horrors?
Tigga: I’m old enough to have seen the movie. For me, this has always been one of my favorite things. I’m talking Tisha Campbell. I remember the movie and those girls were always my dream; it’s always been a bucket list thing for me.
Kalea: I have always liked Little Shop because we also watched the movie— or at least I did when I was a kid—
Isabel: Yeah, I did too.
Kalea: When I was in high school, they were doing Little Shop and I wasn’t able to do it, and that sucked so it was really exciting to finally get to able to do it.
Isabel: Similar for me. Little Shop has always been one of my favorite shows, I think. Just the whole environment of it; it’s just so fun, so different from a lot of shows. It was definitely so very, very fun to be a part of it.
I know you’ve each just mentioned which of the three urchins that you’re playing. Are you happy playing that specific urchin or do you wish you could switch it up?
Tigga: I’m happy with who I ended up being. I would switch— wait—I wouldn’t switch— so here’s the thing. Kalea is perfect as Chiffon. She’s perfect. But the way the music is written— Chiffon and Crystal do a lot of switching. Chiffon is sometimes singing a lot of the highest stuff. Crystal then sometimes is singing the highest stuff. Kalea is much better at singing the higher stuff than me. So we and the Music Director (Chris Rose) have decided that it may say “Chiffon” but Crystal is going to sing it. Or it may say “Crystal” but Chiffon is going to sing it. So we kind of do switch-up and get to be the other person sometimes.
Isabel, how are you finding the music and vocality of the show?
Isabel: It’s great. I’m always the lowest part so it’s a lot simpler than their parts. It’s where I’m very strong vocally. And although I am a strong belter as well, that lower alto range is where I’m just vocally very happy.
What is the favorite singing-song moment that you guys have?
Isabel: For me it’s right in the finale, “Finale Ultimo” there’s just this one part that we sing and there’s this beautiful three-part harmony that we all sing right in the middle and it’s just gorgeous. I love it!
Kalea: I’m just such a big fan of this show. I can’t even pick a favorite. I like all the parts.
Tigga: I agree. I think all the music is really, really good just in general. But one of my favorite parts is the opening to ‘Skid Row’ in “Downtown” and not because she’s my cast-mate, but Kalea sings it better than the recording. It’s the part that I wanted, the solo that I wanted? But then Kalea sang it and I was like “Nevermind. I really didn’t need that solo anyway.”
If you could be anyone else in the show— not one of the urchins— any other role in the show— who would you be?
Tigga: This is hard because for me I’ve always just wanted to be one of the urchins. That’s just something that I’ve always wanted to be. If I would be anybody else? I think it would have to be Audrey II. I mean Eric (actor Eric Bray Jr.) is the perfect Audrey II. He’s amazing. But if I were going to be anybody else in this show— just because it seems like it would be super fun— Audrey II. And then I could just sit backstage and belt my face off instead of stand on stage and dance and belt my face off.
Kalea: I think it would just be so fun to be Seymour. I am obsessed with his songs, like every single one. I would love to sing “Now (It’s Just the Gas)”. That’s such a good song!
Isabel: I was thinking the same thing, but on the opposite side I think I would love to be the Dentist.
Tigga: See— I would love to see you all be Seymour and the Dentist!
Isabel: That would be great. I think all the different roles that the Dentist gets to play, all the stuff he gets to do on stage, he’s just absolutely off-the-rails crazy, he’s so fun, he can do whatever the heck he wants, that would just be great!
What has been the biggest challenge with this show so far?
Isabel: For me it’s probably the dances, just remembering which one is which! All the songs are kind of similar— not so much that you get them mixed up all the time— but dance moves can be really similar so that’s been a big challenge for me.
Tigga: I think the challenge for me is— one— just getting over my insecurities with vocal stuff. I think it’s been seven years now since I had to have surgery, I’ve been so used to singing impaired and then trying to relearn everything after having surgery and rediscovering that confidence in it— that has been a challenge. Everybody sees Tigga as the dancer girl. Even if my singing isn’t great, I can fall back on “Oh, but she can dance!” And in this show, yes, we’re two-stepping, but it’s about the vocals. I think for me that’s been the biggest challenge, just being vocally here.
Kalea: I think I’m almost the exact opposite side of that where everybody knows me as the one who can always do the songs. But I am not usually one who is featured as a dancer. I can ‘move.’ But being in this role, as one of the dancers where everybody is watching me and I’m in the front? It’s very challenging!
What is your favorite moment in the show?
Kalea: It’s not even that funny— I’m just obsessed— but there’s this one line where Seymour is talking to Audrey, he’s telling her about all the great things that Mr. Mushnik has given him, and he says the line “and nice things to eat like meatloaf and water” and for some reason, that line just kills me. It’s so funny every single day I hear it.
Isabel: I think— wait— I don’t know— can we just go to Tigga?
Tigga: Why are you going to throw me under the bus!? I was hoping to come up with something while you were over there struggling!
Isabel: I’m sorry! I suddenly forgot every single moment in the show!
Tigga: I love— and it’s so stupid— but Audrey II says “GRUUUB.” And I don’t know why I think that’s so funny? But I enjoy it massively. I think more than that, I enjoy being backstage watching Eric voicing Audrey II and still being just as animated backstage— as he would be if he were onstage— and then watching people interact with the puppet as if the puppet was real. Being able to be backstage and see both of things happening at the same time is pretty great.
Isabel: I thought of a moment! There’s this one point where the three of us are ganging up on the Dentist. We find out that he’s being mean to Audrey and we absolutely go at him and it is just so funny. It’s just a good moment, to see that—
Tigga: To see that you can beat up on a man? Is that a good moment for you?
Isabel: Yes. Beat up on a man. How did you know? Beat up on a man who deserves it— it shows more of the personalities of the urchins, more of themselves than a lot of the rest of the lines do.
What do you think of the costumes? Do we like them?
Kalea: We haven’t seen the final form of a lot of things, or at least I haven’t, but I haven’t gotten to wear it yet. I like the costumes in general. Like these pants that I’m wearing right now— so comfortable? I’m already wearing them. And I really like the way that they look. They fit the show.
Isabel: I tried on a lot of dresses. I mean a lot. It’s definitely interesting trying to get all of those out of my head and just zone in on the ones that were chosen. I like them. They’re nice. They’re not in bad shape, which is very nice. Sometimes, in other shows, the costumes aren’t so nice— like they’re older or have been used a whole bunch of times so they’re not in great shape, but these ones are in great shape.
Tigga: I have seen some of my costumes. I’ve tried on all of my skirts— bleh. And not because I hate them, but bleh— because they’re skirts. When Dickie (Costume Designer Dickie Mahoney) explained to me what everybody was wearing, I was like “Really? Really, Dickie? You couldn’t let me wear the pants? Kalea has to wear the pants?” I have one of the letterman-type jackets, it is very comfortable but I am worried about sweating to death. It’s very cute; I love the jacket. I’ve tried on— the sequin-y dress, the last dress. It’s really very pretty. I’m going to like the costumes, regardless, except for the fact that I have to wear skirts and dresses.
How are ‘The Urchins’ similar or different to you personally, how are you bringing yourselves to them? I can see that they keep trying to deflect to you because you’re the oldest of the group, Tigga…
Tigga: And I am. By leaps and bounds. Isabel is a 15-year-old senior so in high school, and Kalea is 22 and I’m almost twice her age. So yeah, there’s that. Anyway— in ways that I would say that I’m the same is when I’m just relaxing or in a group, sometimes I just fall back and observing everything. There can be a whole bunch going on and I may be engaged somewhat but I’m always just kind of watching and seeing and picking up on different things that are happening. I think we’re probably similar in that way. I probably would beat up on the Dentist if it was a real-life situation. I would want to stand up for Audrey and beat the dude up because I feel like that’s really me. How we’re different? I don’t just randomly— oh, wait. Yes I do randomly break out into song. Nevermind. I can’t even say that. I mean, I can, but it would be a lie. I don’t know how we’re different. I don’t live on Skid Row.
Isabel: I feel like the urchins have these different life experiences than I do— the fact that they are so close because of the life that they have lived and that they have lived it together? For me it’s been interesting to try and fall into that role, as the three best friends who have grown up together, who all do the same things, who all observe, all talk, and who all tell the story. Falling into the role of characters who share a very different background than you, even if their personalities are similar to yours is a challenge.
Tigga: You two have, though. You two do have the background jokes or the inside things and I’m like “oh something’s funny.” (Isabel and Kalea are sisters.) It’s been interesting because I feel like I’ve only known them for a few months— last summer at SpongeBob was when we met. I mean I’d seen them in prior shows but we didn’t know each other. It’s been fun falling into that relationship with them.
Kalea: What they said.
What have you learned about yourself by being in this show; what has this taught you?
Isabel: Personally for me, it’s definitely a lot of the references. Figuring out what I don’t know, learning what I don’t know, because there’s a lot that I don’t know about what came before me. Like I said, I’m very young, so it’s looking up where the references come from and figuring out what different things mean.
Kalea: I’ve learned that I can in fact learn a dance. That has never been my strength but it’s also not something that I’ve had a ton of opportunities to really do.
Tigga: My big takeaway has been just learning to own it and be comfortable with being uncomfortable. This show has definitely made me very uncomfortable just personally— putting me out of my personal comfort zone. Being comfortable in that space and knowing that I can do the things that I don’t necessarily think I can do, like being more ‘okay’ with being in the front and having eyes on me. I can perform by myself when I’m in a group, I can own it then because I think “if you’re looking at me, you’re not really looking at me, because you’re looking at the group and I don’t have to believe you’re really looking at me.” But in this case, “yeah, they are looking at me.” I am trying to overcome that.
What would you say to encourage people to come see the show?
Tigga: This is something I’m not really good at—
Kalea: There’s a lot of talented people in this show.
Tigga: Yes. The talent. There we go.
Kalea: The plants look really, really cool. You can tell that people have worked really hard on creating the set—
Tigga: Ben (Set Designer Benjamin Marsh) is really very talented.
Kalea: He has been working really hard behind the scenes. The cast is also ridiculously talented. I enjoy that it is a small cast because everybody gets to shine.
Isabel: I’ve never been in a show without an ensemble.
If you had to sum up the Little Shop of Horrors experience in one word, what would it be?
Isabel: Can I be basic a little and say—exciting? I think just the whole experience of everything, just learning everything, seeing everybody and hearing everybody else sing their songs, it’s just been exciting. It gets me so much more pumped for the show, more pumped for people to how we’ve been doing. It’s just so exciting.
And Tigga and Kalea, you don’t have to ‘explain’ your one-word choice, though Isabel, that was a great explanation!
Kalea: Fun.
Tigga: I’m going to say interesting. Because I don’t think that our cast does what you expect it to be. I think Audrey II, the voices— Eric makes lots of options that you would hear in the recording. He does things that you don’t often hear. I think Brandon (actor Brandon Pfeltz) in playing Seymour, he makes choices and he plays things differently. The plants look a little bit different. It’s all different than what you expect. That’s why I say interesting. Because it’s not what you expect. There’s a variation to it.
Little Shop of Horrors plays through March 6, 2022 with Tidewater Players, the resident theatre company of the Cultural Center at The Havre de Grace Opera House— 121 N. Union Street in historic downtown Havre de Grace, MD. For tickets call the box office at 667-225-8433 or purchase them online.
To read the interview with Eric Bray on playing Audrey II, click here.
