‘Little Shop of Horrors’ is the wildest winter escape in NYC

This winter in NYC is chaos. The snow hits sideways, the sidewalks are a full-contact sport and your radiator has entered its villain era. If you’re craving an escape that isn’t another night of scrolling in fleece pants, Little Shop of Horrors at the Westside Theatre is your move. The Off-Broadway hit turns one tiny theater into a full-throttle, campy horror‑comedy where the only thing more unimaginable than the plot is how hard the cast is belting.

Now in its seventh succulent year, Little Shop has serious range. It started as a scrappy 1960 B‑movie, became a 1982 stage musical and keeps coming back because the story—a shy guy making a Faustian bargain for fame and fortune—still feels painfully on‑point. The tone is a wild mix of light horror, big laughs and messy romance, all anchored by a killer doo-wop-inspired score from EGOT‑winner Alan Menken and his longtime creative partner Howard Ashman. “Suddenly, Seymour,” “Feed Me” and “Somewhere That’s Green” aren’t just earworms; they’re musical‑theater canon that you’ll end up humming on the train home. 

The cast is stacked with theater fan favorites, from Tony nominees and Emmy winners to rising stars who play the Westside like it’s a 2,000‑seat house. One performer (Tony nominee Andrew Durand now, Tony nominee Andy Karl starting March 10) juggles multiple roles in one night, while a team of puppeteers brings Audrey II to life across several continuously increasing sizes. Watching the plant grow, stomp and side‑eye its way across the stage is part creature feature, part “how is this even physically possible” stage magic.

What really sets this production apart is the space. With only 270 seats, the Westside Theatre is so intimate that there’s literally no bad seat in the house. You’re close enough to clock every smirk and every puppet twitch, which means Broadway‑level talent at Off‑Broadway distance—and price. The location helps, too; tucked just west of the Times Square madness, but an easy walk from Port Authority, Penn Station and the 42nd Street C train, it’s a stress‑free in‑and‑out instead of a full Midtown obstacle course.

Time Out-exclusive backstage photos

To capture how much fun they’re having, the cast shot a one‑of‑a‑kind backstage photo album just for Time Out using three old‑school disposable cameras. Between shows, they documented the snack breaks, side‑eyes and pre‑show buzz that fuel the onstage mayhem, and those photos are your glimpse into the energy that makes the production feel so alive.

The joy you see backstage is the same joy you feel in the audience—just with slightly less fake blood. The world is heavy, the headlines are grim and the weather is being extra. Little Shop of Horrors cuts through that with unapologetic silliness, a big heart and a recommended age of 5+, so you can bring pretty much everyone you like. If you need a couple of hours where the biggest problem in your life is a very hungry plant, this is your show.

Joshua Bassett (Seymour) just heard something he definitely wasn’t supposed to hear. Having made the move from television to the NYC theater scene, he looks like the jackets are whispering secrets, or Audrey II has opinions about outerwear, something just a “little” different from his successful run on High School Musical: The Musical: The Series.

Johnny Newcomb (Vacation Cover) and Aveena Sawyer (Ensemble/Dance Captain) flash matching grins and headset chic, proving winter survival is easier when your coworkers double as your hype team.

Christine Wanda (Ronnette, one of the three hilarious quasi-Greek chorus urchins) lounges like a tabloid fantasy, camera in hand, flipping the script on whoever thought they were sneaking a candid.

Christian McQueen, whose sheer vocal firepower and charisma as Audrey II command the stage without ever stepping into view, gets caught in a pre-show mid‑paparazzi moment.

Teddy Yudain (Derelict/Audrey II Manipulation) stands guard under a wall of jackets, looking like he just found something in the coat rack he can never unsee.

Christopher Swan (Mushnik), Johnny Newcomb and Aveena Sawyer prove that backstage refreshment is all about timing, not proof. The vibes stay high even when the show veers into full-blown botanical terror.

Aveena Sawyer and Joshua Bassett look like they’ve found the rarest thing in Little Shop of Horrors: a quiet moment that isn’t about to spiral into disaster. Sawyer’s grin and Bassett’s ease suggest a shared understanding that backstage joy is its own kind of survival skill. Feed the cast friendship, water it with downtime and it grows strong.

Savannah Lee Birdsong (Crystal, another of the glam-azing trio of urchins) looks delightfully unhinged in the way only Little Shop of Horrors truly allows, eyes wide and energy dialed all the way up. Nearby, Johnny Newcomb keeps things grounded, scrolling calmly like this is all perfectly normal behavior. Together, it’s a snapshot that feels equal parts musical comedy and creature feature, proof that the line between performer and performance stays deliciously thin.

Savannah Lee Birdsong has created a knitting nook between shows, knitting with the kind of focus that feels both soothing and slightly suspicious, very Little Shop if Audrey II ever took up fiber arts.

Weston Chandler Long (Audrey II Manipulation) and Joshua Bassett look deep in thought, as if weighing ambition, morality and whether feeding the plant is ever really optional.

Morgan Ashley Bryant (Chiffon, another of the three diva urchins) is perched comfortably, either deep into group-chat or researching how to survive another night with a man-eating plant.

Christian McQueen shows that backstage rest comes with the constant awareness that something, somewhere, is always ready to sing. It’s part horror, part comedy, all Little Shop.

Morgan Ashley Bryant, Teddy Yudain and Christian McQueen crowd around a backstage meal that looks part family dinner, part pre‑show strategy session.

Another round from the back-of-house dining room, where Weston Chandler Long and Christine Wanda spill the tea about a certain carnivorous plant, basically because she’s not in earshot. Or is she……?

The after-hours feast continues, with Christine Wanda, Weston Chandler Long and Johnny Newcomb go all in on plastic forks and takeout containers between shows.

Morgan Ashley Bryant and Christine Wanda turn a string‑lit corner of backstage into their own private rave before places are called.

David Colston Corris (Vacation Cover) wraps his arms around Audrey II, giving Broadway’s hungriest star the full slow‑dance treatment.

Chorus line in the wings Andrew Durand (Dr. Orin Scrivello D.D.S. and others), Joshua Bassett, Weston Chandler Long, Teddy Yudain and Johnny Newcomb squeeze in shoulder to shoulder, looking exactly like a chorus line in the wings.

Joy Woods, Teddy Yudain, Christine Wanda and Morgan Ashley Bryant pack in close for the kind of post‑show selfie that says “we survived another feeding.”

The night ends where it should: glowing and smiling. Christina Wanda and Morgan Ashley Bryant lean into the vibe with jazz hands, horror-musical edition, all joy and zero doom.

If you’re looking for a way to survive winter that doesn’t involve arguing with your radiator, here’s the move: get tickets to the funniest—and hungriest—musical in town. Little Shop of Horrors, now seven years strong, is at the Westside Theatre.