It’s midweek in the beginning of the spooky month, so why not go and catch a big
screen presentation of a slightly macabre and murderous musical? I am talking about the 1986 Frank Oz-directed iteration of The Little Shop of Horrors, starring Rick Moranis as the nebbish florist Seymour, who finds himself in thrall with a man-eating flower whose hunger drives the silly plot to a romantic end. If nothing else, you can appreciate Steve Martin’s scene-stealing role as a viciously cruel dentist and enjoy a moment of culture shock from seeing a time in history when Americans had enough access to dentistry that they could universally joke about the more sadistic aspects of the trade rather than bemoan the lack of care my generation enjoys. My last dental experience was nearly 20 years ago, when I paid someone at a dental college $200 to split and yank out an impacted wisdom tooth sans anesthesia. Thankfully, there was a liquor store in the same parking lot. Showtime is 7:30 p.m., at Arcata Theatre Lounge, it’s $5 to get in and $9 to leave with a poster. Viva.
This article appears in Burger Week 2023.