Somewhere That's Green - Ellen Greene - July 2, 2015 - Little Shop - Encores! Off-Center

Here's Ellen Greene's performance of her iconic I-want song, "Somewhere That's Green," during the July 2nd matinee performance of Encores! Off-Center's 2015 concert production of Howard Ashman and Alan Menken's "Little Shop of Horrors." This video also features Tracy Nicole Chapman as Chiffon, Marva Hicks as Crystal, and Ramona Keller as Ronnette.
This concert production was directed by Dick Scanlan, choreographed by Patricia Wilcox, and featured musical direction by Chris Fenwick.
Due to the recent nature of this production, and this recording, only a selection of songs and clips will be uploaded. Any messages or comments inquiring about how to obtain a copy of this recording will be ignored.

[@jaquen1977]

This song is even more poignant if you frame it in the context of a much older Audrey. The idea that she’s been nursing this sweet little fantasy for several decades, but at this point no longer sees it as even a remote possibility, is heart wrenching.

[@mattburnett6946]

Ellen Greene's command -- not only of her astonishing vocal instrument -- but of the psychological manipulation of the audience, is nothing short of brilliant. She utilizes her "accent" to cue the audience in advance when it's okay to laugh, and then slowly advises them that they are laughing at her dream. It's a GD masterpiece of performance and technique.

[@dougie6897]

As you say… the psychological manipulation Ellen uses is staggeringly brilliant, I’ve never ever seen another artist who has mastered these techniques better than Ellen Greene .

[@kevinmccafferty4847]

Agree completely

[@danielhudson9894]

Literally this! Put into words how I feel about her. ❤️

[@patrickfrancis1877]

Mastery

[@Richard-vq7ud]

Ellen Green is so incredidbly gifted that Audry is not even fiction anymore. She actually brings the character to life!!!

[@joncopa8263]

She has ruined this role for anyone else. NOBODY ELSE could ever play it! She is sooooo iconic as Audrey. I'm sure many others play the role well, but will always be compared to her. She'll be 84 and still kicking this role's ass!!!!!

[@omarcogle1965]

That can also be said about the song Suddenly Seymour. No matter how hard you try, whether you're Lea Michele, Ariana Grande & Hayley Orrantia, or even Michaela Jae Rodriguez, who are also great singers by the way, Ellen Greene's the only one who can sing that song, whether it be with Rick Moranis or Jake Gyllenhaal.

[@Scottsteaux63]

Ellen Greene: the only actress who could play this role for so many years and still make it as fresh as the night it opened.

[@DarkAngel-qy9oi]

Scott Amundsen she is just awesome. No one could ever play Audrey like her. Class act

[@richardt7577]

She's the unique Audrey. No one can be like she ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@Richard-vq7ud]

I cant even imagine how Ellen Green must feel as she sings Somewhere That's Green. It is like she is an angel from heaven that landed on earth. Beyond brilliant!

[@geminidreamatl26]

From 1982 to 2015 the woman looks and sound exactly the same! She must be a vampire! And I love it. No matter how many times i hear her sing from Little Shop, i still get chills.

[@plawson8577]

Ellen Antonia Greene was born February 22,1952 in Bentonhurst Brooklyn, New York. She was 63 when this was filmed and 30 when she started portraying Audrey in 1982.

[@happyquesadilla]

Only Ellen Greene could deliver a performance that makes you laugh and cry at the same time like this. Absolutely incredible.

[@jlasf]

I was thinking exactly that. We laugh at the beginning and it is absolutely heart wrenching at the end.

[@Richard-vq7ud]

@@jlasf 🎯 Ellen isnt just performing a song, she is transmitting the power of dreaming. That is why it is so deep and heart wrenching.

[@edisonlima4647]

​@@jlasfYes, it begins as this tv ad, cookie cutter consumerist fantasy that can't be seen as anything other than silly, but as she pours her heart out, it becomes increasingly clear those low budget comforts are as beyond her reach as having castles in France, and it reminds us that Aydrey is extremely poor, lonely and with no real prospects.

[@mikeymoody05]

"Just me.......and the toaster" This is why I love this show, as well as Ellen Green shes perfect

[@arianacastaluccio-vilani9442]

As soon as she sang "A matchbox of our own.." I felt the tears build up my gosh this woman is INCREDIBLE

[@FlimFlamFloom]

It's fascinating to watch all the video of this short run and see exactly when and how she transitions into the true sorrow of this song. It's heartbreaking to watch her fully realize, as Audrey, that she's stuck and she's never going to achieve her dreams. Ellen is one of the only Audreys I've ever seen that truly characterizes this and does it convincingly. I'm always in awe watching her in any version of this show.

[@Richard-vq7ud]

Yes Ellen conveys the heart wrenching sorrow of this song. It is incredible how she can go so deep and touch everyone's soul.

[@ChrisOnStage2]

I must've seen a dozen performances of Little Shop from community theaters to grand palaces, but let's face it, no one compares to the queen of Audrey's! We bow to Ellen Greene!

[@Cris.d.em71]

I saw her do this back in the day... She was awesome then... And still awesome now... Ellen greene IS Audrey... There is no one else... Beautiful...🙏❤️🇬🇧x

[@Richard-vq7ud]

That is 🎯. Audry is not even fiction anymore. Ellen Green has brought her to life. It is something beyond this world.

[@dougie6897]

Ellen Greene has such total mastery of her intonation, her vocal inflections and her phrasing she is a phenomenal phenomenal artist !!

[@albertofernandezcarbajal7705]

Absolutely gorgeous: not just perfectly sung but beautifully acted. Isn't it amazing how she stays in character even after the songs finishes and the audience is going wild?! Superb.

[@Richard-vq7ud]

You are correct. She brilliantly exits the spotlight in character.

[@williammclean1069]

While I will gladly sing praises of Tammy Blanchard, Ellen Greene is untouchable. What she does is truly iconic. A balancing act of comedy and tragedy rich in heart.

[@jponigurl]

I’ll never forget the first time watching the movie and falling in love with Ellens voice nobody could ever replace her Audrey. I’m so lucky to have grown up with thee Ellen Greene ❤ Thank you for sharing this I’m in tears.

[@kindallvanhostle8861]

" . . . but I'm dating a *semi-sadist* " Understatement of the year right there.

[@bookwoman53]

Kindall VanHostle There is a song that didn’t make it into the show called “The Worse He Treats Me”. There is a demo on YT sung by lyricist, playwright Howard Ashman.

[@jlasf]

Isn't her pause brilliant?

[@Richard-vq7ud]

Anyone who has ever suffered abuse knows how heart wrenching it is. Audry is an inspiration to all victims, targets, and survivors.

[@edisonlima4647]

The pause also implied that what she means is not just "sadist", but also something that rhymes with it...

[@party4keeps28]

that sounded like a standing ovation. She is simply *amazing*

[@nataliemoore2136]

The underlying power in her voice at the beginning was SO well controlled. She never loses Audrey throughout the performance. It's just beautiful. And truly Ellen is the only person who could believably play Audrey!

[@robertboyken5550]

Ellen is so amazing, so perfect and so real. The contrast of funny lyrics and her complete sincerity make this the ultimate in heart wrenching Broadway songs. You can't help but be in awe as she takes the audience through all the different emotions and then as if by magic, it's suddenly not about irony or laughs, she's telling us here deepest dreams and the tragedy that they haven't and won't come true. The silence in the crowd is almost chilling as she sings the last of the song. Honestly, one of the best scenes ever on Broadway. Ellen is a miracle.

[@kennetpon]

This brought me to tears mixed with smiles and delight. Not an easy feat.

[@guttersnype00]

Always brings me to tears! ❤

[@bookwoman53]

When I was eight I saw Ellen perform Audrey in the original show at the Orpheum Theater. She's the one and only Audrey.

[@Richard-vq7ud]

That is 🎯. Ellen actually becomes Audry and transforms her from fiction to real. It is something out of this world from heaven.

[@IAmLordMeatwad]

she's so good. like this song is hilarious, but ellen greene doesn't play it as a comedy. she's so sincere about it, so the song can be funny while also being so genuine and from the heart.

[@BrokenZen311]

I can't believe how amazing she still is. Absolutely beautiful performance.

[@thenerdfrenzypodcast7732]

She always catches me off guard when she starts belting it!

[@richardt7577]

She's pure talent and absolute emotional actress, she is awesome 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@davidb1633]

The saddest song of all time, sung beautifully.

[@Richard-vq7ud]

Absolutely. Heart wrenching song performed by an angel on earth.

[@mattstevenssbigbearjukebox2066]

She's forever perfection

[@matsudaseiko]

funny that it is, this is where i come when i want a decent weeping brings tears to me eyes everytime that singing......😍

[@creativeguru4372]

I use to watch this over and over when it was on the big screen. She is brilliant.

[@daveygq9363]

This woman, is nothing short of amazing

[@fatjackjack5416]

No one plays this part better than her. Master piece

[@bobfletcher8196]

Ellen Greene, Absolute amazing no one could play this like she does.

[@luisfalcongarcia9567]

I love Ellen Greene

[@MarinaAndTheDevil]

Been watching her performances all week… I’m simply obsessed

[@Richard-vq7ud]

Ellen is so incredibly talented. She can take us all out of this world along with her to "somewhere that's green".

[@lauraintheskywithdiamonds9185]

i really wanna watch the whole thing 😢😢 i LOVE ellen

[@DerrickMims]

Throughout the song, sad as she is, people have been laughing -- because the song is funny. But around 5:20, they stop laughing, and you can hear a pin drop the rest of the way through. Or maybe it's a tear drop - oh wait, that was mine. ;-)

[@Scottsteaux63]

The genius that is Ellen Greene: She starts out with a comedy song, and by the end she has you weeping.

[@DerrickMims]

Scott Amundsen exactly!

[@GamerWho]

Made all the sadder because she never got out of Skid Row.

[@Richard-vq7ud]

@@GamerWho in the play she gets eaten by the plant, but thankfully in the movie her dream of living somewhere that's green comes true.

[@littlerose19]

Makes me cry every time

[@DiversityBat]

She is just soooo cute 😍😍💋

[@intothewoods_dave]

She's wonderful.

[@michaeloberg3018]

I'm so glad that they chose her to play Audrey in the movie version. Director Frank Oz didn't want her. He thought she wasn't famous enough to carry the movie and was lobbying for Cyndi Lauper to play the part instead.

[@geminidreamatl26]

I bet he's glad now Cyndi didnt do it lol.

[@kevinbailey8827]

Cyndi Lauper could have pulled it off. Part of me wishes I could see that alternative version, just as I’d like to see how The Wizard of Oz would be with Shirley Temple. No disrespect to Ellen Greene, who was and is wonderful in the role.

[@cherrybomb1386]

I love Cyndi and she would likely have done a wonderful job but I can't imagine it without Ellen

[@Richard-vq7ud]

@@cherrybomb1386 correct. Cyndi would have been a great cast, but Ellen IS Audry. She actually takes Audry from fiction to real. Jean Stapelton did the same thing with Edith who became real.

[@plawson8577]

@@cherrybomb1386 Lauper is from Queens. Greene is from Brooklyn. Greene’s Brooklyn drawl is alot more distinctive than Lauper’s Queens Accent which is too typical New Yorker. Plus Lauper wouldn’t have been able to pull off the lovable and sweet Audrey the way that Greene has been able to. Greene is also a year older than Lauper. She was born 2-22-1952 in Brooklyn, while Lauper was born 6-22-1953 in Queens.

[@cherrybomb1386]

She is so incredible. I'm in awe

[@thereal_kpatz]

Still amazing

[@Kristine_202]

"Well, if not, he's got inner beauty." They could have skipped that line in this production. No one is debating if Jake Gyllenhaal is a "cutie." LOL

[@danthemanshuman]

Thanks for posting these!

[@MrReggieLew]

And THAT's how it's done -- with panache!

[@colinmorgan2355]

Incredible actress.....the one and only Audrey....❤️❤️❤️

[@barbarjinks8170]

She didn’t even age

[@FUNCENTERPRODUCTIONSPERU]

LA UNICA Y VERDADERA AUDREY XD GRANDE ELLEN

[@gardnersgourmetbakery6269]

Wow

[@screenwriterabdullahh.erak2778]

Ellen Greene attended Rider University in Lawrenceville, New Jersey! #almamater

[@francotan502]

Ellen is Audrey...no doubt.

[@Richard-vq7ud]

Correct. Ellen actually moved Audry from fiction to real. Very few actors are that gifted. Another one was Jean Stapelton. She made Edith real.

[@notasbignow1]

💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙🏡

[@lorenamjj1738]

1:35 empieza la canción

[@AdmiralBison]

All hail the toaster and 12” screen? 😋

[@Richard-vq7ud]

Yes, the power of a simple life. That is her dream.

[@jlasf]

If you listen to "Sal Tlay Ka Siti" from "Book of Mormon", you will hear exactly the same opening notes. kzbin.info/www/bejne/a365hZKIZ9ytqJI Trey Parker, Matt Stone and Robert Lopez know their Broadway history. "Somewhere That's Green" fits into a long tradition of "I want" songs. "Wouldn't It Be Loverly" from "My Fair Lady." is the template. A downtrodden girl in a terrible life dreams for something better. No one captures the intense longing better than Ellen Greene.

[@KEMET1971]

Another lesson in how to play "Standard Black Girl".

[@taylorvoyles1501]

Does anyone else just not like her in the role anymore? Yes, she is iconic and great but with so much awareness around abusive relationships these days you would expect her to try to not play it comedic anymore. I think a great example for the role is MJ Rodriguez who is my personal favorite Audrey. I'm not saying she isn't amazing but in my opinion she just doesn't fit the role of a modern Audrey.

[@fernymedina889]

no one touches ellen greene

[@Itstonytime77]

I don’t think this production was trying to be modern or updated, hence why they used the original Audrey.

[@gmcnewlook]

but thats how ashman wrote audrey though.... every actress from greene to blanchard has played her that way

[@RyanFranklinWilliams]

This isn't a modern take... It's set in the sixties.