We’ve been given an awesome opportunity to interview the very humble and talented Elliot Dash, who appeared last year in Ford’s Theatre’s Civil War. Now he’s back in a completely different role as Audrey 2 and has been rocking rehearsals so far. Lucky for us, he took time out of his busy schedule to sit down with yours truly and answer a few questions for our faithful followers. Enjoy!

So to start off, just tell me a little bit about yourself and how you came to be in this production.

Well I'm very lucky, because Coy is a friend of the gentleman who directed “Civil War” last year, and he and Coy overheard me goofing around [singing songs from the show] one day during rehearsal, and so I got an audition ASAP. I actually did the show about 10 years ago, and so I was already familiar with the music and the lines, so when audition time came around, I sort of already knew the sides and things like that.

That's great. So, are you from the D.C. area originally?

I was born in New York but I grew up in Wheaton, MD. But I've lived in LA, New York, went to grad school in the South, so I've been bouncing around. And my grandmother is elderly, so I've been back here recently.

And so now that we know that you've done this show before, is that sort of soulful, R&B-style singing something that you enjoy doing, or did you sort of get into it by chance?

Well you know, in this business it's all about doing what keeps you employed. But in this case it is about the style, and with Audrey 2 it's also voice-over work at the same time, and doing different character voices during the course of the play.

And so how has the process been for you of exploring Audrey 2's voice?

Well it's all based on what I want in the scene, what's happening, who's there. And it’s usually the question of Seymour, what's happening with Seymour…there's a huge amount of manipulation there. It's “how can I get what I want” at various points, which is usually food [laughs], but you know, also, the grander scheme of world domination.

Okay. So, before you did your first production of “Little Shop” had you been familiar with the other influential singers who had played Audrey 2 in the past?

Oh, yes. I was a huge fan of the movie with Rick Moranis [legendary Four Tops lead singer Levi Stubbs played Audrey 2 in this version]; I was an undergrad when that came out. And my buddy who was in all my classes with me would love it when I would imitate Levi Stubbs and his renditions. I don't think at all that I could do a job like he did [laughs], but I do get a big kick out of it.

Great. So now tell me about the process of working with Director Coy Middlebrook and Chris Youstra, the Music Director. How has that collaboration been?

I can honestly say that this production of “Little Shop” is extremely different than the one I did before. It is much more precise, much more detailed. Coy has come in with what I think is a brilliant vision for the show, and he's really strong in how he wants it to play out. And our wonderful Musical Director, he has ears like an eagle! [laughter] Wait, I mean, eyes like an eagle, ears like an elephant. He can point out exactly what I'm doing right--and wrong--from across the room. He is very, very detail oriented, both of them are, and this is going to be a very tight production.

Sounds good. And how has it been working with the three ladies playing the Doo Wop Girls--Felicia Curry, Eleasha Gamble and Kara Tameika-Watkins?

Well, I don't think you can find three more talented ladies out there. They're the ones who I absolutely believe raised the bar for us. I mean, it's A-Game, right from the beginning, from the moment they're playing, you just know how it's going to be.

Wow! And so, have you been working closely with the puppeteers to coordinate their movements with your voice? What has that been like?

Yes, very closely, have to.  And what's interesting and was a challenge for me was that Coy, remember I mentioned how detail-oriented he is, he would actually have me watch the plant while I was running my lines. I wasn't allowed to look at Seymour at all, which was really interesting. And so that brought another element into the process with the puppeteers, who are doing a lot of aerobic activity under there; it's a very sweaty process.

And what about working with Christopher Kale Jones and Jenna-Coker Jones as Seymour and Audrey?

Well, they're hilarious to start, and they can sing their butts off. And they're just, they're husband and wife, so it makes it so much better! There are no inhibitions there, with any of the closeness that Seymour and Audrey have, and they're just wonderful actors. The audience will follow their story for sure, and you know, I'm very lucky. Because no one else really gets to watch the show as they're doing it. No one can watch themselves perform, so it's great for me to just see the show as I'm doing it. It's a lot of fun.

Okay, last question: Since this is such a well-known, classic show, can you tell us anything unique or different this production might be doing that audiences can look forward to?

Well, like I said, it's really A-game. This show is just being handled so well and so carefully by Coy and the artistic team, it's wonderful, and I think the audience will just have a fantastically exciting time. And I know Coy's flying his whole family in to see it, which I think is right. I'm excited for previews, I'm excited to see the audience response, and I know it's going to be such a great ride. 

Well, that's all I've got! Thank you so much for chatting with me Elliot, I really appreciate it.

Well, there you have it! Check back later this week for some more exclusive tid-bits from Blogger Preview Night this Wednesday, where we D.C. web wiz kids will generate some much-deserved buzz about the show.

Thanks for stoppin’ by! –katie b J