Well how about that. Hollywood actor Jake Gyllenhaal can hold a tune quite nicely and even tell a joke, as he appears in a stage version of the old classic Little Shop or Horrors.
The actor, well known for appearances in the more gruesome and strange movies like Nightcrawler, Broke Back Mountain, and the oldie from 2001 Donnie Darko, can get quite musical and entertaining too, it seems.
According to the New York Post, Gyllenhaal’s performance at the City Center for two days has surprised everyone, including Jake himself.
They say he was “ appealingly funny and sweet ” in the comic musical, especially as compared with his more somber play Constellations on Broadway recently.
Jake Gyllenhaal Stars With Ellen Greene in ‘Little Shop of Horrors’: Theater Review http://t.co/hXYXlVzp2K pic.twitter.com/CMTShW394V
— Hollywood Reporter (@THR) July 2, 2015
Playing the role of the meek florist himself, Seymour Krelborn, he spends the entire show attempting to feed that famous and bloodthirsty plant, played by Eddie Cooper. According to the NYP , Cooper looked a lot like Funkadelic’s George Clinton in his great big green furry coat and enormous glasses.
While Jake Gyllenhaal was impressive musically , according to the Guardian, the audience was obviously full of musical theater experts who knew the words better than the actual cast. However, apparently they only had eight days rehearsal prior to the show taking off.
Update, Jake Gyllenhaal In ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ ( http://t.co/IXeGsHhnsc ) pic.twitter.com/WELCsCjpOS
— Jake Gyllenhaal (@JakeG_Online) July 2, 2015
Apparently, despite Gyllenhaal’s impressive handling of the musical performance, it was Ellen Greene, 64, playing the abused shopkeeper Audrey, as she did in all the earlier performances of the show, that really drew the applause. As the Guardian puts it, the audience treated her like a homecoming queen while she gave a stunning performance with “a delightful weirdness.”
Get a sneak peek at LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, starring @TaranKillam , Jake Gyllenhaal & more! http://t.co/Lq2ocvh0re pic.twitter.com/QTTloUua4u
— broadway.com (@broadwaycom) July 2, 2015
Apparently, Jake Gyllenhall and all the other members of the company obviously had an absolute ball during the whole performance and their enjoyment was totally infectious.
As there aren’t currently any videos of Gyllenhall’s performance, just for fun, the song “Feed Me” from the 1986 version of the film Little Shop of Horrors is included below.
In other related news, a new music video teaser and trailer for Jake Gyllenhaal’s new film Southpaw , due for release late July, has come out ahead of time and can be seen here on the Inquisitr.
[Photo: Jake Gyllenhall and cast of Little Shop of Horrors Andrew H. Walker / Getty Images Entertainment]
