Chani Wereley plays Audrey and Derrick D. Truby Jr. stars as Seymour in Ford’s Theatre’s spring production of Little Shop of Horrors. The unique but dark musical, directed by Kevin S. McAllister, runs through May 18. Photo by Scott Suchman

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Little Shop of Horrors, at Ford’s Theatre through May 18, is a noir musical full of dark ambitions, cruel acts, flawed characters and some of the most wonderful voices in the D.C. theater scene. Directed by Kevin S. McAllister, the musical leans into its pulp science-fiction and 1950s roots with  music, costumes and set.

With music by Alan Menken, the 1982 musical was based on a 1960 B-movie of the same name and was the longest-running off-Broadway show in history. Frank Oz directed the 1986 film.

Seymour (Derrick D. Truby, Jr.) is on the verge of losing the only (mediocre) home he’s ever known and his job, when Mr. Mushnik (Lawrence Redmond) feels forced to close his moribund flower shop. Life has never really nurtured Seymour, but his co-worker and crush, glamorous Audrey (Chani Wereley), has noticed and appreciated this patient and caring botanist. Audrey urges Mr. Mushnik to take a chance on Seymour’s latest new plant, named Audrey II.

Hilariously, the instant Seymour places the “strange and interesting plant” in the window, a customer slams into the glass window as if magnetized and scoops up the shop’s rose inventory. Just like that, the plant brings prosperity for Mr. Mushnik and the promise of fame, money and escape for Seymour.

More surprises are in store. The audience gasped when three singers popped up above the back wall of the florist shop as Seymour explained the spooky origin of his plant.

In fact, the “Greek chorus” singers, Chiffon (Nia Savoy-Dock), Crystal (Kanysha Williams) and Ronnette (Kaiyla Gross), steal every scene they are in with their magnificent voices and harmonies. Their choreography and that of the rest of the cast — by Ashleigh King — is inventive and lively.

As the musical progresses, the three women perform in different personas — for example, with the sadistic dentist boyfriend, and later with Audrey II — and their costumes grow increasingly fabulous. Their youthful street clothes give way to a trio of sophisticated red day dresses; slinky, silvery Diana Ross gowns; and dazzling Vegas glitz.

Kindred spirits

The only person not benefiting from the plant seems to be Audrey. In her moving rendition of “Somewhere That’s Green,” Audrey makes it clear that she and Seymour are kindred spirits. Despite a black eye and people telling her that he’s “no good for her,” though, Audrey insists that, with her past, she better stick with her abusive boyfriend, Orin.

What Seymour hasn’t told anyone about is the disturbing food that makes Audrey II grow. Initially, the plant’s demands only hurt Seymour. Although he’s a teddy bear of a man, intrinsically kind, he wants to live his dreams and begins to throw morality under the bus to do so.

Leather-jacketed Orin, played by Joe Mallon as one part Nazi and one part Elvis, revels in his ability to inflict pain. He conveys drug use as merely a nitrous oxide-induced giggle, which was unnerving in an audience filled with visiting school groups. No one is sad when the plant gets him. Mallon reappears in quick succession of roles with comically big hair and broad accents.

There’s a coherence to the down-on-its-luck set; the choreography; the lighting of the signs, windows and sky; and the costumes that is truly satisfying. It is as shabby as it is recognizable, while also conveying underlying unease. This aesthetic is most fully realized by Audrey II, a midcentury Grinchy green. When she reaches her engorged maturity, out comes yet another evocative voice, that of Tobias Young, which is as seductive as it is menacing. It seems the plant has ambitions, too.

“Suddenly Seymour” would appear to be a charming love song, but its outdated lyrics urge Audrey to wipe her face clean of her makeup to be able enjoy a new wholesome world where Seymour keeps her safe. Is the song really meant to be taken at face value? How wholesome can this relationship be when Seymour is hiding secrets and on the verge of committing new crimes?

Little Shop of Horrors immerses the audience in its world, offering both moral decline and musical uplift — but no happy ending.

As a noir musical, Little Shop of Horrors features drug use, physical and psychological abuse, female stereotypes and violence that might not be suitable for all children.

Ford’s Theatre is located at 511 Tenth St. NW, Washington, D.C. The theatre campus also includes a gift shop with concessions, the house where President Lincoln died and a state-of-the-art museum, exploring Lincoln, his assassination and American history. Reservations are recommended.

For tickets, which range from $55 to $95, visit Fords.org.