INTERVIEW: Camryn Hampton enters the ‘Little Shop,’ this time in the starring role
For the past two years, Camryn Hampton has been having a horror-filled blast at the off-Broadway production of Little Shop of Horrors. This hit show continues to pack in audience members at the Westside Theatre Upstairs, creating something of a Rocky Horror Picture Show vibe, with repeat visits and so many fans knowing exactly what song is about to come next. Hampton has been there for numerous performances, serving as the production’s dance captain, the voice of Audrey II, and a swing for Audrey and the Urchins.
Now, Hampton is in the spotlight as she takes over the Audrey role full time for the next two weeks. She’s expected to be in the role until Oct. 13, adding some more memories to this experience of a lifetime.
“Before I joined the company I was in the second national tour of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and some friends on one of our travel days, they just reached out to me,” Hampton said in a recent phone interview. The friends said, “Hey, we saw that the off-Broadway production of Little Shop is hiring or is looking for future replacements in their production as either dance captain and/or vacation swing. I was like, ‘OK, I’ll submit,’ so I submitted, got a callback to come in person. And I was still on tour at the time, so I had to miss one of my shows to fly into the city. I did my callback, and the next day I flew back to tour. And when I was getting off the plane, I got the call that I got the show. They wanted me to start right away, but I had one more week of tour. So I was like, ‘Is it OK? I have this one last week. Can I come directly afterward?’ They were like, ‘Absolutely,’ so I finished tour on June 19. And then I started rehearsals the 21st. I had to move back to the city. It was a lot in the span of 48 hours.”
When Hampton had to move to New York City a couple of years ago, she didn’t mind the transition from being on the road. She went to school in New York City, after all, so she was familiar with Midtown Manhattan. Since graduating, her professional life has been a whirlwind. She booked her first gig in Kansas City, her hometown, and then she landed on the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory tour. And now she has set up shop at Little Shop.
“I loved the movie before auditioning for it, for sure,” Hampton said about the source material. “I grew up watching the movie, and when I got the audition, I was like, let me just go back and watch it to see what I know. I was like, oh OK, this is a great show. The music is fantastic, and I had a friend in the show when it first came out, when they were first doing it. Joy Woods, a dear friend of mine, was in the original production. So I saw her, and I saw what the production was back in 2019. I was like, ‘This is an amazing show. I’m so happy for you. Congratulations.’ I never thought that I would end up being part of it.”
After reading the script, Hampton remarked that the Audrey character has many important qualities. Audrey is a woman who has gone through so much in life, including overcoming an abusive partner, and she finds solace at this little plant shop on the corner of Skid Row.
“Although I’ve never been through anything like her, I know women who have,” Hampton said. “So I felt like I resonated with her on a personal level because I knew people personally who have gone through trials and tribulations, and I pulled from them to inhabit this character. … When I first booked the job, I was like, I don’t resonate with this. I’m not quite sure how to play a damsel in distress in this way, so I had to dig from my toolbox — my dad taught me that — and really hone in on certain artists or individuals that have stories connected to hers. So, for example, I really love the show For Colored Girls, and that talks about abuse throughout that. And one of my biggest inspirations in life is Tina Turner. We all know her story and what she went through, so I kind of took from those two groups. And I put it into myself so I can speak the truth through this role.”
When Hampton began her Little Shop of Horrors journey a couple of years ago, she also received helpful feedback from the creative team. She has taken their advice, and this advice will no doubt help her over the next two weeks.
“I was told when first starting that I don’t have to sound like the recording,” she said. “I don’t even need to sound like Ellen Greene [the original Audrey]. I just need to be myself, which is so wonderful to hear coming into a production that’s been a staple in New York City for such a long time now. I joined the company a little over two years ago, and knowing that I can bring myself and who I am into the character and not have to mimic other people was one of the biggest things that I loved about joining this company because I knew that they just wanted everybody to be individuals.”
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Little Shop of Horrors, starring Camryn Hampton, continues at the Westside Theatre Upstairs in Midtown Manhattan. Click here for more information and tickets.
