How Jesse L. Martin Ended Up Singing as Murderous Plant, Audrey II, on The Irrational
It was Little Shop of Horrors meets The Irrational in the latest Season 2 episode, "Suddenly Alec."
Ever think you'd be seeing Jesse L. Martin sing on The Irrational? He definitely didn't.
As behavioral science professor Alec Mercer, who moonlights as an expert contractor for the FBI, it never made sense to the famed Rent original cast member to show off his vocal chops on the crime procedural.
"There was definitely a whole lot of conversation early on about the notion of me singing," Martin tells us. "You know, I didn't want to be the guy that showed up singing in every role he ever played. So Alec was sort of, you know, him singing was sort of off the page for me."
However, having a Broadway star in the leading role of her show proved to be too tempting for showrunner Arika Mittman. And that's how we got Season 2, Episode 17's "Suddenly Alec" in which Alec and Rose (Karen David) go undercover in a community theater troupe during a production of Little Shop of Horrors. A reluctant Alec ends up in the famed role of murderous Venus flytrap Audrey II, while Rose takes on Audrey, an employee at the plant's flower shop.
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If you're wondering what made Martin get on board, David — who herself is a singer and songwriter — explains exactly how it all happened.
Jesse L. Martin plays Little Shop of Horrors' Audrey II on The Irrational
"This started off from a very organic place where, you know, Jesse and I were throwing ideas of future episodes — of ways that Rose and Alec can solve more cases, and Jesse and I have a deep love for all things theater," she says. "Arika, our wonderful showrunner and creator of the show, she — along with everyone else — was trying to find a way that we could convince Jesse to perhaps entertain the idea of singing... We totally thought it would be more like a Shakespeare play or something like that. And Jesse said, 'What if it was community theatre?' And we kind of let our imagination run wild."
Martin says that his initial idea was not proposed with a musical element in mind, but Mittman was able to sway him. In his meta role as Alec playing Audrey II, he could avoid the stage and simply serve as a voiceover, while also observing members of the company and investigating the murder.
"[I said] 'I think you know how I feel about singing.' But if I was going to sing a story, it would have to be by accident. And she was very smart about it. Like, she used Rose as a convention where Rose got me involved in this. It wasn't even part of my trajectory. It wasn't one of my cases. It was her case," the 56-year-old said.
The episode was also a delight for David, who sang in her role on the musical series Galavant. The enthusiasm was carried over on-screen, with fans learning that Rose (Alec's girlfriend and a former M16 agent) went to drama college at some point in her past.
"She took it very seriously, which I had so much fun with that. That she takes it so seriously in juxtaposition of how petrified Alec is with what he has committed to," she says. "It just felt like we were actually doing a show, which was just so exciting. You really feel that community spirit, that community theatre, you know?"
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Despite both of their extensive musical experience, neither actor had ever performed in a production of Little Shop of Horrors in real life, which made "Suddenly Alec" even more special. Martin recalled his earliest experience with the play as an NYU student. It was staged off-Broadway near campus and featured actresses Tisha Campbell and Tichina Arnold.
"Of course we found out that if you ushered for the show you could see it for free," he says. "So of course I went there and completely volunteered myself to usher for that show. And I couldn't believe how dope it was. Like, it was so magical."
So, is Martin happy with his decision to let Alec spread his wings?
"It came together in such a way that like, I'm glad they talked me into singing," he says. "Because I would have never imagined we'd get to do something like that."
