A triumphant production of "Little Shop of Horrors" comes to the Playhouse this week. The musical, based on a 1960 cult movie of the same name, centres around a small time florist's down in the dumps on Skid Row. Owner Mr Mushnik and his employee Seymour are down on their luck, with no customers meaning no money. Nerdy Seymour buys a mysterious, unidentifiable plant from a Chinese man during a solar eclipse (stick with it). Happily, they discover that the larger the plant grows, the more customers they attract, and soon business is blooming (sorry). Unfortunately, the plants growth depends on Seymour feeding it some rather unusual food: namely his blood. The plant develops a voice, and starts making increasingly grizzly demands on our hero. Then there's the ditsy Audrey, whom Seymour would dearly love to be with, if only she would leave her sadistic "motorbike dentist" boyfriend. Before long, people start disappearing, whilst the plant just keeps on growing…

As the above synopsis suggests, Little Shop of Horrors is a rather silly musical. Rather silly, and unashamedly fun. No Face Productions have a superb show here, striking the perfect balance between black comedy and camp musical. The talented cast portray the characters with just the right level of a cartoon about them. Their snappy timing and slick visual gags, combined with Howard Ashman's darkly funny lyrics, will keep a permanent smile on your face.

Whilst there are no weak links in the cast, Cathy Miller particularly shines as Audrey, her nasal voice and mannerisms create the hopeless romantic blond perfectly. The trio of Mowtown-style backing singers (Kate Williams, Joanne Lale and Kate Chilton) provide a wonderful doo-wop based narrative, and the three have powerful voices that never missed a note. Indeed, the songs in the show are a treat, the upbeat and toe-tapping numbers brought to life by the enthusiastic performances.

The puppetry used to depict the ever growing plant was excellent, including a model that Rod Hull of which would have been proud. Around the plant, Mushnik's florist shop was nicely realised. Even the Crossroads-esque set wobble that came with each door slam managed to add to the charm, rather than detract.

True to its U rating, this show has genuine universal appeal. Kids squealed with delight whilst adults chuckled along throughout. Enjoyable on every level, I strongly recommend that you check out this barmy botanical bonanza. 


Little Shop Of Horrors runs at the Nottingham Playhouse until Saturday 19th July.
 

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