Musical Review: Little Shop of Horrors

Business blooms when an exotic plant named Audrey Two arrives. It turns out to be a carnivorous 'mean green mother from outer space' which flourishes after sucking on a few drops of blood from Seymour's pricked finger. It becomes an overnight sensation, giving Seymour a sudden taste of fame - all he has to do to keep it is pay for it in blood. 

 

Written by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken, ultimately Little Shop of Horrors packs a musical punch and is a story not just about what people will do for love, but also for attention; Seymour's head is turned not just by Audrey, his co-worker whom the plant is named after and for whom he habours a secret hopeless passion, but also by the media beating a path to his door.

 

Audrey Two though it turns out, has plans that are far greater than Seymour can imagine as it grows into a bad-tempered carnivore. How far is Seymour ultmately willing to go to get the girl of his dreams?

 

The cast seemed a little shaky in the opening number, but as they settled the production flourished. From the first appearance of Crystal, the amazing voice of Laura Jones, Ronette (Alana Moran) and Chiffron (Aine O'Neil Mason ) to the final monstrous scenes, the show is a first-rate audience­ pleaser.

 

Women are the anchor of the show, smart and funny. Katy Freeman portrays a smouldering, vulnerable Audrey whose voice erupts with the delivery of 'Suddenly Seymour' and its beautiful, declaration of self and of liberation. The characters harmonise beautifully on the latter reprise. 

 

 

As the plant becomes a local celebrity, and Seymour's fame as a horticulturalist grows, he hopes to win Audrey away from her abusive boyfriend, sadistic dentist Orin Scrivello, embodied with extreme gusto and suggested nitrous-induced delusions of grandeur by Jack Readyhoof. 
 

The set by The Cast makes good use of the small stage at the Arts theatre. The minimalist design centres around Mushnik's florist, with a large screen television cleverly used to depict both the florist's name and Seymour's increasing television appearances throughout the show, whilst Orin's dental torture chair moves about on wheels. The star of the show of course is Audrey Two herself, who grows steadily in four forms from Venus fly trap proportions to something monstrous. Controled by puppeteer Milly Shawcross and voiced with malevolent glee by Phil Stanley (the latter does not disappoint in the 'Feed Me' delivery) it's mouthy and able to swallow a cast member whole without blinking. 

If you loved the movie version of the sci-fi musical comedy, which became a cult classic, then you'll love Creato's amateur production directed by Matt Powell. Switching between dark horror and comedy to terror, with musical numbers still as sharp as ever, the production is worth an evening of anyone's time, deserving more than the small turn out on the opening night. At times it felt like there were more people on stage than in the audience.

So grab a yersen a ticket, enjoy and remember - DON'T FEED THE PLANTS!

Little Shop of Horrors runs from Wednesday 4 - Saturday 7 May 2016 at the Nottingham Arts Theatre