'Little Shop Of Horrors' has now become something of a cult musical, and yet started out, as these things often do, in the seemingly most innocent and unlikely of places, as an off-off Broadway production with a micro-budget and a small but very talented cast, which transferred to an Off-Broadway theatre and ran for a record-breaking 2209 performances.! It tells the darkly humorous spoof horror story - an affectionate lampooning of the B-Movie Horror genre - of a young man called Seymour who works in a run-down and failing flower shop in an even more run-down and slum neighbourhood in NYC, who finds a 'strange and unusual plant', and tends for it with his own blood (quite literally, and thereby hangs the problem, and the premise for the whole show...!)
If I were to say that I have seen this musical at least 50 times over the years it would not be an exaggeration, and so knowing exactly what is in store as an audience member comes with both its joys and disappointments; hopes and surprises. And as much as one would like to be - indeed every reviewer aspires to it but none truly reach it - completely objective; our own tastes and expectations will always affect the way we review a show. It is the nature of the beast so to speak. However, the cast need not have any worries at all from this particular reviewer this evening, as I was watching a very fresh and inspired look at some rather tired and oftentimes mono-dimensional characters. Here, working with director Alexander Cohen, the cast had found a lot more depth and humanity in their characters than the usual cardboard cut-outs most companies are content with. Seymour was not the insipid geek but a believable and real person with emotions and depth (Kit Phillips); Audrey was not the ditsy peroxide blonde bimbo here, but again a real character with heart and feeling, and even intelligence and sympathy (Isobel Cunliffe), and our sadistic dentist boyfriend Orin was given a shiny new make-over in a characterisation which worked superbly (Ciaran Lockwood). I have seen several versions of this show where Mushnik has been a female, and here Andrea Berger truly 'went for it!'. Her NY Jewish accent and demeanour gave her the right starting point and gave a lively and loud performance, but for me at least was just a little OTT.
The show is commented upon and the storyline progressed in a very 'Greek Chorus' sort of way, as a trio of all-singing / dancing ladies - very much in the style of The Supremes or The Ronettes - come in and out of the action throughout. This evening's trio of close-harmonising sisters were Katie Johnson (Ronnette), Rachel Garrett (Chiffon), and Francesca Groves (Crystal).Their singing and dancing a delight, although I would have preferred a couple more costume changes. The plant itself (aka Audrey 2) was manipulated by an uncredited member of the society, whilst the speaking and singing (backstage and unseen) was performed excellently by Izzi Smith. This was only the third time (to my memory) that there has been a female plant voice, and this gives it a very different nuance, and again, I was pleasantly surprised at how a slight change of vocal intonation can change the whole character of something I know so well.
The musical was never written to include a chorus - just a couple of "extras" - and in this show this was an ensemble of just 6. Perhaps that was enough but if so, then they were not used enough to create the illusion of more people passing the shop, lurking in the gutter, and visiting after fame comes to the area. That being said, I loved Arthur Roadnight's frequent character changes towards the end of the second act.
For me it was the set this evening which was not optimal. We were presented with the outside of Mushnik's shop and the Skid Row street running parallel. This then opened up - picturebook-like - to reveal the shop's interior. For a start this became very predictable and over fussy... it just kept happening too often and ruined the flow of the show. Why couldn't both street and shop interior be shown on stage together. Moreover, the whole was far too clean and well-kept! Skid Row should have been dirty, full of rubbish and graffiti. Even the bricks of the shop wall were in perfect condition! But I think the most irritating thing for me this evening were the two posts either side of the stage holding the lamps for certain parts of the LX design. First, they were in the way. From where I was seated the whole of the SL steps were obliterated, and could not see any action on them, and they pulled focus in other scenes too, being big, black and obvious. Second, they were not used very much anyway, and even when they were, did not truly add much to the overall effect of the stage lighting. However if they were needed, then why not place them on the auditorium floor away from the stage.
The live band sounded wonderful, and I loved Tom Bowes musical direction as he allowed the freedom to find their own particular nuances through the songs, and most of the songs were taken just a tad slower than normal, making them enunciate the lyrics more carefully, this bringing the story closer. 'Somewhere That's Green' was nicely done, and 'Suddenly Seymour' was simply one of the best interpretations I have thus far seen.
Sound levels were good, and the overall feel of the show was excellently realised. If you have seen the show before, then perhaps the finale was a little tame, but if not, don't worry, just sit back, relax, and enjoy this talented society's romp into 1950's sci-fi USA.... just whatever you do, don't feed the plants!
Reviewer - Alastair Zyggu
on - 21.5.25
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