One of the joys of theatre is the huge variety of places in which cherished works are repeatedly reinvented, from the cavernous stages of 2000+ seater variety houses to tiny found spaces above pubs. Little Shop of Horrors, with its infectious ‘60s inspired musical score and gloriously funny lyrics from the crack shot duo of Alan Menken and Howard Ashman and its horticultural hi-jinks is a perennial and, dare I say, evergreen hit with audiences, and it is always fun to see how each company that stages it will adapt it to the room they are in. I have seen it played on large open thrust stages, and in huge auditoria, but it always blossoms at its best when performed in an intimate setting, where the audience can connect with the players.
Mushnik’s florist and the inhabitants of Skid Row have become firm favourites among theatregoers and producers alike. From the mild-mannered shop assistant Seymour to the maniacal dentist Orin, and from the cranky boss Mushnik to the battle-worn heroine Audrey, there are a lot of opportunities for great characterisation, while the threesome of Crystal, Ronnette and Chiffon bring musical highlights and a lot of mirth to the story.
In bringing the show to the really cosy confines of Hope Street Theatre, What We Did Next CIC have set themselves a few physical challenges, but as well as rising ably to those they have also taken best advantage of the opportunities it offers, and in particular the close proximity of the punters.
With the cast performing entirely acoustically, and within inches of the front row, there is no room for a vocal wobble, so the first big win for this cast is their immaculate harmony and assured delivery. From the moment the close-knit trio of Roisin Carlin, Julie Evans and Katie Moncaster bring us the opening number, we get a feel for the exemplary standard of singing that lies ahead, and accompanied by a four-piece band to the rear of the stage, this continues unflaggingly to the final curtain.
There are powerhouse performances from Jennifer Morrow as Audrey and Daniel Hickman, who is having a ball as the demon dentist, while Kai Heale is a dark horse as the humble hero Seymour, going all out for the down at heel nature of his character, but showing us what he’s got in some really subtle solos, making a particularly fine job of ‘Suddenly Seymour’.
The clever set design makes excellent use of the limited available space, and it really opens up in the second act, as we see the largest incarnation of the voracious vegetable Audrey II. It is here that the confines of the stage present the company with a dilemma, but director Katie Marrin employs a nifty and imaginative solution to the problem of having Audrey II consuming various cast members. This means that we get to see the actor voicing the plant, in this case Alex Firth-Clark, who gets to take a more hands-on approach to his part than most people cast in the role.
The only minor flaw in the entire production is, perhaps, in the sound balance for ‘Call Back in the Morning’ which opens Act II. The telephone sound effects are so prominent that they overwhelm the already busy vocals, and we unfortunately miss some of the intricacies and humour of the multiple layers of lyrics in this company number.
With productions of the show happening so frequently, each new one needs a strong vision to make its mark, and Marrin and What We Did Next succeed by putting real imagination into this retelling, which distinguishes itself most in the quality and vigour of its cast.
The show, which plays for three nights at Hope Street Theatre, has sold out completely.
Star rating: 4 stars
Production photographs by Andrew AB Photography
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| Daniel Hickman and Jennifer Morrow as Orin and Audrey and the cast of Little Shop of Horrors |
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| Roisin Carlin, Julie Evans and Katie Moncaster as Crystal, Ronnette and Chiffon |
This review was originally written for publication by Good News Liverpool
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