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Sam Lupton as Seymour and Stephanie Clift as Audrey Little Shop of Horrors
Belgrade Theatre, Coventry
*****
LITTLE Shop of Horrors
is always a great deal of fun, musically thrilling and with now quite
familiar songs such as
Suddenly Seymour
plus we had X-factor star Rhydian as the sadistic dentist Orin Scrivello.
He’s amazing with a big powerful voice and great
presence; a long, low note he holds for umpteen seconds has just got to
be a record! This show is always a
giant undertaking (to match THAT plant!) and this production uses a
clever and economical staging that uses one rise and fall shop front
throughout. When you’ve seen the film, it’s hard to imagine how to
produce it on the stage with its attendant limitations. Skid Row, New York and Seymour Krelborn (Sam
Lupton) is a quietly spoken, self-effacing, plant-loving hard-working
shop assistant in the Skid Row florist of Mr Mushnik (Paul Kissaun).
Seymour is in love with Audrey (Stephanie Clift),
masochistic but confused partner of aforementioned dentist, and his
contribution to saving the shop is to develop a plant, Audrey 11, which
sings blues and gives poor Seymour a real headache in keeping it alive .
. . (Neil Nicholas – voice and Josh Willmott - puppeteer). I loved the trio of backing singers (Cassie Clare
– eminently watchable, Vanessa Fisher and Sasha Latoya), so dynamic in
keeping the story moving along. There’s lots to like, obviously scrummy music –
performed literally through a glass darkly – you could just about catch
sight of three musicians through the Skid Row Music Shop (Dustin Conrad,
Jonnie James, Agust Sveinsson). It’s super enjoyable, and there were many
children in the audience enjoying it too as it was half-term and it
seemed to suit the family audience very well. To be honest, it suited me
too and I found that I had smiled for almost two hours! Directed by Tara
Louis Wilkinson, the little shop is open to 29-10-16. Jane Howard 26-10-16
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