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Sam Lupton and Stephanie Clift as Seymour and Audrey - with Audrey II turning over yet another new leaf . . . Pictures: Matt Martin Little Shop of Horrors
The New Alexandra Theatre
***** THEATRE
can be a cruel mistress. Sometimes you can go to a show awash with five
star reviews and it just doesn’t work, the words are there, the songs
and score are there, the stars are there; but it just leaves you cold.
Yet other times as soon
as you step into the auditorium there is a buzz about the place that
lets you know instinctively that you are in for a treat. So it proved
with Little shop of Horrors
at the Alex. The tale of a mysterious, not to mention blood
thirsty, plant from outer space is one that revels in the ridiculous.
Josh Wilmott brings zeal to the role of Audrey II and through the voice
and excellently timed puppetry brings a real sense of personality and
presence to the show. All of which combines to project a surprising
amount of menace to a six-foot something puppet plant. Indeed, as the
plant grew, so did the show’s performances. As the two leads- Sam Lupton and Stephanie Clift
were well paired in the central romance and played off each other well,
although I must admit to feeling uneasy at a couple of - admittedly well
delivered -gags around domestic abuse. Individually Lupton’s
interaction with (and at times subtle puppetry of In a time when the TV schedules are riddled with
reality TV and talent shows, the words “star of…” can often bring about
something of a heavy heart, but every now and again you see someone of
genuine quality. So it was with Rhydian Roberts, who gave a
performance of comedic range and grace that would have been good with an
average voice, but coupled with his excellent set of pipes it was
bordering on the sublime.
It’s not often you can say that someone hit all
the right notes- both vocal and comedic- while performing in a fogged up
glass bowl helmet; but he did it with aplomb. His turn as sadistic
dentist Orin Scrivello, DDS, was as mesmerising and funny as it was
macabre, and his run of quick change cameos in the second half were
scene stealers in the very best sense. He managed to walk the fine line between hamming
it up and still giving the part poise, and in truth his scenes seemed to
light the touch-paper that galvanised the rest of the cast into raising
their own performances. The trio of Sasha Latoya, Vanessa Fisher and
Cassie Clare as Crystal, Chiffon and Ronnette respectively all had
excellent individual voices but occasionally jarred as a harmony in
early numbers, but were nonetheless engaging guides through the
production. Paul Kissaun as Mushnik was an able and willing foil to both
Lupton and Clift; which was vital in allowing the production to keep its
momentum. The sets were engrossing and cleverly used with
some lovely touches, such as the newspaper stand that altered with the
plot and the band playing within the music box shop (though I must admit
it was my eagle-eyed companion who noticed this) and would no doubt
offer more entertaining nuggets should you watch the show again. There did appear to be some mic balance issues
with group numbers, particularly the finale, which was a shame and did
leave the ending rather unclear. While this does prevent this from being
a 5 * review, it should not take away from what is a hugely enjoyable
show which I would highly recommend. To 01-10-16 Christian Clarke 27-09-16
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Audrey II was particularly noteworthy as his demeanour grew more and
more psychotic as Seymour. Clift played the ditsy and downtrodden Audrey
skilfully and, vocally, was allowed to let loose more after the slightly
underwhelming