"Little Shop Of Horrors", Glasgow Theatre Royal, 16/11/16

The popular cult musical makes a welcome return to the UK touring scene more than five years after the previous tour (produced by the Menier Chocolate Factory) in a brand new production co-produced by the dynamic Sell-A-Door theatre company.

Telling the tale of Skid-Row florist 'Seymour' (Sam Lupton), his love for the dizzy 'Audrey' (Stephanie Clift) and the magnetic plant he calls 'Audrey II' who turns out to be a blood-devouring creature from another world. Based on the 1960s Roger Corman film and featuring songs by Disney legends Alan Menken and the late Howard Ashman (who also wrote the book and directed the original production) the musical is an affectionate homage to the B-movies of yester-year and the musical styles of the 1960s.

Sam Lupton is a perfect 'Seymour' capturing his charm, awkwardness and devoted passion for the girl he works with. He is heart-breaking at times and effortlessly delivers a dynamic central performance that centres the production with a real sense of humanity. His appearance covers both the ideals of the geeky nerd and the geek-chic that allows us to believe that 'Audrey' could fall for him (as the audience must surely do).

As 'Ronnette', 'Crystal' and 'Chiffon' - essentially the greek chorus of the play - Cassie Clare, Sasha Latoya and Vanessa Fisher are pretty damned perfect and each possess powerful vocals and engaging stage presence.

The 'Mushnik' of Paul Kissaun is also welcomely underplayed with a very measured performance and vocal quality to match.

Headlining the tour is Rhydian Roberts who excels as' Orin Scrivello (DDS)' and other characters. His performance is dynamic, animated and he is able to adapt his vocals to the various persons he plays but as the sadistic dentist he is another perfect piece of casting. With each new production Roberts undertakes his acting becomes stronger and stronger and here he shines stunningly.

Stephanie Clift is not entirely successful as 'Audrey' in that hers is a somewhat uneven performance despite her rich voice. The problem really lies with the comedic elements required for the role - there are moments where her control of the comedy is perfect and others which miss the mark. That said she is still endearing to behold and her chemistry with Lupton is palpable.

Of course the major centre point of the show is 'Audrey II' herself and the puppet design is attractive and the performance especially alluring with puppeteer Josh Wilmott expertly controlling the larger puppets with apparent ease and gracefulness of movement confirming believability in the creature.

Tara Wilkinson's direction, whilst successful in most areas, does lack a complete understanding of the relationship between comedy and timing and she doesn't adequately mine the comedy gold inherent in the script and lyrics and she allows moments to pass by unmarked. For example; during "Somewhere That's Green" we are treated to the only use of projection in the production to illustrate the daydreams of 'Audrey' which, whilst charming to look at, does detract from the central performance of Clift as 'Audrey' which is where the audience's attention really should be focused rather than on the staging which it is at present. This, I feel, is partly the reason for Stephanie Clift's problems. Wilkinson could also do with re-examining the pace of the show which is near-hampered at times by some uncomfortable transitions and her staging does also have its clumsy moments and this is partly due to the comic design of David Shields which, whilst appealing to the eye, does create some awkward staging situations. The lighting of Charlie Morgan Jones also suffers from the odd misstep with certain corners of the flower shop often in some inappropriate shadow. All three of these production aspects are inextricably linked and it is testament to the strength of the writing and the strong cast that, for the most part, the show remains a powerfully engaging and enjoyable production. Matthew Cole's choreography is precisely attuned to the show and becomes so natural to the production that one forgets its existence as 'choreography'. The tiny band that performs the musical score is an exciting one and the musical direction is assured even if one or two of the numbers could do with a slightly faster tempo.

Despite the (very) few unsuccessful aspects of the production 'Little Shop Of Horrors' doesn't fail to entertain and is replete with a score and script that still feels fresh and engaging. This production is ultimately a fine presentation of a show that really does deserve to be seen more often than it has been in recent decades.

'Little Shop Of Horrors', Glasgow King's Theatre, April 6-11 2009

This production I saw nearly two years ago, but thought I’d share my thoughts as it was a truly enjoyable, funny show.

Originally produced at the Menier Chocolate Factory London (above), and transferring to the West End for a season this was the first West End revival of Little Shop, and one long overdue. The plant, Audrey II, was completely redesigned to appear more like a venus flytrap (whilst giving it a more phallic shape) and the puppet was one of the most expensive and experimental aspects of the production and one that worked excellently. The production securely established the Chocolate Factory as a force to be reckoned with. As the production started out in the limited confines of the Factory itself, any embellishment to the subesquent versions was in keeping with the ‘less is more aspect’. The set was enlarged, enabling the ‘downtown’ environment to frame the shop but the entire design by David Farley (who also designed the plant) was coherent and appropriate to the nature of the production.

Direction by Matthew White and choreography by Lynne Page was executed well and the performances from the actors, who included Seventh Doctor, Sylvester McCoy as Mushnik, were energetic and exciting and whilst some had less than brilliant ‘singing’ voices there was no weak link in the entire production. I do feel, however, that any actress to follow Ellen Greene as Audrey has a tough act as Greene created a unique interpretation that defined the role. However Claire Buckfield, avoiding a mere re-tread of Greene’s portrayal, was strong, sympathetic and vibrant. Alex Ferns played on his Eastenders character and was brilliant casting as the masochistic biker dentist. The lead of Seymour was played near-perfectly by Damian Humbley whilst the three urchins were brilliant and kept the show thundering along with their Supreme-like voices.

I was glad that I was able to catch the show as it isn't often produced these days and, having missed it in London, it is a sad state of affairs that tours are not always produced. The Menier Chocolate Factory would later produce the revivals of A Little Night Music and La Cage Aux Folles both of which I missed and neither toured, although it was announced that the latter would only to be cancelled.

The shape of things to come

I thought it might be good to let the constant reader know what is to come shortly on this blog:
It is my plan to write about some of the theatrical productions I have winessed in the past recent years, I shall also discuss a book or two I have read.

For your reading pleasure I shall be talking about the following in due course;

I will also discuss one of the most incredible books I've yet read:

So until then ...

Be well and happy,

Sharman