Little Shop of Horrors

This is another milestone for the Theats who are performing for the first time in the new theatre at the Kettering Science Academy. I must say this is a rather nice venue, being modern and very spacious with a lovely ambience.

Director, Mark Walker has again made his mark on this production, with his excellent casting and staging. Mark has made great use of the extra space that this stage has. He always manages to bring out all the dramatic moments in his productions, creating lots of atmosphere that is sustained throughout the performance.

Barbara Hockey, the musical director, has also kept up her very high standards with this production. There were some really wonderful harmonies throughout, excellent vocals from all the company and the other five band members provided great backing throughout the evening. Well done!

Choreographer, Michele Cook produced some good routines for the company and she too made good use of the extra space available.

Little Shop of Horrors had an excellent cast who gave some really sincere performances. James Reynolds as Seymour, I feel gave the performance of the evening, with his terrific vocals and excellent characterisation, and along with Rachel Compton who played Audrey,  created some truly special moments. There was a definite chemistry between them which gave some very moving and tender moments. Well done to you both. Kev Atkin as Mushnik built his character well and had a good presence on stage; his duet with Seymour “Mushnik & Son” was a real “show stopper”. Kevin Maltby was hilarious as Orin - you certainly won’t want to visit the dentist after seeing him - a great performance Kevin! Alan Galway as Audrey II the Voice created an excellent character for the plant, really bringing it to life with a performance that was quite chilling! Steff Keighley as Audrey II the Plant had the difficult task of manipulating the plant in synchronisation with the Voice and he did a brilliant job, so well done Steff and Alan! Luke Campbell Simcoe had the triple roles of Beinstein, Snip and Radio Announcer and he managed to create a different character for each role. Luke has a very good stage presence and a natural acting style. An excellent performance from Phil Mills who also played three roles, Mrs Luce, Patrick Martin and a Customer, and I must say that Phil made a very shapely woman! Good, solid performances came from Emma Williams (Chiffon) Leisa Cooke (Crystal) and Jane Walker (Ronette) ably supported by Michelle Drinkall, Samantha Hammonds and Lynda Wilkin. Well done to all of you. I must mention too, Maisie Chapman, Beccy Cooke, Carly Walker, Christine Haynes and Eileen Moloney who played various characters throughout the performance with lots of conviction.

Little Shop of Horrors had very good scenery and props. The costumes were good and all in keeping with the period. The sound production was excellent throughout the show. The lighting was good, but the theatre really needs to invest in more lights for the future.

All in all this was an excellent opening night with no obvious problems. Congratulations to you all on a very enjoyable evening and a big thank you for the wonderful hospitality.

CAROLINE JERVIS                                                                                                                         NODA EM DISTRICT 7 REPRESENTATIVE.  

 

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