Little Shop of Horrors

After what seemed an eternity it's so good to see high class local "amateur" theatre getting back onto its feet. Wonderful to get back into the foyers and listen to the buzz of an excited anticipatory audience. This was a show I was looking forward to. A new society to NODA but one that came with a huge reputation for quality shows, built over a very short space and time.

Written by Howard Ashman and with Music by Alan Menkin, the show is set in the late 1960s based around a failing flower shop on Skid Row Run by Mr Mushnick (Josh McDonald) with the assistance of nerdy teen Seymour Krelbourne (Nico Bray) and ditzy blond, Audrey (Erin Bright). Audrey, seemingly always late and usually sporting an injury of some description, inflicted by her sadistic boyfriend, the dentist Orin (Adam Rush). As it turnes out Seymour has a great interest in not only Audrey but also a large ability in cultivating strange and new flower varieties, or in this case Audrey 2 voiced by Connor Hanstock, and from there the story unfolds.

A simple but visually great set, with very little set changes required (save for the moving from left to right of a hinged door) meant that the whole show moved at a great pace with no overt "blackouts" to interrupt, but when used it was to great effect to hide the ever growing blood lusting plant, Audrey 2. This was enhanced with simple and effective lighting and the almost perfect diction clearly heard thanks as much to Pob Wyeth as the sound designer. 

The three "Ronnette" girls (Emily Capper, Emma Harris and Chloe Lewis) sang very well together, their tight knit close harmonies perfect. The orchestra/band were on top form too, led by Matt Lemon, not a note out of place and played with obvious enthusiasm.

All the leading roles were slick and delivered very well with some great comic timing, clear and consise so every word could be understood. It also has to be mentioned here that Adam Rush not only played his own principlal role of Orin, but a whole host of other roles too, all individually characterised and all very funny. Well done. The fact that this was such a small cast (eight) of top notch performers gave good spacial awareness on the stage, and a feeling of freedom rather than overcrowding. Good choreography by Abbie Jennings which  had obviously been well drilled, to create effective movement. Everyone looked like they knew where they should be. 

The amazing fact though is that the vast majority if this show was put together over Zoom, only in the last few weeks have the cast, crew MD etc been able to get together, and put this high quality show together.  This is a testament to the obvious hard work of the cast and the vision of the directorial crew. This was a very good show. Congratulations to all, see you in November for Oliver!

 

 

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.