Little Shop of Horrors

Wow, just wow! 553 days after I last walked out of the Civic Theatre, RTSA made sure that the first time I walked back in to the theatre, it would be for a show I would remember for the rest of my life. 

RTSA have one of the best production teams around. Directed and Choreographed by the one and only Dee Bennie - Marshall and Musically Directed by the insanely talented Matthew Symonds.  With these two at the helm, you know you're going to experience something special. When you see a Dee production you expect outstanding dance routines and little touches to the direction that takes the production to the next level. The dancing in this show was superb, especially in the Closed For Renovation number. One piece of direction I loved was the opening of Act 2 when Audrey and Seymour were busy answering telephone calls. The way this was directed with the pair answering multiple phones and swapping wires was pure magic. It was also clear that Matt had worked hard with the harmonies, as these were spot on, especially from Ciara Stothard, Carys Booth and Rebecca Michie as Ronnette, Crystal and Chiffon. These three produced vocal acrobatics way beyond their years. 

Josh Roberts has just the right tone to voice the man eating plant, Audrey 2 and provided some of the evening's funniest lines with great comic timing. I must mention Alice Iveson and Ewan Conway as the puppeteers for Audrey 2. These two worked very well together, making sure that the plant was brought to life in such a convincing way that I forgot that it was actually part of the set. They really did bring the plant to life. Josh Webster was equally as entertaining as Mr Mushnik. I particularly enjoyed his song and dance number ‘Mushnick and Son’ 

Sam Simmons once again proved what a fabulous young performer he is in his role as the Dentist. Not a character that is likeable, but Sam’s antics were so funny that the scenes he was in were scene stealing. He also had gave a fabulous cameo performance in Act 2. Getting into character ready for Priscilla I would expect. 

Amelia Depledge was wonderful as Audrey. Her walk, giggle and lisp were spot on and her rendition of Somewhere That’s Green reduced me to tears. I have seen Amelia grow from the chorus to the powerhouse of a leading lady that she is today and it’s great to see. However, the performance of the night, in fact I’m going to say it, the performance of the year came from Dan Fenwick as Seymour. Dan had the audiences hearts as soon as he made his first entrance. When someone gets a character, they live and breathe it. This is exactly what Dan did with Seymour. As an audience member you felt every emotion from his unrequited love, to his remorse at feeding humans to the plant, to his grieve when Audrey dies. Simply stunning and wouldn’t have looked out of place in a professional tour. 

Everyone involved in this production should be so proud of what they have achieved. I for one am delighted to see RTSA back where they belong. At the Civic. 

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