Little Shop of Horrors

When BOADS announced this choice of musical, before Covid came along and rained on our parade, it was such a departure from their usual choice of musical productions that many were intrigued as to what they would make of this show, and equally importantly, whether the notoriously conservative Brixham audiences would support such a choice of show.

Finally, in October 2021, 2 years after their last production, Boads managed to get this show onto the stage. They fielded a very capable cast in a production they could be proud of and played to very supportive audiences of a good size, thus confounding any critics of the choice. I have to say that this was one of the best musicals I have seen by this society in recent years. It was well cast, and well directed.

This show has gained increasing popularity in the amateur circuit over the years and comes with quite a technical challenge in the form of the Audrey II man eating plants. This production hired these from Scenetec along with the dentist chair, and they were superb. The set, constructed in house, provided a good framework for these plants to reside in and visually the show worked well. Essentially a modern dress show, the only real challenge here are the Ronnettes and their specially made costumes that transformed on stage, provided additional visual opportunities.

While the audience, no doubt, enjoyed this story as more of a sci-fi romp, this is to overlook the fact that this show is actually themed as a Greek tragedy of morals, where the hero exploits a higher power to try and improve his lot, thus invoking the wrath of the higher power, which destroys not only him, but all those connected with him. There is also a Greek chorus who comment on the events of the story (The Ronnettes).

The Ronnettes presented a lovely group, varying in character, always commenting, gossiping, and observing. Rachel Field, Shannon Bartie, Rachel Harbidge and Amy Wills sang nicely, moved well, and provided a good core to the production, linking all together.

The heroin of the piece is Audrey, the hapless shop assistant, victim of physical abuse from her sadist boyfriend. Knowing but innocent in equal measure. Thea Harris-Murphy was very young to be playing this role but managed to convey the necessary qualities admirably in a performance she should be proud of. Audrey ideally needs to be slightly older and have had the years of abuse, but Thea presented this knowing quality well. She was well partnered by Ben Field as Seymour, who is almost an anti-hero. A weak wimp who ends up exploiting the plant for his own gains. Ben was excellent in this role.

The shambling Jewish florist shop owner Mushnik, was played with relish by Neal Carter-Lewis. This is another of the central roles, the character who first rumbles what is happening with Seymour and the man-eating plant and pays the price. His duet with Seymour “Mushnik and Son” was well played.

Audrey’s sadist dentist boyfriend Orin was played with ghoulish glee by Paul Rice. In Greek tragedy tradition, he meets his end quite quickly, but not before a great rendition of “Dentist”.

The Audrey II puppets need a voice, and Mike Harbidge provided his voice to great effect with puppeteer Clare Bond animating the plant to ensure a threatening presence was always in place within the set. The mouth actions were not always in time with the voice, but it must be a difficult job animating such a puppet, so congratulations are in order, and maybe a few pounds were shed during the run!

There are a multitude of smaller cameo roles, played by the general company, to give a number of the scenes visual variety and add a background to the blood thirsty goings on within the florist shop.

John Budden provided a superb bit band and had drilled the company well, and the vocals were some of the best I have heard here for a while. Paula ensured a good pace which didn’t let up at all the show moved form scene to scene without any pauses. While this show doesn’t call for great displays of choreography, the cast moved well within the constraints of the stage and set.

Overall , as I have already stated, this was a production that delighted the audiences, and was one of the best musicals I have seen here for some time, showing that if you take the risk, it often pays off. Well done.

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