Little Shop Of Horrors

This musical shot Roger Corman's 1960 B-movie back into mainstream. During the 1980s the horror parody resurfaced as a small Off-Broadway production with the inclusion of songs, it became the most successful Off-Broadway show in history, almost overnight, and is a triumph that’s not been matched since. 'Little Shop Of Horrors' shortly received a film adaptation of its new found musical rendering, though this film – as successful as it was – did encounter some slight alterations to ensure it had an uplifting outcome (a musical without a happy ending was evidently a stretch too far for cinema in the late 1980’s, shame!) Nevertheless, the musical has retained immense popularity in both amateur and professional circles ever since. Its songs were penned by the talented duo Howard Ashman and Alan Menken, who later composed scores for Disney's 'The Little Mermaid' and 'Beauty and the Beast,' it is brimming with incredibly catchy songs and corny lyrics. This musical broke new ground and left an incredible influence, reshaping the world of musical theatre and inspiring its future.

This particular production of it had been staged by the Macclesfield Majestic’s which entirely felt an ideal choice of show for the company and MADS Little Theatre is perfect for a musical of this proportion.

 

Liam Bunka and Stephanie Parsons were a capable and likeable duo as the romantic leads Seymour and Audrey. Neither are shrinking violets and their aptitude would surely have given the reassurance that all will be well with the show. Liam displayed a commendable singing performance and depicted a gawky florist shop assistant as expected. Stephanie's portrayal leaned towards a more naturalistic approach, which beautifully suited a lot of her moments, particularly when expressing hope and sincerity though so much of this character requires more exaggerated characteristics, something that’s fundamental for satire, which are traits I believe make Audrey so iconic, were not as prominently accentuated but were still there. I wholly appreciate the notion of not wanting to play things up for laughs, the authenticity has to be the foundation which it entirely was, but this is a musical comedy and a few more laughs would’ve helped to achieve an advanced balance.  

 

The sassy doo-wop trio played respectively by Lauren Spiers, Lisa MacDonald & Liv Riseley provide a solid anchoring for the evening, they have the job of doubling up to portray the three street urchins as well as an all-seeing girl group to help narrate the story - aptly named Crystal, Ronnette and Chiffon (yes, it’s set in the late 50’s if you didn’t already know) – they put forth their very best efforts to muster up the enthusiasm for their performances, and I greatly admired this dedication.

 

As a show which has been around for quite some time and is so regularly presented it would be an advantage to avoid exhibiting something that’s a mere replica of what we’ve all seen so many times before. I’m not saying to avoid paying homage and holding onto admiration for past commended incarnations of the show – there’s always room for that – but this show is now 40 years old (which is a terrifying comprehension in itself!) and theatre has come a long way during that time, bringing some of this millenniums fashions to create something that resembles a revival would be an exciting endeavour to give something that’s an original presentation. Just because a show is 40 years old, it doesn’t have to feel like it. All it takes is a bit of research to see the array of different and quirky revivals of ‘Little Shop…’ over the last 15 years or so. We should be encouraging ourselves to adopt an innovative mindset and support fresh ideas and originality, that’s such a massive part of what makes theatre exciting! 

 

Any review of this production would be remiss for excluding the prowess of Sara Hawley as the voice of Audrey II, I could listen to her sing for days! She took every moment she could and relished it though I wasn’t fond of the script being burdened with unnecessary and out of place alterations. I’m all for making a production or performance your own but without feeling the need to make changes to the script.   

The programme didn’t mention where the plant puppets had come from but it took a while to see beyond its strange and unusual pout! The syncing between vocals and puppetry was well executed. Kevin Clarke (puppeteer) had clearly spent worthwhile time with Sara to deliver accuracy here which paid off. 

 

I find that a lot of parody musicals, such as this, attain greater success when the actors embrace the roles as caricatures, utilising their stereotypes and parodying the comic book elements that inspired them. Chris Simmons, portraying Mr. Mushnik, and Alex Bingle, in the role of Orin the Dentist, certainly grasped that approach. These two have consistently proven themselves as reliable and talented performers over the years and whilst I appreciated their contributions it would have been wonderful if they had been inspired to add a touch of something new and unique to their characters, they both certainly have the capability to do so and would have added a sense of watching a revival. I have to be entirely fair here and completely admit that this is an observation that’s come from the show itself being so popular and so frequently staged, we rarely get to see anything we haven’t already seen before, it’s harder to make what you’d do stand out and that’s what I was expecting to see. MMTG are a group who know exactly how to make something feel fresh and perked up, I just didn’t get to see much of that quality with this production which is what I was expecting.   

 

I’m never withdrawn when it comes to my opinions of paraphrasing and add-libbing, they’re massive bugbears of mine and when a show is as well-known as this one is, should any occur, they stick out like a sore thumb and during this show we got so much of it. I did admire the way the small supporting ensemble of Skid Row residents had been incorporated, It’s commonly an area that I see so many productions of ‘Little Shop…’ struggle with, but here it worked to enhance the show for the most part so congratulations on this.   

 

It is significant to highlight the noticeable absence of a vibrant excitement that’s usually associated with participating in a show of this magnitude. This could be a result of nerves, a demanding rehearsal process, a lack of confidence in what was being asked of them amongst countless other potential possibilities but it’s not my duty to decipher excuses when it’s fundamentally crucial to summon the spark and zest required for any live performance in order to create a positive impact on the audience. Despite the gripes I took away from this production the show still remained good grisly fun without the slightest danger of anyone taking themselves too seriously as the entire cast do embellish to a degree, I fear my overarching analytical views sprout from seeing countless performances of this show and - surpassing all other thoughts – I suppose I’m consumed by a craving to witness a true reimagining of the show that resembles a refreshing departure from the norm.

 

Allow me to wrap this up with my genuine expression of how I deeply value the efforts and dedication invested by individuals to their shows. While I strive to maintain a positive and supportive approach, I understand the substance of offering an honest and authentic reflection of my experience when seeing a show. My words are intended to contribute to the growth and future success of the productions and it’s ultimately down to each individual to determine how they perceive and apply feedback. I hope my insights are received in the spirit of constructive feedback rather than criticism. I’d hope my words serve as fuel, whether it's to stoke the fire – literally – or as an encouraging boost. I have high expectations for MMTG and want, more than anything else, to instigate the continuous pursuit of excellence that’s so frequently established by this society. 

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