Little Shop of Horrors

A society doing a production of Little Shop of Horrors has always been one of my irrational fears -  the plant terrifies me (yes, I do know its not real, but...) Another NODA Rep did say that they would cover for me but I thought no, I will pull my big girl pants on and deal with it and I am so glad I did. St. Dunstan`s AODS put on a fabulous show from start to finish.

The overture, conducted by Musical Director John G Barry, burst forth with attack and vivacity, it instantly swept the audience in. Pace stayed good throughout with no stalls or extra 4`s to get the stage ready. Solo`s from a vocal point sounded good and solid, in the ensemble numbers the harmonies and ends of words and lines could be heard clearly.  Choreography by Jackie Eade was very fitting to the music and to people`s ability, it was executed cleanly and with energy. The sound can be a little tempremental in this performance space, but fate was on sound operator Phil Nicholls`s side and it was all clear with no gremlins or drops. Lighting design also by Phil Nicholls and operated by Charlie Iveson was interesting and had been thought about, it can be difficult to light singers on a mezzanine but they managed it. The set had been designed by Jackie Eade and constructed in house by Paul Sloane, Phil Nicholls and their talented team. The only thing hired in was the plant, the rest was built, it mainly consisted of the front of the flower shop with what I took to be apartments behind it with a useable mezzanine/balcony.  The flower shop front opened completely to give us the inside of the flower shop with an open doorway to a stock room, some corner wall shelves,  a serving counter, a side window, a useable shop door. The dentist`s office consisted of a chair and a trolley with some instruments on it .  All props were handled confidently by the cast, the laughing gas apparatus was big enough for the audience to definitely see what was happening. I especially enjoyed the comedic use of the telephones in the telephone scene . Costumes looked great and very complimentary to each other, there was a certain “look” for each character.

The Ronnettes (Bronte Hooper, Chloe Donoghue and Beth Sharp) provide all the back up singing to the story with some excellent harmonising, they had their own sections of choreography which was executed well,  there were a few not quite there notes, but we can forgive the divas given the huge amount of singing they have to do. They used all their stage space well, I particularly liked their usage of the balcony. They made a good connection with the audience and never fluffed a vocal entrance.

Philip Brady as Mr Mushnik the flower shop owner used all his stage space well, he had some great comedy timing on stage with Seymour (Ben Drane), his characterisation was so realistic – we could all identify with knowing someone just like that, a bit of a busybody, very money orientated, slightly rude but heart in the right place. His vocals were good - I particularly enjoyed “Mushnik & Son.” Projection was good as were big facial expressions towards the audience.

Nick Butterworth as Orin Scrivello, DDS really got a good grip of this role. He was confident on stage, both in characterisation and vocally. He used his stage space well and projection was good. His physical abuse towards Audrey (Ellie Hulston) was very believable, his death scene was very dramatic in its own far fetched way and he delivered it well.

Nick Ward as Audrey 11 was menacing l without being shouty, he commanded the stage as soon as he appeared on his throne in his long green coat ( excellent costuming), he gazed round the audience with such confidence and  authority. His vocals were impressive, his notes strong and solid. He used his stage space well as he sang “Suppertime” with The Ronnettes.

Ellie Hulston played Audrey, she used her stage space well and had a great connection with both the audience and her cast mate, Seymour (Ben Drane), her vocals were fabulous – she is a powerhouse with added expression. When singing with Ben, their voices melded together beautifully. You could hear both the line and the melody line clearly.  Her characterisation included little gestures that made her all the more identifiable to the audience .

Ben Drane as Seymour showed such a soft empathetic side, we saw the inner turmoil every time he had to feed Audrey 11 with blood. Ben gave us a very strong characterisation and had a good connection with the audience, he used his facial expressions well. His vocals throughout were consistently strong and solid with some good diaphragmatic breathing.

The ensemble worked very hard in this show, they opened and closed the flower shop as needed as well as playing their parts. It was very obvious that everyone was enjoying themselves on stage. The energy was good, the vocals were great.  
 

Thank you for inviting me. Both myself and my guest thoroughly enjoyed your production of Little Shop of Horrors, but I won't be buying any houseplants for a while! I look forward to seeing you all again very soon.  

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