Little Shop of Horrors

I have to admit some bias here, having stage-managed two productions of it and seen it numerous times, Little Shop of Horrors is one of my all-time favourite musicals. Described as a “horror comedy rock musical”, which covers just about everything, it is loosely based on the 1960 film of the same name, and it premiered off-off Broadway in 1982, reaching the West End in 1983.

It is set in a down at heel flower shop in Skid Row, run by Mr Mushnik, where his florist Seymour has unwittingly propagated a strange and interesting, and probably extra-terrestrial, new plant that is keen on taking over the world and eating its inhabitants.

After a warm welcome front of house, we were shown to our seats by very polite students. The open stage, framed by a professional lighting rig, featured a good-looking set – the interior of the flower shop. I assumed it was hired, but the excellent programme informed me it was designed and made in-house (James Hoad and Helen Drake) as were the props. Great to have such resources on hand.

As we waited for curtain up, we were entertained by the school orchestra (under MD Ed Williamson) playing swing and sixties' music, and Olivia Bicknell singing “Downtown”, setting the era for us very nicely. The band also accompanied some of the numbers in the show, the rest being good quality backing tracks – the transition was seamless and sound quality throughout the show was excellent (Peter Hall) so that every word was heard. Rose-Marie Turner’s costumes were colourful and of the right period, and Ian Pratt and Holly Sandford’s exciting lighting design completed this vibrant picture.

Key to the story is the trio of singers Crystal, Chiffon and Ronnette who appear through the show like a Greek Chorus, commenting on the action. Neve Moyler, Katie Budge and Holly Witte filled these roles admirably, with great confidence and style, and spot-on vocals. Stephen Powell portrayed grouchy Mr Mushnik well with some good Jewish intonations in his speech, shining in “Mushnik and Son”. Sylvia Crispin’s portrayal of Audrey was nicely naïve and unworldly and her rendition of “Somewhere That’s Green” really tugged at the heartstrings. Ed Hayduk had just the right threatening edge to his portrayal of (Dr) Orin Scrivello and demonstrated his singing well with “Dentist”.

Great credit must go to the puppeteers Rose Sanders and Megan Coleman – it must have been hard work, and you gave those plants real character. Praise too for the voices of Audrey II, Milo Craig and Isla Pattinson – you got the threatening and seductive tones just right. The puppets themselves were of good quality and capable of being manipulated to give expression to their words.

Great support was given by Keira, Zuki, Laila, Aidan, Max and Alec in the smaller roles, and by the huge chorus and dancers – I’ve never seen such a big cast for this show! You all portrayed your individual characters well and filled the stage with interest and excitement. The standard of singing was good too, with some nice harmonies coming through and the dancers interpreted the choreography crisply.

Oh, I seem to have forgotten Seymour! How could I? What a stunning performance this was from Christopher McCrohon, perfectly maintaining the ‘cute little guy’ persona all the way through and showing mature emotion, tenderness and power in his acting and singing.

Lastly, I must compliment the stage crew for the slick and silent scene changes – you deserved your bow at the end (I wish more groups appreciated their backstage people like this), and also the excellent colour programme with great photos (Jeremy Bullen) – perhaps you’d consider entering our programme competition in the future (details on our website)?

This may only be the second show I’ve seen at Ditcham Park, but I can see that your directors and creative team foster in you all the desire to achieve the highest standards and, working as a team, you more than achieve them. I hope that the huge appreciation shown by the audience at the end demonstrated this beyond doubt. We had a great time – thank you!

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.