Little Shop of Horrors

In these hard times for small businesses, Mushnik’s Flower Shop was certainly no exception and business was slow to say the least. This was until Seymour Krelborn, a timid and clumsy florist assistant working there, discovered a strange and unique plant after a solar eclipse. He named it Audrey II, after his coworker and secret crush, Audrey. The plant attracts customers and saves the failing flower shop.

Walking into the theatre at The Rugeley Rose, was like walking into a botanical garden. A great deal of thought had gone into setting the scene, from the floral decorated band screen to the impressive green lighting which filled the room. AMCS were determined to make you feel as though you were in there with them.

Setting the scene were Chiffon, Crystal and Ronette, played by Lucy Pountain, Chloe Hancox & Rebecca Oatley. The 3 ladies, aptly named after close harmony singing groups, did not disappoint, with harmonies that blended nicely together, maintaining this as they continued to narrate the story throughout the production.

Seymour Krelborn was desperate for the shop to succeed and was experimental in his methods. Leo Wright took on the role with confidence, his portrayal of the awkward, clumsy shop assistant was spot on. He had an amusing side to his character and he was someone that the audience would sympathise with until his character change which Leo handled with aplomb. He has a good tenor voice and his vocals never faltered. Audrey was played by Lucy Talbot, a relative newcomer to the stage but you would not have known it from this performance. She was the downtrodden girlfriend who made you wonder what injuries she would next appear with. Lucy has a presence on stage which matches the crystal-clear singing voice, her rendition of ‘Somewhere that’s Green’ was a big favourite with the audience. Together, Leo and Lucy formed a solid bond on stage. Richard Beckett called on all of his years of experience to play the shopkeeper, Mushnik. There is no doubt about the qualities of Richard’s vocal talents, and this time he also extracted every ounce of humour from the role as well. There were some great moments with Mushnik & Seymour, none more so than their interpretation of Mushnik & Son. There was certainly no doubt about the character of The Dentist! Mark Newman, dressed in leather, made a real entrance onto stage and soon had everyone laughing with him, even without nitrous oxide. Mark was energetic and his portrayal left no-one in any doubt what gave him his thrills in life.  The star of the show was surely Audrey II. Increasing in size as the scenes went on. It was wonderfully controlled and coordinated by Emma O’Quinn, you almost thought it was real! The voice of Audrey was provided by Peter Brown, who sang with confidence and has a real richness to his voice. Together they brought Audrey II to life. Although this is a show with very little for the chorus to do, what they did, they did with confidence and accuracy. Space was fairly limited on stage this time, especially with size of the plant, so this was a perfect production to do.

The choreography by Sarah Beckett was very appropriate for the era, especially the movement by Chiffon, Crystal and Ronette. A lot of time had obviously been well spent on coordinating the moves. Musically, this was a first-rate show, supported by a very proficient band. Mark Bayliss had worked hard with the cast to perfect harmonies which were a delight to listen to and so rewarding when it all comes together. Praise to Mark also for his directing of this production, it was imaginative and included some lovely little touches to make this performance unique to AMCS.

The scenery was impressive and enhanced by a good lighting plot by Sam Shelley.

All in all, this was a first-class production by AMCS and something they should be very proud of, from cast to production team, front of house to backstage, everyone contributed to making this a memorable production. Congratulations Aldridge, and I look forward to visiting for your next production.

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