Little Shop of Horrors

North Ormesby Minstrels’ production of Little Shop of Horrors provided an evening of entertainment that took us on an emotional rollercoaster of laughter and tears and out of the Middlesbrough based community centre across the Ocean to the gutters of the States within seconds of the show starting. The informal well crafted set and the open start of this show certainly becomes the nature of the audience intimacy of this venue, the set and prompt scene changes enhancing the superb performances of this cast. From the opening to the finale the chorus became little characters within their roles enhancing the principals in their portrayals of the known roles, which was a joy to see.

The costumes throughout the show added to the scenes, from the dated 50s style, to the medical uniforms, and the unusual sparkles of full colour opening. The choreography used in the scenes was cleverly used to suit the staging and cast members and my personal favourite moment was the Busby Berkeley circle of dentistry assistants and their mirrors. Well done Alice Manaemi, the cast were well rehearsed and looked to be really enjoying their dances.

Adding to the family input were Marty Maenami as he performed as Orin, a chilling dentist, zealous bully, and altogether nutty gas addict, and George Maenami as the unseen Audrey II, with a voice that made hairs stand on edge, well done young man.  Mr Mushnik was played by Jeff Sturdy with a suitable Jewish accent maintained throughout, and great “grumbling”, to add to the cast. The Ronnettes were doubled up in this production, so the team of 6 gave a great sound for their harmonies, and played centre stage rather than the usual “side show”.  Tom Milton played small characters with such gusto that he was quite eye-catching, and I will look to see grow in future productions.  The lead part of Audrey was taken by Gina McBride, who brought a super silly, sensitive, and yet strong acting performance along with a lovely clarity in her singing; great job Gina. Finally for me the show was so captivating by Garry Dring’s rendition of Seymour, as the down-trodden hapless store assistant, duped by a plant that drinks his blood, but bribes him with the aura of celebrity, fame and success, only to completely steal his life’s love, and his resolve, that he sacrifices his own life to find the “somewhere that’s green” from inside the ever growing and well operated plant. A lovely singing voice, with great intonations, and fantastic facial expressions; a superb Seymour.

A well directed show by Lesley Maenami, with a cast that all gave a great performance, wonderfully supported by a tuneful and balanced orchestra led by MD Matthew Allan, and aesthetically lit by Mark Jackson to add to the drama, and sound achieved with great dexterity of multiple radio microphones by Julie Allen and her team, after an initial hiccough, well sorted. An entertaining and thought provoking evening, that I, and the rest of the audience certainly enjoyed. Marvellous show Minstrels! 

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