Review: LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, Hope Mill Theatre
Photo credit: Danny Kaan
It feels like we’re seeing a huge number of productions of Little Shop of Horrors at the moment. Right now, there are simultaneous different productions of the musical - one in the North and one in the South, both of which tour to a small number of venues. The Northern production, which we’re reviewing here, has started its life at Manchester’s Hope Mill Theatre before enjoying a Christmas season at Liverpool Playhouse.
With each new production of Little Shop of Horrors, you wonder what fresh ideas the creative team might bring. In short, the answer for this production is nothing. Regardless, it’s still very enjoyable - it is a very strong and quite traditional production of the hugely popular musical.
Olivier and Tony nominated Carrie-Anne Ingrouille is at the helm of this production as both director and choreographer. The show isn’t particularly dance heavy, but the choreography that is there is always energetic and fills the stage. Ingrouille really shines as a director with this production. She brings out every moment of comedy in the musical - every laugh lands perfectly, whilst it never feels like the show is being played for laughs. Often Little Shop of Horrors can feel quite camp and very over the top, but Ingrouille finds the perfect balance between beautiful pathos and larger than life performances. Having seen the work she has done with this show and her production of We Had Fun at Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Ingrouille must be one of the best directors the country has to offer when it comes to blending deep emotion and comedy.
Morgan Large’s set design is incredibly clever, allowing us to travel multiple locations seamlessly. It fills the small stage, but we wonder how it will be expanded to fill the significantly larger Liverpool Playhouse. His costumes are pretty much as you’d expect, although it would be nice for some characters, particularly Audrey, to have a few more outfits. Large has also designed the various Audrey II puppets which are wonderful. Brought to life by Christopher Dobson, Julia Frost and Imogen Khan, this is likely to be the most expressive puppet Audrey II you’ve seen (even if the mouth doesn’t always move perfectly in sync with the words being spoken). Rory Beaton’s lighting design is creative and full of colour, spilling out into the auditorium, and sound designers Sam Glossop and Harry Greatorex make sure this production is loud yet mixed perfectly.
The cast, assembled by casting director Rob Kelly, are brilliant. Each feels entirely human throughout rather than leaning into the stereotypes that can often be seen in Little Shop of Horrors. The cast is slightly larger than you often see with professional productions of this musical with the inclusion of four ensemble members (Ella Howlett, Joseph Peacock, Kai Cameron-Jay and Nathen Scott). This fleshes the wider world of Skid Row out nicely, grounding the bonkers plot in a sense of reality. The only slight downside is that, whilst Scott is great in the iconic multi-rolling sequence in the second act, it doesn’t land quite as well not having the dentist doing it.
Jed Berry is delightful as Seymour. He delivers powerhouse, yet acting driven, vocals. He is incredibly endearing and likeable, and portrays Seymour’s moral dilemmas and pain expertly. His chemistry with EastEnders star Maisie Smith as Audrey is lovely. Smith (who is performing in Manchester only) gives a fairly typical portrayal of Audrey, whilst feeling more human than some previous Audreys. She brings to life Audrey’s pain, initial lack of self-confidence and longing for a better life very well. Her rendition of ‘Somewhere That’s Green’ is beautifully optimistic rather than being mournful for the life she thinks she could never have.
Benjamin Yates is perhaps the strongest vocalist to have ever played Orin, the sadistic dentist. His songs are some of the highlights of the show. He is wonderfully terrifying whilst also being funny. It is disappointing that Yates doesn’t get anything to do in Act 2 because his performance is just so enjoyable. Michael Starke is a little too over the top at times in his portrayal of Mushnik, but he is still great fun to watch. Marcus Ayton voices Audrey II with great power and intensity. We don’t see him on stage until the curtain call, when he comes out in a fabulous costume. It is a shame that ‘Mean Green Mother’ hasn’t been added to this production for him to sing as the finale as we have seen in some previous productions over the years.
Rio Maye, Psalms-Nissi Myers-Reid and Gabrielle Davina Smith complete the cast as Chiffon, Crystal and Ronette. They bring huge amounts of energy to the stage from the first moment and they have a brilliant rapport as a trio. All three deliver powerhouse vocals, bringing their own fun twists to their musical numbers.
Hope Mill Theatre’s production of Little Shop of Horrors is a faithful and expertly crafted staging of the cult classic show, performed by a hugely talented cast. Tickets are already selling incredibly well so get yours before it’s too late - just remember, don’t feed the plant!
**** Four stars
Reviewed by: Jacob Bush