With music by Alan Menken and book and lyrics by Howard Ashman, this monstrously brilliant horror comedy directed by Sarah Brigham is a magnificent version of the B-movie style classic.
For the few that are unaware of the plot, Little Shop of Horrors focuses on Seymour, an assistant in Mushnik’s florist on Skid Row, who starts cultivating a mysterious “strange and exotic” plant which he names Audrey II after his co-worker crush Audrey.
People start visiting the struggling flower shop to see the plant, which resembles a huge alien venus flytrap, and the store begins to flourish on the back of this, but the plant soon starts to control Seymour by offering him a better life in exchange for blood.
Soon the drops of blood don’t satisfy Audrey II, and the monster plant starts demanding human bodies from Seymour, driving him to act like a serial killer.
Kristian Cunningham plays the role of timid, awkward Seymour to perfection, and is just brilliant in the role. Amena El-Kindy’s Audrey is equally as excellent as the vulnerable Audrey, who suffers at the hands of her dentist boyfriend but feels powerless to do anything about it.
David Rankine who plays Orin the dentist is utterly hilarious in the role. The scenes where he meets his downfall in the nitrous oxide mask are perfectly executed.
Every song in the show is an absolute delight, but if I had to pick a favourite, it would be Suddenly Seymour, with powerful delivery by Kristian Cunningham and Amena El-Kindy.
Ronette, Crystal and Chiffon, played by Emmanuella Chede, Shekinah Mcfarlane and Chioma Uma expertly guide the audience through the story with their narration, and their vocals are absolutely stunning throughout.
Tasha Dowd, aka the voice of Audrey II, perfectly matches the concept of the villainous vegetation, and John Bonner is utterly convincing in his role as Mr Mushnik, who ends up adopting Seymour in order to keep the lucrative plant in his shop, initially completely oblivious to its dangerous intent, until he himself meets his downfall.
The set and costume design, by Verity Quinn create the backdrop to the show with quirky elements throughout. The green and pink scenery perfectly resonates with Audrey II as the plant grows to ridiculously huge proportions.
I particularly liked the use of the captions by Ben Glover throughout the performance, which were creatively incorporated into the scenery, becoming a part of the show in their own right with the use of speech bubbles and comic style typography. This truly is accessibility at its finest.
★★★★★
Little Shop of Horrors is at Derby Theatre until Saturday 20 June.
Tickets £32-£48
Accessibility – Excellent subtitles throughout the show
