Georgina Onuorah and Colin Ryan in Little Shop of Horrors at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield. Pictures: Manuel Harlan
Little Shop of Horrors continues at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield until 18 January 2025.
Star rating: three stars ★ ★ ★ ✩ ✩
It’s over 40 years since Audrey II, the ‘Mean Green Mother from Outer Space’, first hit theatres, and this modern production is being staged at Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre over the Christmas period. Featuring a blend of comedy, horror and rock ‘n’ roll, it’s a tale of finding love in the most unlikely of places and of a man-eating plant intent on world domination.
The cult film that the show is based on is notable not only for being the screen debut of Jack Nicholson, but because of the speed of its production. The director, Roger Corman, had finished directing his previous film a few days early, so he decided to use the cast and technicians to shoot a second film over the weekend before the sets had to be dismantled. The film was written, rehearsed and shot in two and a half days. One of the fans of the movie was Howard Ashman, who decided some 22 years later to write the book and lyrics for the musical, and Alan Menken came in to compose the score.
The strength in this current production lies in its tremendous cast who are universally talented. Colin Ryan injects a tender nerdiness to the role of Seymour. Georgina Onuorah has a beautiful voice and her vocals on ‘Somewhere That’s Green’ are incredibly well done, with her never rushing a note and using pauses to infuse the song with genuine emotion.
Wilf Scolding excels as Orin Scrivello, and he perfectly balances the confidence, narcissism and unpleasantness of the demonic dentist with a subtle underplaying of the role that avoids the character becoming annoying or developing into a caricature of itself. His operatic voice is flawless, and his stage presence is tremendously charismatic.
However, it is Sam Buttery who really stands out from the cast, as she absolutely revels in the role of Audrey II. The performance is deliciously camp, wonderfully over the top and her singing voice is extraordinarily powerful. She really is phenomenal.
Sam Buttery in Little Shop of Horrors
The musical numbers remain a delight. ‘Somewhere That’s Green’ and ‘Suddenly Seymour’ are incredibly well performed. ‘Dentist!’ is tremendous fun and done with such aplomb and enthusiasm by Scolding that it is impossible not be caught up in it. ‘Mushnik & Son’ builds into a full-on Argentine tango fuelled affair and ‘Grow For Me’ is delivered beautifully. There are so many great songs in this show and their top-tapping infectiousness still appeal over 40 years after they were written.
However, where the production has the potential to faulter is in some of its creative choices. The setting is moved from 1960s America to modern day England, thereby losing the Americana charm of the play; and the collection of English accents, especially Seymour’s West Midlands cadence, serves to confuse the characters backgrounds.
However, perhaps the biggest shake-up is to have Audrey II portrayed by an actor, rather than by puppetry. While it is undeniable that Buttery excels in her role, it really does take you out of the story and you easily lose the fact that Audrey II is a man-eating plant because you are presented with a human figure. Creatively, the way in which Audrey II grows, with an increasing number of cast members swarming around Buttery as additional tendrils, does work; but as an overall concept, it feels too distracting.
The costume design (Georgia Lowe), especially around Audrey II is inventive and clever, and the lighting design (Jessica Hung Han Yun) floods the stages in swathes of green, white and red light, keeping it simple overall but effective. Jade Hackett’s choreography is a varied and mixed collection of style and paces and the orchestrations are note perfect from the musicians who adorn the top tier of the set.
Amy Hodge’s direction is functional, but never really dazzling and the production doesn’t make the best use of the Crucible Theatre’s thrust stage; it is only during the denouement that the stage really comes alive, and you get a glimpse of what the production could have been throughout, with tentacles running through the audience and a stage brimming with movement.
There is a much to enjoy in this production, especially musically. The production is a bold one overall, and there is credit to be given for staging something very different to the more traditional version of the show. For those looking for a new, fresh take, the changes may be welcome. For those looking for a more traditional telling of the story, the talented cast and songs provide more than enough entertainment to make a visit to the theatre worthwhile.
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