Little Shop of Horrors – Northcott Theatre, Exeter

Scott McClure and Leigh Quinn in Little Shop of Horrors at the Northcott Theatre, Exeter and Touring. Picture: Craig Fuller

Little Shop of Horrors was reviewed at the Northcott Theatre, Exeter where it continues until 17 October 2026. The production then runs at the Lighthouse Poole from 20-24 October and the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry from 27-31 October.

Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Start with a 1980s cult musical, fold in three exceptional regional theatres, stir through a world-class cast and a fiercely committed local ensemble and the result is pure alchemy: stripping away commercial excess to reveal a leaner, sharper and deviously delicious piece of theatre.

Little Shop of Horrors is Exeter Northcott Theatre’s first full-scale produced musical in more than 20 years. And it’s a winner. Sharply comedic, playful, alive, yet interlaced with a darker emotional undercurrent that ensures a ripple of discomfort is never far away.

This Faustian tale which traces its origins in an HG Wells short story has been on quite a journey: from the 1960 low-budget film that inspired the 1982 Howard Ashman and Alan Menken musical through the infamous 1986 Frank Oz film, to this new Martin Berry, co-produced revival. The story follows meek, mild Seymour as he stumbles upon an exotic plant with a terrifying secret. Will he sell his soul in pursuit of “happiness” or try to do the right thing.

Having travelled through so many incarnations, the story lands here with fresh intent – and this revival signals its tone immediately. The Urchins are our guides from the first beat. They’re wild but wise and in their sci fi costumes, armed with impressive vocals, they deliver a high-octane opening. Played with real precision by Laura Buhagiar, Jodie Micciche and Jessica Ncube – Ronnette, Chiffon and Crystal are the only ones who really know what’s going on. As the show’s narrators, they’re omnipresent – and under Leanne Pinder’s expert choreography, this trio even moves as one.

The opening scene also introduces the greedy Mr Mushnik, played by Andrew Whitehead, and Seymour Krelborn, played by Scott McClure. Both give commanding performances, with McClure’s physical portrayal of the poor, downtrodden Seymour – as slightly hunched over and turned inward – particularly effective. But the standout actor in that opener, and indeed throughout, is Leigh Quinn’s Audrey. With her ditsy stage-trot, leopard skin and fishnets, she blends humour and dark, heartbreaking fragility, yet carries a strength of voice and a thread of hope that endures to the end.

Her physically abusive and controlling boyfriend Orin Scrivello couldn’t be a sharper contrast. In leather trousers, wild-eyed and perfectly timed, Ross Clifton delivers a brilliantly unsettling portrayal of a dentist who chose his profession for the pain it lets him inflict. It’s a masterclass in physical comedy and threat. He’s a maniac – but his hip-swivelling swagger in leather, and the way he commands the stage even while trapped inside a gas helmet, droplets forming, is terrifyingly pleasurable.

And then there’s Seymour and Audrey II, the other gloriously dysfunctional relationship in this campy cautionary tale. Once the predatory plant begins to talk and Seymour realises his dwindling blood supply is no longer enough, the end is already in motion. Yet that sweet-talking green terror has undeniably seductive powers, helped by Dashaun Vegas’ extraordinary vocals and the wonderfully precise puppetry direction puppetry of operator Tom Welch. As Audrey II grows, so does her allure. She may be monstrous, but she’s dangerously hard to resist. So it’s no surprise when the finale turns fully green: Audrey II has taken over, and we’re all swallowed whole.

This is a brilliant, five-star production and, hopefully, a taste of more top-notch regional collaborations to come. Feed me more Exeter, feed me more.

Nicola Curtis