Little Shop of Horrors, the musical by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken about a blood-thirsty plant that hoodwinks a naive botanist into helping with its plans for world domination, plays an extended run at the Highland Arts Theatre in Sydney, until November 8th, 2019.
The musical originally premiered Off-Off Broadway in 1982 and then transferred to the Orpheum Theatre Off-Broadway where it ran for five years. The music, by Ashman and Menken, captures the spirit of the early 1960s rock n’ roll, doo-wop, and early Motown, and three of the characters, Crystal, Chiffon, and Ronnette, who function as the play’s Greek Chorus, are named in homage to three defining girl groups of the era. Musically, the cast of Ron Jenkins’ production is exceptionally strong and well-suited to the style of this specific score. The band is also superb.
The story is set on Skid Row, a shabby street in an inner city where Seymour, a nerdy botanist, and Audrey, the girl he pines after, work in Mushnik’s rundown flower shop. One day, Seymour decides to put the strange plant he found (and named the Audrey II) in the front window and almost instantly his fortune, and the fortune of the shop, begins to change. He is met with sudden success and celebrity and attention from the woman he loves. But, at what cost?
Wesley J. Colford plays Seymour with a lovely mixture of earnestness and silliness and Heather Kerr does a beautiful job playing Audrey as a woman with a golden heart, whose soul has been trampled on continuously, but who is still trying to shine on in spite of it. Colford and Kerr’s powerhouse duet “Suddenly Seymour” is an especially magical moment in the show. Aaron Corbett plays Mushnik, Seymour and Audrey’s perpetually exasperated boss, to great comedic effect. Ashley Buckingham, Lesley MacLean, and Zion Stephens shine as Ronnette, Chiffon, and Crystal, street urchins who comment on the action of the play as it progresses. I especially liked the way they unite around Audrey when they realize that her boyfriend is assaulting her, and try to empower her into leaving him. This is dark territory for a musical like this one to go, and I’m glad these scenes were played with the gravity they deserve here. Ciarán MacGillivray plays Audrey’s sadistic boyfriend, Orin, the Dentist, who is darkly hilarious, and also deeply disturbing. MacGillivray does a great job at playing both the B-Horror Movie absurdity of this villain, but also, ultimately, grounding him in a much scarier place: everyday casual misogyny. I did think there was room for Colford’s Seymour to be even more disgusted by Orin when he first sees him with Audrey, but his anger ramps up quickly as the show progresses. Robbie Simms does the big, soulful voice of Audrey II and its perfect.
Kayla Cormier’s set does a great job of bringing Mushnik’s cozy, but modest, flower shop to life, while giving the actors some room for the street scenes on Skid Row as well. Ken Heaton’s lighting design is especially effective in the more fantastical elements of the show. The Audrey II puppet and puppeteering is also fantastic; you really feel the plant come to life and begin to command space and exude its huge personality. Ron Jenkins directs the show well, grounding it in its catchy and powerful score and finding lots of room for silliness and fun, but never at the expense of Audrey’s more serious storyline.
Little Shop of Horrors is a great show for the week surrounding Halloween; if you’re not ready to put up your Christmas tree just yet, I recommend you go downtown and catch this show before it closes!
Little Shop of Horrors plays at the Highland Arts Theatre (40 Bentinck Street, Sydney) for just two more performances: November 7th and November 8th at 8:00pm. Tickets are $42.00 (plus HST) are available at the Box Office at 40 Bentinck Street, by phone at 902.565.3637, or ONLINE HERE.
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