Little Shop of Horrors – Derby Theatr
As someone who struggles to keep even the easiest of succulents alive, I feel for Seymour as he tries to keep Audrey II alive. In my case it is normally that I haven’t watered the plant enough, but the exotic species of Audrey II requires a far different liquid to stay alive.
Little Shop of Horrors playing at Derby Theatre, tells the tale of the lengths Seymour will go to keep his plant alive. The plant is his ticket out of the poverty of Skid Row and potentially the way to capture the heart of the girl of his dreams, Audrey.
Seymour (played by Kristian Cunningham) works at Mr Mushnik’s (Jon Bonner) florists with Audrey (Amena El-Kindy). The shop is struggling to sell even a single flower until Seymour puts Audrey II on display, attracting customers from far and wide who want to see this “strange and interesting” plant.
Overnight, their fortunes change. But Audrey II doesn’t require any normal plant feed. No, this plant requires something much harder to procure.
The show very much plays into its cultish B-movie origins. From exaggerated comic horror to stylised creative captions that play homage to the genre. These captions are present throughout the show and incorporated into various elements of the stage. This is a fun addition as the captions change based on the mood of the scene and are far more animated than standard captions.
I will note though that if you depend on captions, make sure to get central seats. I was seated in B5 and some of the captions were obscured by parts of the set.
Although the show is silly and camp, that doesn’t mean there isn’t some serious talent on show here. Cunningham is delightfully dorky as Seymour and is a convincing lead with great vocals and energy as he demonstrates with Grow For Me in Act 1.
El-Kindy delivers a powerhouse performance, with the best vocals I’ve ever heard for the character. Her performance of Somewhere That’s Green is not only technically excellent, but it is full of strong emotion digging deep into the character’s desire to leave Skid Row.
El-Kindy and Cunnigham have a lovely chemistry. Suddenly, Seymour is one of my all time favourite musical theatre numbers, and their rendition of the song made me fall in love with it once again.
David Rankine is utterly detestable as Orin the Dentist – Audrey’s awful boyfriend. Rankine plays the terrible character so perfectly and has such a strong stage presence you can’t help but root for his downfall.
Acting as guides throughout the show are the Urchins Ronnette (Emmanuella Chede), Crystal (Shekkinah McFarlane) and Chiffon (Chioma Uma). They also play guitar and saxophone, as part of the actor-musician element of the production. Bonner, too, not only plays the semi-fatherly Mr Mushnik but is also in the band as is Rankine and other cast members such as Tasha Dowd who provides the voice of Audrey II.
Audrey II needs a special mention. Starting as a mere potted plant, it evolves into something bigger and bigger. Under the puppet direction of John Barber and the puppeteering of Ross Lennon, Audrey II really does become the star attraction. Every scene with a bigger Audrey II drew gasps and laughs from the audience. Completing the character is Dowd’s wonderful voice work which makes watching a puppet plant sing highly entertaining. It is also lovely that Dowd gets their own moment to shine centre stage in the final curtain call number. Dowd has a seriously powerful pair of lungs.
Verity Quinn’s set design is quirky and weird in the best ways. Everything feels downtrodden and organic with a slight Dr Seuss vibe throughout and Sarah Brigham’s direction sparks new life into a show that has been performed countless times whilst keeping the heart of the show intact.
This production is whimsical, fun, and exhilarating. Make sure to get yourself down to Derby Theatre before it finishes on 20 June. But remember, don’t feed the plant!
Photos credit: Pamela Raith
