Luckiest Productions and Tinderbox Productions. Her Majesty’s Theatre. 22 Apr 2016
It is a grey and gloomy skid row that set and costume designers, Owen Phillips and Tim Chappel give us for the first half of this revival production of The Little Shop of Horrors; and it is easily one of the most effective elements. Erth Visual and Physical Inc’s magnificent Audrey II puppet bursts forth in bold colour, encompassing everything in its wake; but it is the talented cast of all-rounders on whom the success of this show rests, and with superlative direction by Dean Bryant, simple and effective choreography from Andrew Hallsworth, and tight musical direction from Andrew Worboys, The Little Shop of Horrors leaves audiences hungry for more!
Based on the B-grade cult-hit film version of 1986, The Little Shop of Horrors finds the orphaned and solitary Seymour Krelborn working for the down-and-out Mr Mushnik in a florist on Skid Row, his colleague, and secretly beloved, Audrey shares the desperately slow workload; the shop being on the verge of closure.
When Mushnik announces that it is curtains for the trio, Audrey suggests placing one of Seymour’s queer horticultural creations in the window to draw in the punters - and so we meet Audrey II; a blood thirsty Venus flytrap-like vegetal which rockets our unlikely heroes to fame and fortune.
But at a massive cost!
Brent Hill is in fine form as Seymour Krelborn, and in a fantastical twist simultaneously provides the soulful vocalisations of the plant, demonstrating a penchant for multiple characterisations and adding a sadistic layer to Seymour and Audrey II’s relationship, perhaps revealing to us his true inner desires.
Esther Hannaford’s voice soars over well-known numbers like ‘Suddenly Seymour’ and finds new levels of emotional connection in ‘Somewhere That’s Green’. Her comic timing is first rate and has the audience regularly in stitches; even if her accent travels the gamut from Eastern European to Jewish via New York and back again.
Tyler Coppin’s Mushnik is corruptible and careless in the kindest of ways, never overplaying the comedy yet somehow likeable despite his manipulative nature. Scott Johnson garners plenty of laughs, and many from himself, in a wonderfully sadistic performance as the pain-inflicting dentist Orin Scrivello, DDS; Audrey’s boyfriend and Audrey II’s first meal.
The chorus of street women, Chiffon, Ronnette, and Crystal - played by Josie Lane, Chloe Zuel and Angelique Cassimatis respectively – are sexy and sassy. Their numbers opening both first and second acts are a bit garbled and difficult to understand, but their voices are spectacular and harmonise well together.
This production feels as though it has been lifted straight out of a comic book. Ross Graham’s lighting is evocative and brings depth and complexity to the greys as well as life and excitement to the coloured scenes. One could live without the projections on the flimsy and distracting curtain, however.
Audiences old and new will love this production for its energy, comedy and excellent characters. New life has been breathed into and old classic and it tastes good! Feed me more!
Paul Rodda
When: 20 to 30 Apr
Where: Her Majesty’s Theatre
Bookings: bass.net.au
Photography by Jeff Busby
