REVIEW
Leigh Operative & Dramatic Society present
Little Shop of Horrors
Palace Theatre, Westcliff on Sea
www.southendtheatres.org.uk
Leigh Operative & Dramatic Society present
Little Shop of Horrors
Palace Theatre, Westcliff on Sea
www.southendtheatres.org.uk
‘Little Shop of Horrors’ returns to Southend this week to the delight of audiences!
Leigh Operatic and Dramatic Society return to the Palace Theatre stage after almost two years this week and the underlying anticipation from the audience on the night I was there (Thursday) was palpable.
Little Shop of Horrors has always been a firm favourite with audiences with its dark humour, witty dialogue and catchy tunes giving it an iconic status and making it hugely popular with theatre goers as well as fans of the 1986 film starring Rick Moranis and Steve Martin. The show's popularity is no surprise really when you consider that Howard Ashman and Alan Menken wrote the music and lyrics. The pair also created shows such as Disney's Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin. Little Shop of Horrors, however, is quite a different kettle of fish altogether. Aimed towards a more adult sense of humour, the show follows meek florist shop assistance, Seymour Krelbourn (James Cohen) who happens to come across a new and strange breed of plant that he names Audrey II in homage to his secret crush and co-worker, the beautiful but downtrodden Audrey (Reanne Nash).
The unusual plant gives the florists shop a much needed boost to its custom but the fun begins when Seymour inadvertently discovers that the plant thrives on drinking blood. As Audrey II grows it becomes clear that this potty-mouthed, R&B singing carnivore is not from this world and that things are going to become complicated if Audrey II doesn't get its own way.
LODS’ stalwart, Peter Brown, does a great turn in the role of Mr Mushnik, owner of the skid row florists that suddenly becomes hugely popular thanks to Audrey II’s appeal in the front window. He has some lovely scenes with James Cohen as Seymour and Reanne Nash as Audrey.
Cohen is the perfect Seymour; geeky and awkward yet completely endearing. You are rooting for him all the way both in his plight to keep Audrey II alive by actually dripping the blood from his fingers into the plant, and predominantly to win the heart of his kooky co-worker Audrey away from her evil, sadistic boyfriend Orin, the local dentist, played delightfully by Tom Johnson. Johnson’s timing is as terrifically hilarious as shocking in this role and you sense his joy in creating such a monster on stage.
Reanne plays Audrey beautifully and we really feel her pain when she yearns for her perfect home and happy ending in Somewhere That’s Green. Reanne’s vocals are just so gorgeous; I could listen to her sing all day long.
A lot of the musical narrative is aided by Declan Wright, Rebecca Wallace and Gemma Lloyd as Ronnie, Chiffon and Crystal. The trio are a constant thread running through the fabric of the show. From the opening number, Little Shop of Horrors, through to the Finale they provide some cracking harmonies to accompany the main players and ensemble in the show. Declan also gets the opportunity to show off an impressive set of pipes with a great range of soulful vocals to accompany some of the trio’s numbers. It was great to watch their Motown style dance routines too and choreography throughout the show from the whole cast was a joy to watch, thanks to Sallie Warrington’s artistic and choreographic direction.
The unseen stars of the show of course are Audrey II puppet operator, Joe Peek and the smooth, sultry voice of Audrey II provided by Tilly Tait, who certainly knows how to belt out a tune.
MD, Rachael Plunkett has worked her usual magic with this cast and the band, conducted by Clare Penfold, sounded like they were a lot larger than the four musicians who were actually in the pit.
The show is supported by some great individual and ensemble moments and costumes looked great. Sound and lighting were on point as one always expects with the likes of Glenn Oxenbury and Joshua Blows in charge.
Congrats to LODS for a great return to the stage. The anticipation was certainly worth the wait.
Little Shop of Horrors has always been a firm favourite with audiences with its dark humour, witty dialogue and catchy tunes giving it an iconic status and making it hugely popular with theatre goers as well as fans of the 1986 film starring Rick Moranis and Steve Martin. The show's popularity is no surprise really when you consider that Howard Ashman and Alan Menken wrote the music and lyrics. The pair also created shows such as Disney's Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin. Little Shop of Horrors, however, is quite a different kettle of fish altogether. Aimed towards a more adult sense of humour, the show follows meek florist shop assistance, Seymour Krelbourn (James Cohen) who happens to come across a new and strange breed of plant that he names Audrey II in homage to his secret crush and co-worker, the beautiful but downtrodden Audrey (Reanne Nash).
The unusual plant gives the florists shop a much needed boost to its custom but the fun begins when Seymour inadvertently discovers that the plant thrives on drinking blood. As Audrey II grows it becomes clear that this potty-mouthed, R&B singing carnivore is not from this world and that things are going to become complicated if Audrey II doesn't get its own way.
LODS’ stalwart, Peter Brown, does a great turn in the role of Mr Mushnik, owner of the skid row florists that suddenly becomes hugely popular thanks to Audrey II’s appeal in the front window. He has some lovely scenes with James Cohen as Seymour and Reanne Nash as Audrey.
Cohen is the perfect Seymour; geeky and awkward yet completely endearing. You are rooting for him all the way both in his plight to keep Audrey II alive by actually dripping the blood from his fingers into the plant, and predominantly to win the heart of his kooky co-worker Audrey away from her evil, sadistic boyfriend Orin, the local dentist, played delightfully by Tom Johnson. Johnson’s timing is as terrifically hilarious as shocking in this role and you sense his joy in creating such a monster on stage.
Reanne plays Audrey beautifully and we really feel her pain when she yearns for her perfect home and happy ending in Somewhere That’s Green. Reanne’s vocals are just so gorgeous; I could listen to her sing all day long.
A lot of the musical narrative is aided by Declan Wright, Rebecca Wallace and Gemma Lloyd as Ronnie, Chiffon and Crystal. The trio are a constant thread running through the fabric of the show. From the opening number, Little Shop of Horrors, through to the Finale they provide some cracking harmonies to accompany the main players and ensemble in the show. Declan also gets the opportunity to show off an impressive set of pipes with a great range of soulful vocals to accompany some of the trio’s numbers. It was great to watch their Motown style dance routines too and choreography throughout the show from the whole cast was a joy to watch, thanks to Sallie Warrington’s artistic and choreographic direction.
The unseen stars of the show of course are Audrey II puppet operator, Joe Peek and the smooth, sultry voice of Audrey II provided by Tilly Tait, who certainly knows how to belt out a tune.
MD, Rachael Plunkett has worked her usual magic with this cast and the band, conducted by Clare Penfold, sounded like they were a lot larger than the four musicians who were actually in the pit.
The show is supported by some great individual and ensemble moments and costumes looked great. Sound and lighting were on point as one always expects with the likes of Glenn Oxenbury and Joshua Blows in charge.
Congrats to LODS for a great return to the stage. The anticipation was certainly worth the wait.
Performances are from Wednesday 27th October – Saturday 30th October at 7:30PM with matinees on Thursday and Saturday at 2:30PM.
Don’t miss out, BOOK YOUR TICKETS NOW!
WWW.SOUTHENDTHEATRES.COM
Don’t miss out, BOOK YOUR TICKETS NOW!
WWW.SOUTHENDTHEATRES.COM
