Little Shop of Horrors Theatre by the Lake Keswick Review
DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW
Reviewed by Jo Hardy
Based on a film by Roger Corman that was later turned into a musical this new show of the cult classic is a co production between Theatre by the Lake, Octagon Theatre Bolton, Hull Truck Theatre and The New Wolsey Theatre,
The open set is the interior of Mr Mushnik’s flower shop and the band play on a platform above, the story is set on Skid Row in a poor area of New York, and the apartment blocks and fire escapes at the side of the stage set the scene perfectly. The lighting is bright and bold mainly in red and green and give the show a retro sci-fi feel.
The story is about strange plant that appears from nowhere, people flock to the shop to see this unusual plant and it transforms the once struggling little shop into a thriving business. Suddenly the shop, the plant and Seymour are trust into the limelight. There is a little love story threaded through the show between Seymour the weedy shop assistant who found and nurtured the strange plant, and Audrey who also works in the flower shop, a girl with a past and a big heart and dreams.
The bubbly trio of Crystal, Ronnette and Chifon in lovely colourful 50/60 outfits guid us through the show with a musical narration. Laura Jane Mathewson who plays Audrey sang a beautiful romantic song “Suddenly Seymour” which brought some tenderness and light into the show, which I think we needed.
When the plant (which Seymour named Audrey two) was first shown to us it wasn’t much more than a seedling and looked similar to a Venus fly trap and I thought it was quite cute, I couldn’t have been more wrong, as it grew and developed a taste for blood it took on a very sinister, demanding personality.
The cast of nine put on a fantastic, energetic show and had multiple talents, acting, singing, puppetry and providing the live music. Oliver Mawdsley played the weak and weedy Seymour so perfectly that I was surprised when he sang with such a powerful voice.
Be warned if Little Shop of Horrors could put you off gardening for life Matthew Ganley’s portrayal of the demonic dentist Orin may put you off going to the dentist for life, seeing him brandishing an electric drill made me sink down a little bit further into my seat.
This show will make you laugh, make you cringe, tap your feet, and jump and the final high energy scene will give you a big dose of dopamine to take home with you.
Another fantastic night of entertainment from Theatre by the Lake.
Rating: 5/5
Little shop of Horrors will be at Theatre by the Lake from Wednesday 27th March until Saturday 20th April, shows start at 7.30pm with a matinee starting at 2pm on selected dates.
https://www.theatrebythelake.com/event/little-shop-of-horrors/
Suitable for ages 11 and up the show runs for approximately 130 mins with an intermission.
Ticket prices start at £12 and are available from the theatre website theatrebythelake.com or by phoning the box office.