Menken and Ashman’s 1982 musical theatre hit Little Shop of Horrors, has long been a staple of both High School and West End stages. It’s refreshing, therefore, that the Co-Directors, Tom Beazley and Amy Stinton, of this EUSOG (Edinburgh Savoy Opera Group) production, have been brave enough to make some changes. Or rather, one big change.
Those expecting proceedings to be dominated by a giant green puppet will be disappointed – just not for long. The big, deep voice of Thaddeus Buttrey intones Audrey II’s ‘Feed Me Seymour’ as well as any, whilst his larger-than-life presence, decked in green makes puppetry surplus to requirements. His take on ‘Feed Me (Git It)’ would have doubtless have earned a ‘Hello Baby’ from The Big Bopper himself.
For Little Shop newcomers, Audrey II is the alien plant which our downtrodden, orphan florist Seymour (a perfectly cast Conor O’Cuinn) will nurture from sickly sapling to towering human eater. Promising fame and riches, this big green devil offers his impoverished keeper a deal he can’t refuse – so long as he feeds him.
“The big, deep voice of Thaddeus Buttrey intones Audrey II’s ‘Feed Me Seymour’ as well as any”
Class struggle and capitalism are writ large across this production, the set rendered in the grim greys and muddy browns of ‘Skid Row’. The lack of floristry, be it painted, fake, or cultivated, however, does make Mushnik’s Flower Shop rather more abstract than is necessary.
Conversely, the subversive undertones of racial panic present in the original book are mostly neutered by Buttrey’s casting and the absence of a big-lipped plant puppet. It allows this EUSOG production to hitch its wagon to the capitalist-critique wagon without distraction. After the wild (and needless) controversy which played out in the international press during last year’s Jesus Chris Superstar, avoiding another cultural raw nerve is just good sense.
What’s left is a fun, whacky, and rather more tragic rendition of Little Shop of Horrors than many. Thanks in no little part to a vocally strong, and affecting performance from Allison Lavercombe as the ill-fated, and much-abused, love of Seymour’s life. Rife with self-loathing, and trapped with sadistic dentist boyfriend Orin (Nash Norgaard Morton), Beazley and Stinton studiously strip the least comedy from her desperate situation. Lavercombe’s rendition of ‘Somewhere That’s Green’ is as sweet as it is despairing.
Conor O’Cuinn & the cast of Little Shop of Horrors © Andrew Morris
Morton, for his part, creates a memorably devilish, Elvis-esque creature and a ripe candidate for poetic justice. In truth, the casting is generally excellent, each role filled with the right performer, with just the right voice. Rarely in non-professional musical theatre, will you hear a finer assemblage of voices.
The musical’s triumvirate chorus, The Urchins: Crystal (Gemima Iseka-Bekano), Ronnette (Marie Keinde), and Chiffon (Duha Bilal) are particularly splendid, whether solo or in harmony. With abundant sass and vocal power, they balance the show’s energy and prevent it from being sucked exclusively into orbit around Buttrey’s dominant turn.
Further, our sort-of-heroes, O’Cuinn and Lavercombe combine well, the one anchoring the other’s performance when they share a stage. Their ‘Suddenly Seymour’ pays particular testament to a delightful vocal compatibility.
“…there is far worse theatrical company one could keep than this energetic, earnest, and inventive Little Shop of Horrors.”
Completing a musical royal flush, the accompanying band under Emily Paterson puts in a lively, tight performance, accompanying, and enabling a joyous rendition of Menken’s catchy mash-up of Doo-wop, Motown, and Rock and Roll.
However, perhaps the show builds up just a little too much energy and momentum from a fine and measured First Act. The genesis and escalation of Seymour’s dilemma amidst the grim reality of Skid Row promises a grand finale which is just a touch rushed in the end. Whilst some of this is inherent to the book, there’s a looseness to the blocking and choreography which muddies the story a little. Such flaws are notably absent in the ingenious presentation of Audrey II and the superbly stage-eating Buttrey. One suspects that the mean green-eating machine may have consumed just a little too much of everyone’s attention in rehearsals.
There has, however, never been doubt as to the ambition of, and talent available to EUSOG, and this Little Shop of Horrors continues to prove the point. The wait for their perfect outing may continue, but this vocally excellent, energetic, earnest, and inventive Little Shop of Horrors makes for a fine night out indeed.
Little Shop of Horrors is an Edinburgh University Savoy Opera Group production.
Show Details
Dates: 23rd-27th January 2023
Showtimes:
Age Recommendation: 13+ (Parental Discretion)
Running Time: <2 hours
Accessibility
- Wheelchair Accessible Venue
- Wheelchair Accessible Toilet
- Audio Enhancement System
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