Macabre, delightful! (Review
by Shannon Kenny)
Little Shop of Horrors opened at the Playhouse Drama Theatre to an audience of theatre-goers, young and old, brimming with excitement for a fun night out at the theatre. From the chatter I overheard, there were as many who seemed familiar with the story as those who were not.
This is the twenty-fifth time that director and producer, Nick Jourdan, has toured a Northcliff High production of a musical to The Playhouse, with performers from Grade 8 to Grade 12, and technical crew made up of staff and pupils. In addition, the cast was accompanied by an ensemble of accomplished, live musicians (what a treat) under the baton of conductor, Matthew Vlok.
The story is set in mean Mrs Mushnik’s florist shop in a gritty urban Skid Row, replete with street urchins, drunks and hustlers. Seymour Krelborn, Mushnik’s hapless assistant, acquires a mysterious Venus Flytrap-like plant after a solar eclipse. Seymour names the plant Audrey II (two), after his co-worker, Audrey with whom he is secretly in love. Not only does Audrey II talk, it has an insatiable bloodlust - which Seymour is compelled to satisfy - and is ultimately on a quest for world domination!
Through his direction, Jourdan has ensured all the humour and all the pathos in Little Shop of Horrors are in all the right places. The opening night audience lapped up every pun, double entendre, hard luck story and grim reference - in both script and lyrics - with relish, responding with gasps and guffaws.
Joshua Wareham is aptly cast and delivers a convincing performance as the awkward, naive and ever well-meaning Seymour: keeper and feeder of The Plant, secret admirer of Audrey and exploited assistant to Mrs Mushnik.
Emily Blake takes on the role of shop owner, Mrs Mushnik and delivers a refreshing take on a traditionally male role - curmudgeonly, by turns maternal, always mercenary and ever so casually exploitative.
Adriana Sevell’s Audrey - truly sweet, self-deprecating, kind and dreamy - had the audience immediately on-side, eliciting ooh’s and ah’s for her rendition of the hope-filled Somewhere that’s Green in Act 1 and especially in the poignant reprise in Act 2.
Kieran Lalloo’s Orin Scrivello - Audrey’s abusive boyfriend
and sadistic dentist - was appropriately over-the-top, as palatable as an
egotistical misogynist can be and brutal enough for the audience to revel in
schadenfreude at his deliciously gruesome fate.
Omolemo Ramagoffu, Jamie Lamont, Leticia Nleya and Sarah Brickhill along with the rest of the chorus ensemble provide solid support throughout. Their transformations from street kids, to customers to moguls were well-executed. Omolemo’s vocals in Skid Row-Downtown and Jamiee Lamont’s turn as Mrs Luce drew especially appreciative cheers from the audience.
For The Plant/Audrey II, Nick Jourdan called on the skills of two former pupils, Garrin Solomons (the voice) and Garrick Brickhill (puppeteer). The audience chortled their way through the bloodthirsty Feed Me - Git It and Suppertime.
In the zany tango Mushnik & Son Mrs Mushnik hatches a plan to maintain the success to which she has become accustomed. Emily Blake and Joshua Wareham’s comic timing rendered this particular number fabulously funny.
Audrey and Seymour’s duet, Suddenly Seymour in which they confess their love for one another, had all of the hope, affirmation and poignance of young love, beautifully and convincingly delivered by Adriana and Joshua.
A rousing company number, The Meek Shall Inherit was delivered with aplomb.
While a spoof on B-Grade Horror movies, the questions about ‘worthiness,’ self-worth and exploitation; what we would do for love or money; Faustian dilemmas and the making and enabling of monsters, abound. These were certainly not lost on the audience. Credit to the engaging performers who kept the audience “in the story” throughout.
Howard Ashman and Alan Menken’s musical was, by Jourdan’s admission, quite a challenge - from tutoring the cast “to find the funny” in a style of comedy unfamiliar to them; to the construction AND finding a suitable puppeteer and voice for The Plant.
From the opening number with the Skid Row Kids to curtain call with the full company, these young performers (and their accompanists) delivered captivating performances, with main cast as well as chorus members receiving well-deserved applause from a thoroughly delighted audience.
To quote just one very thrilled audience member I overheard in the loo: “I’m so glad she persisted and convinced me to come. The show is really good. It could have been a dismal night alone on the couch. Instead, I’ve had such fun and got to share it with my friends.”
Well done to all involved - on stage and backstage - for mounting an exuberant, joyful, sensitive and very darkly funny production. – Shannon Kenny
Little Shop of Horrors runs at the Playhouse Drama Theatre till Sunday, July 6. Performances are from July 2 to 6 with evening performances at 19h30 and matinees on the Saturday at 14h00 and Sunday at 15h00. Tickets throughout R100 (R80 for seniors).
Booking for all shows is through Webtickets