Cast

Synopsis

Little shop of Horrors is a superb musical spoof, parodying both those 1950’s low budget horror films and, at the same time, the soft, rock, all-girl backing groups of the same period. The eclectic score features doo-wop and rock ’n’ roll-infused show tunes that will appeal to audiences of all ages.

A great Christmas treat!

Set in a florist’s shop on derelict Skid Row, the story follows Seymour, a geeky florist assistant, who discovers a strange, exotic plant that draws great public attention, revitalising the business and turning him into a celebrity in the process. The gruesome dilemma, however, is that the plant, christened ‘Audrey ll’ (after his colleague and object of his affections) requires human flesh and blood to survive and flourish…Well, naturally!! So, Seymour feeds his creation with one character after another, the simple moral of the tale – not to give into temptation at the cost of one’s own ethical code – is spelled out in a gloriously absurd finale.

Directors Notes

There are a handful of shows that defy all logic and reasoning to become cult classics. Howard Ashman and Alan Menken’s quirky little Off-Broadway schlock eco-monster musical,Little Shop Of Horrors,is a crowd pleaser that has grown like Topsy since first sprouting on stage 37 years ago. Little Shop’s comic book capers originally appeared in a 1960 low-budget Roger Corman film-starring a young Jack Nicholson -and it inspired Ashmanand Menkento create a stage version. They wrote it in contrast to shows with similar gruesome subject matter, as explained by Ashman in a 1982 interview with Playbill: ‘We don’t treat the material in a gruesome way,’ states Ashman. ‘There’s not a drop of blood onstage–everything is left to audience imagination. Sweeney Todd,which I liked very much, was a serious treatment of horrific subject matter. We’re a spoof. We’re in it for a laugh.’

The laugh paid off as audiences and critics loved Little Shop of Horrors, seeing it’s successful run Off-Broadway for five years. A West End production opened at the Comedy Theatre in 1983, also lauded, receiving the Evening Standard Award for Best Musical. It was then given the silver screen treatment in 1986.

Our stage is the perfect space to convey inner-city claustrophobia. Skid Row, the slum where Mr.Mushnik’s dilapidated flower store inadvertently houses man-eating plant Audrey 2 (named after our florist heroine by her adoring but hapless co-worker Seymour) is characterised as a series of ingeniously scaled-down‘B movie’ comic strips, depicting tenement buildings and fearsome tower blocks–home to trolley-pushing winos. I am indebted to my design team.

The much-loved score and hilarious script have enchanted audiences for years proving Seymour, Audrey and a mysterious plant from outer space are still more popular than ever. Tonight, we unashamedly offer you an eccentric production that vibrates with a sort of grim vitality. Hopefully you will be delighted and alarmed….in equal measure!