What does the New Wolsey theatre do best? Rocking comedies with actor/musicians -  and great sets. You have them both in their latest production “The Little Shop of Horrors”, a tongue-in-cheek 50’s-style sci-fi musical about a florist’s assistant who creates a monster man-eating plant. It is no surprise to see that the team behind the scenes are the same ones who produce the New Wolsey’s sell-out rock’n’roll pantomimes.

In this show there is the Ronettes-style trio of singers (played by Scarlette Douglas, Malinda Parris and Naana Agyei-Ampadu) belting out some great songs,  and other cast members alternating between playing their roles, singing and joining the musicians performing on a high balcony above the stage.

In Fair Isle tank top and bow tie, Seymour, (James Haggie) is the hapless love-struck propagator of the scary singing exotic plant, Audrey II, (Jo Serui as the plants voice, and Dominic Eddington on manipulation), which grows and grows and demands his creator to “Feed me!” Apart from the shop owner, Mr Mushnik (Harry Myers), ending as plant food to halt his suspicions, also fed to the greedy plant is the one character I have never liked in this musical. Orin, the mad, bullying, girl-friend -beating dentist, (suitably over-acted by Nick Haverson) …but perhaps that’s just something lacking in my sense of humour. 

The real star of the show is of course, the greedy plant, but special mention must be made of Audrey (Shirley Darroch), Seymour’s secret love. A Betty Boop-style blonde bombshell with a cute accent, hip-hugging short satin skirt, tottering on stiletto heels, she brought a tear to the audience’s eyes singing of her dream of escaping to a “matchbox house ….. somewhere green…with an iron, a toaster and  a chain link fence”,  and then stole most of the laughs with her great sense of timing. She’s a cracking trumpet player too! 

And the set? A very convincing shopfront on a rubbish- strewn Skid Row, (complete with a steaming pavement), which opens to become the interior of the failing florist’s shop, a store that is regenerated and transformed by the publicity about the exotic plant as it grows before the audience’s eyes.

Suspend your disbelief, imagine yourself at a nineteen fifties B movie and enjoy the foot-tapping music and the humour of “The Little Shop of Horrors”, a great start to the New Wolsey’s autumn programme.

Rachel Sloane
September 2008 
 
Runs until 4th October 2008 - more details from http://www.wolseytheatre.co.uk/

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