I knew very little about the story-line of Little Shop of Horrors before I went to watch it last Friday night. I was vaguely aware it contained a carnivorous plant, but that was pretty much the extent of my knowledge. However, I knew very little about Mr Mushniks florist shop on Skid Row where the flower is supposedly created by the charming yet socially awkward Seymour Krelborn, who is hopelessly in love with his co-worker Audrey. I think it worked in my favour that I knew very little about the musical before reviewing it last Friday. It meant I could fully appreciate and enjoy the wonderful twists and turns of the story-lines combined with sassy, satirical and soulful songs.
It is fair to say that with this eccentric plot meeting a realist setting, Little Shop of Horrors is not your average musical. It is also fair to say that Newcastle University Theatre’s Society (NUTS) did this unique story justice.
NUTS costumes and set design particularly outshone themselves in this performance. They cleverly used the stage to create the setting of Skid Row and the Audrey II and how they used the plant throughout the play, was also particularly striking. The cast matched the strong setting with good performances from the three main leads, (Oliver Warren as Seymour, Amber Cox as Audrey and Theo Harris as Mushnik). All of their performances were also supported by an energetic cast. In my opinion, the most exceptional performance was Ross Easton as Orin. His rendition of ‘Dentist’ was one of the funniest moments in the play. He also successfully balanced the line between being Audrey’s villainous boyfriend, whilst still being incredibly humorous. Unfortunately, there were some sound difficulties at times which did damage my enjoyment of the musical at moments. These technical difficulties did impede my understanding at points. However, ultimately these difficulties were few and far between. Little Shop of Horrors is the second NUTS musical I have seen and like the first, it did not disappoint. I would strongly recommend going to a NUTS production if you haven’t yet!
