Little Shop of Horrors

Menier Chocolate Factory Production, currently on a UK tour

Glasgow, King’s Theatre: Monday 6^th April – Saturday 11^th April 2009
Sunderland, Empire Theatre: Monday 13^th April – Saturday 18^th April 2009
Nottingham, Theatre Royal: Monday 20^th April – Saturday 25^th April 2009
Manchester, Opera House: Monday 27^th April – Saturday 2^nd May 2009
Liverpool, Empire Theatre: Monday 4^th May – Saturday 9^th May 2009
Milton Keynes Theatre: Monday 11^th May – Saturday 16^th May 2009
Woking, New Victoria Theatre: Monday 18^th May – Saturday 23^rd May 2009

Theatres across the land are currently being taken over by the flesh eating plant, Audrey II, in the very successful Menier Chocolate Factory’s production of Little Shop of Horrors, now on tour. The musical is traditionally performed in intimate spaces, but has been scaled-up to be performed in larger theatre venues in this current tour. In Little Shop of Horrors’ history small scale productions have a tendency to be better received, as a lot of the humour, terror and character approachability can be lost in large theatre spaces. Unfortunately, the same comment can be applied to this production. However there is no denying that Menier Chocolate Factory’s reincarnation is slickly paced and performed with great style, consequently Seymour and Audrey’s sentimental love story can still be enthralling and entertaining.

Damian Humbley and Clare Buckfield take on the roles of Seymour and Audrey, humble and naive characters that briefly find comfort and love in each other before being eaten. The reality presented in Skid Road, where everyone is in danger of being eaten, may be far from our own, yet Seymour’s downfall because of his ambition and the plant’s influence has connotations of tragic theatrical tradition. The sadistic dentist is played by Alex Ferns in this production, a part he appears to revel in and shines as he entertain the, more than eager, audience.

Overall, and quiet rightly so, the star of the musical is the plant. Mike McShane’s voice booms through the auditorium, allowing for Audrey II to be both humorous and terrifying, assisted by the impressive puppetry techniques. Perhaps this productions is not quiet the best the musical can be, ultimately due to the venues that this production is touring to, yet this musical is created with great loyalty to the lovable story.

Blue Surge | Cobweb Theatre Company | Adam House, Edinburgh

Following Life of Insects (see review below) in Cobweb Theatre Company’s double bill is Rebecca Gilman’s Blue Surge, a play about two cops and their assignment to close down a known prostitution business, masquerading as a massage parlour. On the surface, Cobweb Theatre Company’s two plays are very different in style and content; however the two are inherently linked by their examination of class and gender roles, and hence balance each other well. Yet, by comparison, John Lake’s production contains a small cast of five and the production’s particular strengths lie in the individual dramatic moments.

Andrew Henry portrays the character of Curt, a cop that takes it upon himself to try to help Sandy, played by Frankie Bradley, a young woman working in the “Naughty but Nice” massage parlour. Some of the most intimate and poignant moments in the performance happen between Henry and Bradley, as their characters begin to connect. The principal theme of the gap between classes is shown effectively through Henry’s character and his relationship with his wealthy fiancée, played by Laura Brough. Lake’s production focuses on the themes in Gilman’s script, unfortunately resulting in the story telling arch being lost a little along the way. The constant blackout interruptions slowed down the action and were, at times, clumsy. Nevertheless, the production contains both tragic and comic moments, particularly the exchanges between Jamie Laing’s character, Doug, and Emma Hay’s Heather.

On the whole, the production succeeds in its intentions and new layers are successfully added by the cast, though some confusion results by the attempt to set the action in Scotland. The Chicagoan play has language and social conditions connected to its setting, which were not fully separated for this production. However, this small detail did not take away too much from the overall quality.

Oliver

Cameron Mackintosh Presentation, Royal Theatre Drury Lane, London
Friday 12^th December 2008 – currently booking to Saturday 18^th July 2009

The creators of the reality television show I’ll Do Anything were very clever; reminding the UK population how much they love the Lionel Bart’s musical Oliver!and subsequently attracting an audience that is not necessarily the theatre-going type. They then suitably catered for their audience with a sleek, constantly changing, fast paced, television-like production, complete with their new favourite reality stars and other famous television faces. The creators’ cleverness has, undeniably, paid off, with record breaking sales and regular full houses in the large Royal Theatre Drury Lane. The audience certainly do lap up what they are served, yet, this reviewer wonders if Cameron Mackintosh’s newest production of Oliver! is anything new or if it is really needed.

The quality of the set and staging cannot be denied, as the whole performance is beautifully crafted on the vast theatre space. The cast boasts over eighty performers and the sequences involving all of these performers are truly epic. The children performers are directed flawlessly and seem perfectly aware of their likeability. I’ll Do Anything winner, Jodie Prenger, portrays a typical Nancy, which is a very honest presentation of the character. Prenger, undeniably, commands the stage in the energetic “Oom-Pah-Pah” opening to the second act and is well received, through the entire performance, by the audience. Likewise, Rowan Atkinson’s Fagin is well pitched for the audience and is mostly played for comic purposes, although, it could be argued, his performance went against the character’s sinister nature in Dickens’ book.

The lack of devoted, theatrical, Dickensian style is the productions main drawback. The colourful London is far from other darker presentations of Dickens’ works and this flaw is assisted by the light, contagious music. Overall, the musical is at home in the Royal Theatre Drury Lane and is much adored by the audience, although lacking the Dickensian grit.