ONE of the best-loved musicals of recent years, Little Shop of Horrors comes to the theatre at Poole’s Lighthouse arts centre from Tuesday 20th to Saturday 24th October in a new production by Exeter Northcott Theatre co-produced with the Lighthouse and Coventry’s Belgrade Theatre.
Packed with unforgettable songs, infectious rhythms, and bold theatrical storytelling, the show follows mild-mannered florist Seymour (Scott McClure) who stumbles upon a strange and exotic plant he names Audrey (Leigh Quinn). But this new green arrival has a very particular taste… and as success blooms and true love beckons, our hero has an impossible choice to make.
For Martin Berry, creative director and joint chief wxecutive of Exeter Northcott, the show is packed with brilliant moments, inviting the audience to take both the comedy and the emotional truth seriously: “The song Skid Row is crucial because it establishes the world – a place of poverty, frustration and thwarted dreams, but also enormous musical energy. Grow for Me is the point where Seymour’s relationship with the plant begins, and where the central bargain of the story starts to form.
“Somewhere That’s Green is absolutely key because it tells us who Audrey is beneath the surface. It is funny, yes, but it is also deeply moving: a tiny, domestic dream of safety and love. Feed Me is where temptation properly takes hold, and Suddenly, Seymour is the emotional release – the moment the show lets itself be sincerely romantic.
“Then the finale reminds us that this is still a cautionary tale. The plant may be funny, but it is also appetite, greed and ambition made flesh.”
The original short story by HG Wells was written in 1894 and was made into a low-budget film in 1960 that inspired the stage musical by now-legendary duo, Howard Ashman and Alan Menken. After debuting Off Off-Broadway in 1982, it enjoyed more than 2,000 performances in its home theatre and toured internationally, including to the West End in 1983.
This new production marks the return of Exeter Northcott Theatre to producing a full-scale musical for the first time in more than 20 years and Martin Berry is clearly excited about the prospect. “My favourite part changes all the time, but I always come back to Suddenly, Seymour.”
Photographs by Craig Fuller