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Descending into Pyramid canteen on a bright and clear afternoon of Saturday 30th November, I
wondered if I’d made the right decision to sacrifice the dwindling hours of winter daylight to attend
LUUMT society’s matinee production of Little Shop of Horrors. But upon entry, it was immediately
clear the audience was in for a treat. Utilising my favourite of the union’s theatres, Pyramid, in a
‘thrust’ seating layout the audience was immediately drawn into the action with the signs of the sights
of Skid Row fluttering above us - from ‘Mushnik’s Skid Row Florist’ to ‘Zig Zag Records’. The
atmosphere of the usually demure matinee slot was charged with anticipation. Everyone knew these
were hot tickets with all four shows selling out with incredible speed.
Little Shop of Horrors follows the tale of a down-on-it’s-luck florist, in a not-so-glamorous part of
town, where shop-worker Seymour begins to raise an extraordinary plant that booms business. But as
the plant grows, its appetite for something a little more juicy than plant food only grows with it,
forcing Seymour into tighter corners to keep his glimmering hope of escaping the woes of Skid Row
alive - in more meanings than one!
From the get-go the use of lighting and movement around the theatre successfully immersed the
audience. The inhabitants of Skid Row rode the bus, ran up and down stairs, and sat on stoops on and
around the stage throughout Skid Row (Downtown). Slick choreography utilised the talented ensemble
to showcase their voices and dancing strengths whilst immersing us into the world of Little Shop and
the wishes and ambitions of its inhabitants to ‘get outta here!’.
Throughout the show the leads, Audrey (Bethan Green) and Seymour (Daniel Lodge) were standouts.
Lodge’s meek and youthful Seymour elicited many a sympathetic ‘awh’ from the audience as he
bumbled about the stage with purposeful physicality of a bowed head and earnest demeanour. Green’s
emotive acting and incredible vocal talent seamlessly conveyed the incredible depth and nuance of
Audrey’s character, showcasing her simultaneous vulnerability and innocent wish for Somewhere
That’s Green whilst facing all the challenges the harsh world had stamped down on her. Coming
together to sing a much anticipated rendition of Suddenly Seymour, the show's most well-known tune
where the two admit their feelings and promise to have each other's backs, the chemistry of sweet
young love was powerful and emotional. It is clear these two actors were perfectly cast for these
leads.
The set and costumes were of an incredible high quality; from the colourful dresses and costume
changes of the Urchins (Edie Grey, Anna Duffell, and Phoebe Coldron) as they swirled across the
stage and moved the story along with their powerful voices, to the brilliant Audrey 2 puppets. From a
snapping sapling all the way to a ginormous human-swallowing and branch swinging beast, the
multiple iterations of Audrey 2 puppets, puppeteered by Charlotte Hunter and Danny Gordon-Boyd,
were of incredible quality. A huge congratulations to the production team, headed by producer Lily
Payton, for sourcing and professionally utilising this unique, but integral, part of any Little Shop
production.
My only qualm with the show was the choice to never have Jake Thomas, the incredible voice of
Audrey 2, physically in the spotlight. Having Thomas sat in darkness with the band understandably
kept the audience’s attention on the incredible puppets. However, Thomas’ animated and bluesy voice
was so remarkable it could have been a professionally recorded track emanating from off-stage! As
the key antagonist it would have been nice to showcase his impassioned facials to match the strength
of his voice as Audrey 2 - even if still kept to the side in a red or green spotlight to avoid distracting
from the phenomenal puppets.
The show dexterously tiptoed the line between horror and comedy, with incredible laugh-out-loud
moments juxtaposing the darkening plot and relationships between characters. This was particularly
prevalent between Mr Mushnik (Alex Robinson) & Seymour (Daniel Lodge), and The Dentist (Jonah
O’Sullivan) & Audrey (Bethan Green). Robinson’s Mushnik seemed to verge on a breakdown at all
moments and though funny, his clearly exploitative attitude towards his eventual ‘son’ Seymour
provided moments of heart-rending sympathy for Seymour. The comparison of this to hilarious
moments like Robinson and Lodge’s brilliant tango to Mushnik And Son highlights the breadth of
Robinson and Lodge’s acting abilities. Even darker, the Dentist’s domestic abuse towards Audrey in
their relationship was never shied away from or diminished, making the audience even more uncertain
whether they should laugh at or fear O’Sullivan’s phenomenally erratic and sadistic Dentist as he
capered across the stage, threatening and unsettling any character that crossed his path. I think we all
released a sigh of relief at his eventual demise.
Other performance highlights include Ava King’s exceptional vocals kicking off the show with Skid
Row (Downtown), Ash Mallen’s comedic entrance as the florist’s first customer (and Seymour’s
saviour from Mr Mushnik’s wrath), Danny Gordon-Boyd’s hilarious double-entendres and acting
choices in the hot seat of The Dentist’s chair, and Poppy Glaze’s dextrous acting (and quick-
changing!) abilities in The Meek Shall Inherit.
Overall the performance was incredibly strong, and showcased the strengths of an incredibly talented
cast and dedicated production and directing team, headed by Director Erwan Fayolle. Everyone
involved should be incredibly proud.
Words by Alex Packer (she/her) and images by Abby Swain (she/her)
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