Little Shop of Horrors UK Tour Review
From the Menier Chocolate Factory and London to the UK in 2009
Mar 4, 2009
Little Shop of Horrors was always envisioned and planned to be a small musical: the creators, Howard Ashman and Alan Menken (most well known for their Disney scores in the early 1990s) even went so far as to block a Broadway transfer in the 1980s, preferring their show to remain small and close to the audience. Indeed, the 2003 Broadway revival proved the difficulties of placing the show in a large space. The plot and score are now commonplace, immortalised in Frank Oz’s film edition and will be passed over here to focus on the specifics of this production.
Little Shop Sweeps London
When the show was revived by the Menier Chocolate Factory – also responsible for the eventually Broadway-bound Sunday in the Park with George and the currently running La Cage Aux Folles in the West End – the production was designed for a venue holding 200-250 seats. When the production proved successful, it transferred to the West End, playing the Duke of York’s Theatre (659 seats) and later the Ambassadors Theatre (408 seats) – both intimate venues.
Little Shop on the Road
The current touring production stems from the Menier’s incarnations, but scaled up – most touring venues in the UK hold between 1500 and 2500 seats with correspondingly large stages. David Farley’s sets have been enlarged and made more spectacular, with Mushnik’s flower shop on a revolve and the Dentist’s office popping out of a facade.
Unfortunately, size matters and the larger sets dwarf the actors – when the three Urchins (including Nadia Di Mambro, recently seen in the horrid Rue Magique) sing the title song they may as well be on a bare stage: so tiny are they and so dampening is the space they play. Intimacy is returned when the flower shop’s walls constrict the stage, but just barely.
The issues of scale also affect the production’s sound quality. The score, arranged for five pieces, is kept authentic here. While this is normally to be applauded and sounds fine in a smaller venue, it sounds hollow in a barn such as the New Wimbledon, infamous for sound issues to begin with. Comparatively, the Broadway production and attached tours increased the size of the orchestra, as did the film edition.
The Touring Cast
Leading the cast as Seymour is Australian born Damian Humbley. Humbley gets down Seymour’s likeable clumsiness and sings the role well, but looks slightly off for the part – his own good looks sneak through, as does his age. Complementing him as Audrey is Holby City and Dancing on Ice star Clare Buckfield, reaching for Audrey’s ditziness and masochistic streak.
Supporting characters include long-time TV and regional actor Alex Ferns as the Dentist, a hybrid of Elvis and Meat Loaf. Doctor Who fans will recognise Sylvester McCoy as Mushnik, hamming his way through an on-again off-again accent but landing laughs and keeping the comedy at the forefront as he does best.
Of course, no production of Little Shop can go without mentioning its large central flora. While the Menier’s plant is more phallic than most, it moves and takes on its own sense of true character, thanks in no small part to Clive Rowe who lends his booming voice, affable personality, and remarkable singing talent to this core role.
Summary
Sound issues aside, the question of visual size will only bother fans who see a disproportionate amount of small-scale theatre and the production is worth its touring prices to see McCoy and Rowe alone. Recommended.
Source for Theatre seat counts: http://www.theatremonkey.com
