Little Shop of Horrors
By Lyn Gardner for The Guardian


Confession time. I have never before come face to face with the man-eating house plant at the heart of this B-movie-spoof musical so beloved of regional theatres and amateur dramatic societies. Now that I have peered into the insatiable jaws of Audrey II, "the strange and interesting plant" that transforms the fortunes of orphan Seymour and the Skid Row flower show where he works, I am slightly at a loss to understand the show's popularity.
However, it would need far better treatment than this to grab you. Christopher Luscombe's anaemic production has too much set, too much amplification and too little sense of fun. It lacks a lightness of touch, and looks and feels as if it hails from the 1950s rather than being a 21st-century production set in that era.

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Review in The Times.

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Little Shop of Horrors
By Paul Vale for The Stage

This reworking of the Faust story set on Skid Row in the sixties is a piece of pure musical comedy and Ovations' presentation is a lively production full of enthusiasm and fine performances.

The singers of this particularly difficult score excel with the three delightful urchins Jody Peach, Racky Plews and Vanessa Havell in perfect harmony as Crystal, Ronnette and Chiffon. Adam Kelly as the hapless Seymour and Susan Harriet as Audrey grow into their characters perfectly, happily steering clear of any obvious playing for laughs or pity. Their relationship seems to grow as fast as the plant and flourishes with the decidedly emotional Suddenly Seymour number.

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