Little Shop of Horrors – Hull Truck Theatre

Book and Lyrics: Howard Ashman

Music: Alan Menken

Director: Lotte Wakeham

There’s much to enjoy in this colourful production of Menken and Ashman’s Little Shop of Horrorsas it joyously and characterfully plays down the tenacity and bite and opts for a more sugar-coated tonality. The actor-musos perform with skill and at times this deliciously irreverent musical lands beautifully, although it quite often feels a little too safe.

The whole cast, as a whole, are uplifting giving stellar performances as a collective and the connection between Oliver Mawdsley’s brilliant Seymour and Laura Jane Matthewson’s wonderful Audrey is skilfully naive. Andrew Whitehead is also worthy of a mention. He works so hard to deliver a frantic and convincing Mushnik. Our programmed Audrey II was indisposed this evening leaving Charlie Ryan to take the reins. His powerhouse vocals did not disappoint and the choice to include Mean Green Mother as an encore was entirely appropriate as the audience leapt to their feet to dance in the aisles.

Fans of the show know this to be a gruesome and blood thirsty satire but, to the show’s merit, this family friendly offering feelslike a walk through a cartoon comic strip rather than a trip to the perilous downtown Skid Row. Probably just as well with the amount of children in the audience this evening.

This wickedly delicious cult show is essentially a pastiche of the B movie genre and there’s a real sense of full frontal characterisation and a deep appreciation of the style. This production has soul and the funky collective sounds of the band and ensemble are easy on the ear. This production (a theatrical collaboration between Hull Truck Theatre, New Wolsey Theatre, Theatre by the Lake and the Octagon Theatre, Bolton)packs a punch whilst stayingtrue to its original stimuli. Super fans of the musical can rest easy as it refreshingly reminds us of other productions of Little Shop of Horrorswe’ve seen. It isn’t trying to be something else and whilst a fresh take on this show would perhaps prick up this critics ear, you know, from the onset, you’re in safe hands with this fine new cast, as long as you don’t feed the plants.

Runs until 8th June