Quote Of The Day

"Victory goes to the player who makes the next-to-last mistake - Chessmaster Savielly Grigorievitch Tartakower (1887-1956)"

Thursday, February 15, 2007

Little Shop Of Horrors...


Last night Stu and I went to see Little Shop Of Horrors at the Chocolate Factory in Southwark Street. And what a fun show it was.

I've always loved the Little Shop Of Horrors musical and Frank Oz's 1986 cult classic film version was sublime. Little Shop actually has it's origins in the late 50's as a sci-fi B-movie starring new-comer Jack Nicholson. Rather like Rocky Horror Show and Return To Forbidden Planet before it it provided an ideal bit of campery to set to music. Done so rather wonderfully by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken. Their songs are indeed both memorable and loveable. In fact when Paul and I went to go and see Ellen Greene in concert she confided that the songs Suddenly Semour and Somewhere That's Green as being two of her best friends.

The show last night captured all the fun of the original staging, much of the quirkiness of the musical film and stubbonly resisted to tack on the happy Hollywood ending. Hurrah. Lead player Paul Keating was energetic, bouncy and pitched the nerdy but easily tempted Semour just right. (I've always had him down as John Barrowman Junior). The very talented Sheridan Smith as Audrey was just the right mix of vunerable, dizzy and sexy. And Mike McShane's voicing of the plant was also suitably menacing.

That said, Audrey II was of course the star of the show. Growing and growing with each bloody bite the movements were spot on and we were all happily suspending our disbelief beyond the finale.

So with a night of great acting, great singing, great dancing, plenty of laughs and a production which was beautifully designed and perfectly executed there was little to fault. The transfer to the West End is bound to be a smash. And deservedly so.

4 comments:

  1. Anonymous12:42 pm

    I was planning to see this but it was either sold out or too expensive, I cannot remember now.

    I am a great fan on Sheridan Smith. I agree that she is very talented and I'd love to see what she does with roles other than Janet in Two Pints.

    I will try and go see Little Shop in March in the West End then.

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  2. Anonymous3:43 pm

    This production is fab, fab, fab. I want to go see it again. I'm a 'friend of the chocolate factory' (ahem) so can get West End seats at reduced prices. Might try organise a group.

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  3. Count us in! Love to see it again.

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  4. Anonymous7:04 pm

    wow.The film is better but the show is still great.I like Ronnete, Crysal and the other one(I forgot her name lol)

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