Court Theatre's Little Shop of Horrors going full steam ahead n Christchurch

Some of the cast and crew of the Court Theatre's Little Shop of Horrors. Photo / Supplied

As many events and plays around the country are affected by Covid-19, the Court Theatre is still full steam ahead with its show, Little Shop of Horrors.

The show began on November 20 and will run until January 22 after being extended due to popular demand.

One of the successful musicals of all time, it is described as a "full-blooded, feel-good hit of the summer". It tells the story of the florist, Seymour, and his blood-thirsty singing plant which is brought to life in full technicolor.

Rutene Spooner stars as Seymour Kelbourn, Brady Peeti as Audrey II, Roy Snow as Orin, and Jonathan Martin as Mr Mushnik. It is directed by Benjamin Henson.

The show features musical hits such as "Somewhere That's Green", "Feed Me" and "Suddenly Seymour".

Chief executive Barbara George told the Herald it has been an incredibly tough year for the industry.

"For people who manage productions and theatre, you're looking at risk all of the time.

"Our risk assessment at this time is that we have a safety plan in place where we can keep our people and our audiences safe," she said.

Rutene Spooner and Brady Peeti in the Court Theatre's Little Shop of Horrors. Photo / Supplied

George said they started planning for the show about 18 months ago.

"We plan the production, schedule it, cost it. Back in June, we started to work on the build for the show, We build everything on site."

George said they started encouraging staff to become vaccinated months ago.

"So that when the mandates happened, it was no big shock to everybody, they were all prepared and we could take it in our stride."

The theatre sits 388, which George said gives the audience a more intimate experience.

"I think people are really amazed when they come in and see a full-scale musical, that would normally be played in a 1500-2000 seat house, be played in something so small.

"It's epic, the sounds and you can really see the expression on the actors' faces."

Roy Snow and Rutene Spooner in Little Shop of Horrors. Photo / Supplied

Kira Josephson, who is the choreographer and an understudy for Audrey, said it had been an amazing experience.

"I love being a part of the show. It's a really small cast, everybody is really close and everyone is just at the top of their game. We couldn't have found better people for the show," she said.

Planning the choreography for a full-scale production can be challenging, Josephson said.

"One is the actual dance moves - the time period really dictates that and the cast that you end up with.

"The other aspect is storytelling. The dance movement is really like an extension of whatever is happening for the character at that moment."

She said she loves also being backstage every night, watching the show continually evolve.

For tickets and more information, visit the Court Theatre website.