Bayley Sprott, Amy Bellomo, Julie Trigger and Adrian Whelan are all brilliant in this show. Photo / Ricky Malcolm - Manic Agency
Review: Ilona Hanne reviews 4th Wall Theatre’s production of Little Shop of Horrors, directed by Cameron McHugh and choreographed by Helena Harvey with musical direction by Phillip Malcolm. Running now until November 18 at 4th Wall Theatre, New Plymouth. Tickets via www.4thwalltheatre.co.nz
The cult classic, that also became a mainstream hit, that is Little Shop of Horrors is a challenging musical to put on. From creating a giant, hungry, man-eating plant that grows, to finding a cast capable of meeting the challenge of the show itself - the trick of camp theatre, which Little Shop of Horrors certainly is, is in treating it seriously, yet still with a wink and smile to the audience.
With the production team of Raewyn Greig and Brett Carter, along with director Cameron McHugh, choreographer Helena Harvey and musical director Phillip Malcolm, the challenge isn’t just met - it’s surpassed in every single way.
From the moment you take your seat, facing that impressive background digital screen that 4th Wall use so well, you know you are in for a show like no other. There’s something in the air with this show that somehow, before it even starts, you get that feeling of excited anticipation that tells you - this is a show you are going to love.
And you will. Love it that is. From the moment the trio of Skid Row urchins begin singing, the message is clear - this is going to be a high-quality production you will remember for a long time.
If you haven’t seen the show before, or know the story - a quick recap is needed. The story revolves around a florist shop owned by Mr Mushnik (Adrian Whelan), who employs assistants Audrey (Lauren Heaysman) and Seymour (Jonathan Herd). Business is anything but booming until Seymour puts a strange plant he has found in the window. Suddenly business is blooming, and so is the plant, which Seymour names Audrey II. Only, the plant doesn’t need the usual sunshine and soil to thrive, but rather blood, human blood to be precise. Seymour is hoping his sudden fame as the person growing this fantastic plant will help him win the love of Audrey, and take her way from her sadistic boyfriend, Orin the dentist (Sonny Deacle). As the plant grows, demanding more than a mere drop of blood, Seymour is driven to extreme measures to get all he wants, and to remove the obstacles in his path.
As Seymour, 19-year-old Jonathan Herd does a fantastic job of capturing the nerdy young Seymour’s anxiety and conflicting emotions throughout. He has an incredible skill in physical comedy, and manages to keep the geekiness of Seymour present even as he delivers some incredibly powerful lyrics and notes.
Jonathan’s got a great voice, is an amazing actor, and brings a level of thought and intelligence to his acting that shines through along with a sense of intuitive talent as well.
His physical comedy talent comes to the fore as Mr Mushnik decides to adopt Seymour. Adrian and Jonathan are not only brilliantly matched in their talent in this style of theatre here, but almost feed off each other’s energy in this scene, bringing the audience to near hysteria as they dance and sing their way through the “proposal”.
Adrian’s Mr Mushnik is flawless throughout. One of my personal issues with this show in previous productions has been the way this character is portrayed. A European Jewish immigrant, Mr Mushnik can be reduced, by lesser production teams, directors and actors, to a caricature, and an unkind one at that. But thanks to thoughtful directing and acting, Adrian ensures Mr Mushnik is anything but two-dimensional in this show. Instead, he brings out a different side to him at times, making him more sympathetic at times, and showing his vulnerability. Technically this should be problematic as it would make it harder for an audience to understand Seymour’s decision to, let’s say, store the money in an unusual place one day, but as Jonathan has talent to match Adrian’s, instead the audience simply find it easier to understand, and in fact empathise with, the level of emotional conflict Seymour is experiencing.
Talking of talented actors. As Audrey, Lauren Heaysman is just amazing in this show. She doesn’t miss a beat all night, and I personally will find it hard to ever accept a different actor as Audrey, so brilliantly does she make the role her own. What makes this even more incredible is the fact she only stepped into the (high-heeled) feet of the lovable, ditzy Audrey a few weeks ago, after an accident made the original actor unavailable. If I hadn’t been told this fact, I would never have believed it.
The role of Audrey is another one where lesser actors could fail. Bluntly put, Audrey is the victim of some horrific abuse in this show, and the way the lines are written, it’s easy for actors to make a mockery of the very real pain of domestic abuse. Lauren never steps over that line. Instead, she brings a real rawness to those scenes, and as you see her panic and skitter across the stage in fear of her boyfriend, calling him by his title, your heart breaks, and the show, for all its camp comedy, brings out raw emotion in the audience.
Sonny Deacle is the abusive dentist boyfriend, and again he manages to make the role funny, camp and over the top while also bringing out the darkness of the role. His maniacal laughs, amazing physicality on stage, not to mention his ability to sing through a gas mask, all combine to make this a memorable performance for all the right reasons. Sonny is undoubtedly incredibly talented, and this show gives him the chance to show his range - quite literally - as he plays many other smaller characters over the night, each time leaning fully into the role, bringing out plenty of humour along with a range of perfect accents and personas.
Sonny is a master of the sly look through the 4th wall to his audience, and this type of show is perfectly suited to it, he embraces the need to exaggerate but does so with nuance - it’s a balance that needs to be finely tuned, and Sonny delivers a masterclass in how to do it.
Together Chris Green (voice) and Laurie Neville (puppeteer) bring Audrey II to life, and they do it brilliantly. Just as with Lauren, Chris’s voicing of Audrey II is so perfect, no-one else will be able to match it for me. It’s raspy and soulful and demanding and big - so big. Somehow Chris creates a persona in that voice that tells of a deep hunger and takes the audience into his world. Laurie’s puppeteer skills are simply incredible and he brings Audrey to wonderful, terrifying life so perfectly it’s hard to believe it’s just a person, and some fabric, and a lot of talent.
As always with 4th Wall productions, the sound, lighting, costumes, and set design are all impeccable. The background screen isn’t just a great bit of equipment, it is used well and thoughtfully throughout. From hyper-realistic scenes of Skid Row, to the woozy dentistry scenes, to the insides of the flower shop, with the cartoonish plants on the wall reminding us this a camp comedy, every moment the screen is used, it is used in the best possible way.
A few short months ago, I reviewed a previous 4th Wall production saying it was one of the best pieces of theatre I had seen. I stand by the statement but now wish to up the ante. Go and see Little Shop of Horrors at 4th Wall. It’s the best show you will see all year and is the best production I’ve seen in a very long time.
There isn’t a weak spot in this production. Simply put, it’s blooming brilliant.
Stratford Press prints last issue as NZME closes 14 community papers nationwide.