Left – Esther Hannaford and Brent Hill. Photo – Jeff Busby In terms of genre, musicals can have quite diverse styles and subject matter, but for many of us in the Sydney theatre scene when we think of capital “M” Musicals, thoughts tend to gravitate towards names like Cameron Mackintosh, with big venues and lavish stagings that faithfully replicate the exact choreography and design of productions originally directed on Broadway or the West End. “Franchise” musicals, in other words. And without wanting to take anything away from those typically very impressive shows, sometimes there is a distinct joy in attending smaller-scale productions of often more offbeat musicals, performed in far more intimate venues than the cavernous Capitol or Lyric theatres.
One such is director Dean Bryant’s fiercely entertaining production of the cult musical Little Shop of Horrors, which manages to squeeze more dynamic visual and aural pizzazz into the far-from-roomy Hayes Theatre stage than would instinctively seem possible. Of the several musical productions I have previously seen at this venue, it is certainly the most ambitious staging yet encountered. It is particularly impressive on a technical level, given that we are dealing with essentially a “black box” performance space, with none of the luxuries of a fly-tower nor even any real wings to speak of, in aide of scenery transitions that would be the norm in more traditional venues for musical theatre.
With some hesitation over giving out undue “spoilers” (taking a cue from the opening night staff holding off distributing their rather lavish programmes until after the performance, lest the extensive photography inside give away too many details), I will say that the creativity on display in Owen Phillips and Tim Chappel’s production design is one of the high points of the show. With some bold aesthetic choices that evoke the play’s B-Movie origins, the visual style of the costumes and scenery evolves over the course of the show, influenced by the changing fortunes of its characters brought about by the narrative’s central, plot-driving oddity. If you have any foreknowledge at all of the story, be it from prior productions or either of the film versions, then you already know that the oddity in question is “Audrey II”, the grotesque, animate, eventually talking (and singing!) carnivorous plant.
This bizarre creature truly comes to life in the production via a progression of different props, as it grows ever larger and more monstrous, with some highly impressive design and construction by Erth Inc. and live puppeteering by the cast working in concert with the sassy, overpowering voice provided in part by Brent Hill, who also plays Seymour.
However, while Audrey II may be the most eye-catching presence in the play, the majority of the show rests on the shoulders of its tight ensemble of human characters, who are robustly portrayed by this energetic cast. Stylistically the whole show is a riff on the cheesy 1950s sci-fi schlock tradition from which the original 1960 Roger Corman film sprang. Thus the characters are by design all broad stereotypes, writ large to be equal parts histrionic and hilarious. Both the romantic leads are very strong, with Hill every bit looking the part of schlubby nebbish Seymour, yet proving to be something of a revelation in the strength of his pitch-perfect comedic performance and powerful pipes. Esther Hannaford as Audrey (the first) certainly matches him for comic timing. She’s quite the vocal powerhouse too, really belting out the big numbers, although her execution of a heavy Noo Yawk accent does wander a bit.
Tyler Coppin ably rolls out the appropriate schtick as Seymour’s employer Mr Mushnik, and the trio of Josie Lane, Chloe Zuel, and Angelique Cassimatis are the glue that holds the show together as the chorus-like denizens of skid-row. Possibly the most striking member of the cast however, was Scott Johnson as Audrey’s abusive boyfriend Dr. Scrivello the sadistic dentist, whose rich voice and uproariously off-kilter characterisation made for his comparatively smaller role to be an exceptionally memorable one.
Although the bad-taste creature-feature parody angle of the show’s subject matter may not be to the taste of the My Fair Lady crowd, this is a cracker of a show for those who want the chance to see an excellent smaller production of a really quirky, oddball musical full of great songs, hilarious performances and some very impressive stagecraft.
There’s nothing else quite like it.
Luckiest Productions and Tinderbox Productions present
LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS
by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken
Director Dean Bryant
AUSTRALIAN TOUR 2016
Sydney
Hayes Theatre Co
from February 18, 2016
hayestheatre.com.au
Adelaide
Her Majesty’s Theatre
from April 20, 2016
bass.net.au
Melbourne
Comedy Theatre
from May 4, 2016
ticketmaster.com.au
Canberra
Canberra Theatre
from May 25, 2016
canberratheatrecentre.com.au
Brisbane
Playhouse Theatre QPAC
from June 1, 2016
qpac.com.au
Perth
His Majesty’s Theatre
from August 4, 2016
ticketek.com.au
