Little Shop is a big success

FIRST-time director Beth Corrigan chose an ambitious production for her debut with Little Shop of Horrors, and the (mostly) young cast certainly didn’t let her down.

As is so often the case, it was the minor characters that stole the show — although they were all played by the same actor. James Eccleshare provided most of the laughs, first as Audrey’s sadistic dentist boyfriend Orin and then as the media mogul Bernstein, the booking agent Skip Snip and, in a rather fetching skirt, as Mrs Luce, wife of the editor of Life magazine.

Jamie Fletcher was endearing as the sweet and bumbling Seymour, while Laura Foster provided the warmth and heart of the show as Audrey, the object of his affections. The leads are both naturals on stage, and their performances were truly charming.

Of course the true star of the show is Audrey II, the monstrous alien plant that is set on taking over the world. It is brought to terrifying life by Jamie Taylor and Matthew Gavin, who voiced and operated the giant plant respectively, and they did a sterling job of making it a real lurking menace.

The set was professionally constructed, with impressive touches such as the graffiti on the walls giving a real touch of Skid Row, and the increasing amount of stock in the shop as their fortunes grow showing a true thoughtfulness on the part of the director and designers.

This was an impressive production with young stars that suggests the future is bright for Bolton’s amateur theatre scene.