The hit musical full of mutating plants, science, romance, and ridiculously catchy tunes is coming to York from the 2nd-5th October at the Joseph Rowntree Theatre. We’re so excited to see it that we caught up with some of the cast and crew to whet our appetite – and now we can whet yours too…
What are your names, and your roles in the show?
R: I’m Ronan Pilkington and I play the love-struck Seymour Krelborn.
V: I’m Vicki Holmes and I play Audrey!
J: My name’s James Sidgwick, and I’m the voice of the bloodthirsty Audrey II.
N: I’m the Director, Neil Knipe.
What’s it been like working with Audrey II?
V: Getting to see the plant come to life has been so interesting. It’s definitely a challenge learning to converse with an inanimate object, but James who does the voice brings so much life to it that you can really get into it.
J: The puppets are incredible! It’s been really fun getting to grips with them and learning how to manipulate them. It’s physically hard work to sing at the same time as lugging Audrey II around, but all the best roles come with a challenge.
R: It’s been great! Working with a puppet isn’t easy but the actor playing Audrey II has done an incredible job of bringing the plant to life and its been so much fun working with him. Also, I’ve become quite protective over the little fella! Yes he may eat people but when a plant becomes your only friend, can you ever let them go? I can’t wait to get out there and bring Audrey II to Yorkshire!
N: Well I always try to be professional and not badmouth the cast publicly, but it’s been an absolute nightmare if I’m honest. She’s been a total and utter diva. She constantly demands to be fed (and gets unbelievably grouchy if she isn’t), she has an awful potty mouth, and she frequently attacks the cast. We’ve had a cast member suffer from severe blood loss, two lost limbs and our original Mr Mushnik was gobbled up at his first rehearsal and we haven’t seen him since. As the old adage goes: “never work with children and animals” …well you can now add eight foot high carnivorous plants to the list.
Little Shop of Horrors has been hitting stages since 1982 – how does your production compare?
R: This production holds true to the magic and hilarity of the original Little Shop of Horrors and delivers in what audience members have loved across the decades. However, this production takes on a few new clever ideas and implements them throughout the show, which should hopefully still engage die hard Little Shop fans – and entertain newbies! I’m excited for what this production will bring and you should be, too!
N: We try really hard to not give our audiences the same show they’ve seen several times before. In our staging we’re treating Audrey II less as an alien from outer space and more as a product of Mother Nature herself. Mother Nature is taking revenge on us all and as Audrey II gets bigger throughout the show – vegetation takes over the stage. This means that, very slowly, our black and white set (a reference to what the 60’s B-Movie Little Shop originally was) is taken over with brilliant greens topped off with flowers of purple, red and orange. This colour is also progressively added to the costumes so as the plant and Seymour’s success grows bigger and bigger, the world gets more vibrant and beautiful.
How would you describe the show in three words?
V: Fun, ridiculous, heartfelt
R: Doesn’t hold back.
J: Tongue-in-cheek
N: Spectacular, macabre, joyful.
What made you want to be a part of Little Shop of Horrors?
N: It’s firmly in my top three musicals. I remember watching the film on TV towards the end of the eighties. Up until then musicals had always been The Sound of Music and The King and I, so for me, Little Shop was like an extraordinary discovery of what musicals could be. It was also my first taste of cult cinema. Those Audrey II puppets really blew my mind. It’s the greatest movie effect ever and the perfect example of how practical effects always top CGI. The show is deceptively clever – it works on so many levels. At first glance it’s a schlocky homage to 50s/60s science fiction drive in movies that’s just plain fun but peel back the layers and it’ll surprise you. It becomes a perfect piece of the genre it’s actually homaging, the characters are so lovable and deep (even the villains are hilarious) and the lyrics are insanely witty.
V: I love the show, it was one of the first productions I was ever involved with. I was part of the ensemble when I was 11 at school and I’ve always loved the show! It’s great to get to return to it now!
J: It’s a truly great musical. I think it really led a change in musical theatre, making it more accessible to universal audiences. Plus Howard Ashman is a bit of an inspiration to me, and this is some of his finest work.
R: I performed as Seymour last summer and just couldn’t get enough of the catchy tunes, bizarre plot, and warmth that this production holds dear! Bringing a plant to life on stage is never easy but when successfully done it creates a magic and atmosphere that audiences love! Also, for me, the character of Seymour is a great character who really gets to play with a whole range of emotions throughout the show alongside some fantastic comedic moments. He’s a lot of fun to play and I can’t wait to start touring.
Which character do you relate to most, and why?
J: Tricky one… maybe Mushnik! He’s the realist of the group. But then that being said, the role I play mainly just sings and demands food, so maybe Audrey II… although I’ve never tried eating humans.
V: I actually find myself really empathising with my character, Audrey. She’s been dealt a bad hand but still has so much hope. Thankfully I can’t compete with her bad luck, but it’s easy to understand her longing for the picture perfect life.
N: Oh my… well the characters are: a murderer, a money-grabbing misanthrope, a bloodthirsty plant, and a violent (semi) sadist – so I won’t come out of this well whatever I say! Like I’m sure the audience will, I suppose I’d relate most to Seymour and Audrey. They are both trapped and want so much more from life, but don’t feel they’ll ever get it. I’m sure we’ve all been there before at some point. However, nowadays my wife would say I’m more like the grumpy, grubby Mr Mushnik.
R: Seymour obviously! Mostly because I love plants and find feeding them blood the most effective way to get them to grow…
Tell us why people should go and see Little Shop of Horrors!
R: It’s an entertaining night filled with comedy, great musical moments, and a giant flesh-eating plant! Everyone has worked incredibly hard and we have a production we are extremely proud of. It would be an absolute shame to miss it, so get your tickets now!
V: At every rehearsal I’m completely blown away with the energy and talent of the cast. You won’t regret getting a chance to see them in action.
J: It’s a top quality production of a universally entertaining piece of theatre. We have great songs being sung by great singers, funny characters, and a great cast. A guaranteed great night of entertainment – at a low price!
N: Because it’s such a splendid show. I honestly can’t imagine anyone going and not enjoying it. It’s one of those rare shows where if you love musicals you’ll love Little Shop and if you don’t like musicals, you’ll still love Little Shop. It never takes itself too seriously but packs several gut punches and heartbreaking moments. The songs span many genres, so there’s something for everyone, and the lyrics are often laugh-out-loud funny. Audiences will really get behind our lead characters and love hating the not-so-nice ones… in fact I think they’ll have varying opinions on which characters steal the show, as there are so many memorable performances and moments throughout. How many shows do you know that feature the sheer spectacle of a talking, singing plant that grows from a baby to inhuman sizes – all before your very eyes?
Little Shop of Horrors opens at the Joseph Rowntree Theatre on the 2nd October up until the 5th October – click here to buy tickets.
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