Feed your funny bone with The Arts Club Theatre Company’s Little Shop Of Horror‘s now playing at the Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage until October 8th.
Opening on the stunning back street set by Beyata Hackborn, the powerful voices of Ivy Charles, Rochelle Laplante, and Ali Watson introduce the audience to Skid Row, where we find Mushnik’s Flower Shop. The down-on-its-luck shop run by the gruff Mr Mushnik (Ashley Wright) employs meek and mild botanist Seymour Krelborn played by the charismatic Tenaj Williams and played by Synthia Yusuf, the simple but sweet Audrey, lacking in self esteem is sadly trod-upon by her abusive boyfriend Orin (John Ullyatt).
Business on Skid Row is dire, but at the eleventh hour, Seymour reveals his unique new plant, Audrey II, which saves the shop from certain closure. The strange and mysterious plant draws customers in droves to Mushnik’s, saving them all from being on-the-street. As the shop’s popularity and business grows, so to does the relationship between shop assistants, but Seymour is torn between satisfying the public’s appetite for Audrey II and Audrey ll’s appetite for the public.
Ashlie Corcoran directs the co-production with Citadel Theatre, Edmonton, adapting the original Broadway musical by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken into the bright and breezy must-see sci-fi comedy. Ashman and Menken’s witty and captivating songs are in great hands (and voices) with the talented cast; from the power trio from the top of the show providing support throughout, the comedic lunacy of Ullyatt’s dastardly Orin, to the passionate voices of Audrey and Seymour, or rooted by the monstrous vocals of Audrey II by Madeleine Suddaby.
Audrey II goes through a number of metamorphosis over the 2 hour show from a petit puppet to a magnificent monster brought to life by Braydon Dowler-Coltman. While the dynamically designed puppet literally takes centre-stage, between Suddaby and Dowler-Coltman the duo really make Audrey II a integral part of the ensemble allowing the audience to forget that we’re watching a puppet. The chemistry between Williams and Yusuf anchors the ensemble in their story, allowing the audience to believe Audrey II comes to life.
You’ll want to make sure you stop in at Little Shop Of Horrors to have a screaming good time as the company brings the musical to life, and a little death, at the Stanley Stage until October 8, 2023.
Find tickets and showtimes at artsclub.com