Review: Little Shop of Horrors is a tour de force

Little Shop of Horrors at the Old Joint Stock is a tour de force, with a cast of electric performers whose energy never wavers.

Many will have watched the 1986 film or even a production of the show before. But if like me, you haven't, here's a quick summary...

In the downtrodden backstreets of New York, a failing florist's shop becomes an unexpected new attraction. Just don’t get too close to the specimen...

Seymour is smitten with his co-worker Audrey, but she’s being abused by a sadist dentist (a fitting profession, it seems). When Seymour’s new peculiar plant - Audrey II - named after his all-consuming longing for his co-worker, attracts customers, he does whatever he can to feed it, with deadly consequences.

Little Shop is a proper theatrical event, with a chorus of three characters guiding you through the madness of the world you’re pulled into. It’s every kind of show in one: romance, rags to riches, horror, tragedy, and full-blown apocalypse - covered in glitter and a knowing wink all the way.

The energy of the cast bounces off the walls of the tiny theatre. At times it feels like they could power the electric grid. There isn’t a single falter or tremor. Everyone is at their best.

The Old Joint Stock is a small black box theatre nestled over the popular Birmingham pub, undiscovered by many who don’t know it’s even there. An intimate theatre like that becomes a pressure cooker, with an atmosphere so hot and thick that you don’t even want to blink. This fans the flames of the musical's humour, which left several audience members howling as cast members sneered and simpered right at them.

Alex Wadham as Seymour is perfectly cast as the introverted, shy florist who pines for his co-worker and suffers the brunt of his boss's scorn. The chemistry between him and Bella Bowen as Audrey is genuinely moving, giving the absurd spectacular a real beating heart. Audrey's character requires a loveable sweetness that covers searing vulnerability and Bowen nails it, winning over her audience effortlessly. Matt Bond as the sneering, scheming Audrey II is a delight, with a powerhouse voice and a deliciously sadistic performance. You couldn't ask for a better cast.

Ultimately, Little Shop of Horrors is a show about how the world breaks us, and the lengths we'll go to to drag ourselves up into a better place. It's about how much of ourselves we give for the people we love. And it's also about a singing plant with a thirst for blood, hell-bent on world domination.

Little Shop of Horrors is on at the Old Joint Stock in Birmingham until September 26. Tickets are from £22.