Little Shop of Horrors
"Feed me, Seymour. Feed me all night long..."
Running now until 19 April at Durban's Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre is Little Shop of Horrors, the darkly comic rock musical that pays tribute to the B-grade horror/science fiction films of the 1950s and 60s.
Most people are probably familiar with the 1986 film version of this musical, starring Rick Moranis, but for those of you who aren't, the plot is simple.
Clumsy nerd Seymour Krelborn works at a dilapidated flower store on Skid Row. With the store failing and nothing left to lose, the store's cranky owner Mr. Mushnik agrees to Seymour's plan to display the "strange an interesting" plant he's been cultivating in the store window. Immediately this plant, named Audrey II after Seymour's great love, captures the public imagination and completely changes the fortunes of everyone working at the flower store. Audrey II however, is no normal plant. It it's to thrive and grow it needs something very different from water and fertiliser...
There's no question about it. This KickstArt production of Little Shop of Horrors is on par with anything you'd see in a smaller West End or Broadway theatre. From the performances to the set design, everything is top notch.
Little Shop is one of the more prop-heavy musical productions, and I was highly impressed by the level of technical and puppetry wizardry employed to make Audrey II a believable animate creation. The set too is stunning, with remarkable attention to detail (The Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre is of course small enough to allow you to appreciate this).
As for the performances, well, this production is a prime example of why people shouldn't even bother with "talent" TV shows like Idols. Here is real talent, in the flesh right in front of you. I actually can't single out one performer, as everyone, from headliners Bryan Hiles (Seymour) and Lisa Bobbert (Audrey) to the supporting cast (including Brad Pitt-lookalike Cobus van Heerden) turn in excellent performances while offering powerful, crystal clear renditions of Alan Menken and Howard Ashman's songs. Out of the cast, it's unsurprising that local theatre favourite Aaron MacIlroy gets most of the laughs as Audrey's abusive boyfriend, a sadistic dentist who spends most of his time high on laughing gas.
Although last night's audience thoroughly enjoyed themselves, attendance was disappointingly low from my perspective, with only half of the theatre filled. Hopefully this was only because it was a midweek show, and hopefully the Friday to Sunday performances are completely sold out. I would hate to think that Little Shop of Horrors is playing to half-empty theatres every evening of its run as a result of Durbanites' notorious apathy and stinginess.
Admittedly R120 a ticket is a tad on the high side for Durban, and if tickets were R20 or R30 less (children's tickets are R90 for the show) I think there would be a lot more people there. Still, musical theatre of an exceptional quality is rare in Durban. It's not that we don't have the talent. It's just that mostly we're subjected to tedious tribute shows, which are obviously easier and cheaper to stage.
Ultimately this is a call to all Durbanites who enjoy musical theatre to make the effort and see Little Shop of Horrors. Not only is it a cracking evening of quality entertainment, but by going you'll be doing your bit to ensure more ambitious, high profile productions head our way.
Running now until 19 April at Durban's Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre is Little Shop of Horrors, the darkly comic rock musical that pays tribute to the B-grade horror/science fiction films of the 1950s and 60s.
Most people are probably familiar with the 1986 film version of this musical, starring Rick Moranis, but for those of you who aren't, the plot is simple.
Clumsy nerd Seymour Krelborn works at a dilapidated flower store on Skid Row. With the store failing and nothing left to lose, the store's cranky owner Mr. Mushnik agrees to Seymour's plan to display the "strange an interesting" plant he's been cultivating in the store window. Immediately this plant, named Audrey II after Seymour's great love, captures the public imagination and completely changes the fortunes of everyone working at the flower store. Audrey II however, is no normal plant. It it's to thrive and grow it needs something very different from water and fertiliser...
There's no question about it. This KickstArt production of Little Shop of Horrors is on par with anything you'd see in a smaller West End or Broadway theatre. From the performances to the set design, everything is top notch.
Little Shop is one of the more prop-heavy musical productions, and I was highly impressed by the level of technical and puppetry wizardry employed to make Audrey II a believable animate creation. The set too is stunning, with remarkable attention to detail (The Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre is of course small enough to allow you to appreciate this).
As for the performances, well, this production is a prime example of why people shouldn't even bother with "talent" TV shows like Idols. Here is real talent, in the flesh right in front of you. I actually can't single out one performer, as everyone, from headliners Bryan Hiles (Seymour) and Lisa Bobbert (Audrey) to the supporting cast (including Brad Pitt-lookalike Cobus van Heerden) turn in excellent performances while offering powerful, crystal clear renditions of Alan Menken and Howard Ashman's songs. Out of the cast, it's unsurprising that local theatre favourite Aaron MacIlroy gets most of the laughs as Audrey's abusive boyfriend, a sadistic dentist who spends most of his time high on laughing gas.
Although last night's audience thoroughly enjoyed themselves, attendance was disappointingly low from my perspective, with only half of the theatre filled. Hopefully this was only because it was a midweek show, and hopefully the Friday to Sunday performances are completely sold out. I would hate to think that Little Shop of Horrors is playing to half-empty theatres every evening of its run as a result of Durbanites' notorious apathy and stinginess.
Admittedly R120 a ticket is a tad on the high side for Durban, and if tickets were R20 or R30 less (children's tickets are R90 for the show) I think there would be a lot more people there. Still, musical theatre of an exceptional quality is rare in Durban. It's not that we don't have the talent. It's just that mostly we're subjected to tedious tribute shows, which are obviously easier and cheaper to stage.
Ultimately this is a call to all Durbanites who enjoy musical theatre to make the effort and see Little Shop of Horrors. Not only is it a cracking evening of quality entertainment, but by going you'll be doing your bit to ensure more ambitious, high profile productions head our way.
Comments
I just wonder what is going to happen in coming years when all the ABBA lovers slip off this mortal coil. Who's going to watch the tribute shows then considering they don't cater for young South Africans at all at the moment? And if we ever reach a point where tribute shows completely kill off actual proper musical productions (like Little Shop), Durban is looking at a future of empty theatres.
Hanlie Koekemoer
Cultural Activist
DURBS Magazine durbsmag.co.za