Little Shop of Horrors closes prior to national tour
Preview by Lizzie Guilfoyle
THE critically-acclaimed production of Little Shop of Horrors, currently at the Ambassadors Theatre, closes on Saturday, September 8, 2007, prior to a national tour scheduled for 2008.
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Previously Posted: From June 27, 2007, Little Shop of Horrors will be open for business at a new time of 7.45pm at a new venue, the Ambassadors Theatre, where it’s booking until November 3, 2007.
The cast will remain the same – Sheridan Smith (Audrey), Paul Keating (Seymour), Barry James (Mushnik), Alistair McGowan (The Dentist and others) and Mike McShane (the Voice of the Audrey II).
Little Shop of Horrors‘ final performance at the Duke of York’s Theatre will be on Saturday, June 23 at 7.30pm.
Previously Posted: Little Shop of Horrors, which is now playing at the Duke of York’s Theatre, has extended its booking period by three months – until September 1, 2007.
Previously Posted: Clive Rowe has temporarily replaced Mike McShane as the voice of Audrey II, the plant with an appetite for blood, in the Menier Chocolate Factory’s production of Little Shop of Horrors at the West End’s Duke of York’s Theatre.
Rowe’s numerous theatre credits include Carousel, Simply Heavenly, Chicago, Candide, Carmen Jones and the National Theatre’s production of Guys and Dolls for which he won an Olivier Award for his performance as Nicely Nicely Johnson.
Rowe was last seen on stage in Caroline, or Change at the National Theatre and this summer, will star in Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s Into the Woods at the Royal Opera House.
A statement issued by Little Shop of Horrors‘ producers said that McShane would not be appearing for two weeks “owing to a family bereavement” which means Rowe will stay with the production until April 14, 2007.
Previously Posted: Following its success at the Menier Chocolate Factory, Little Shop of Horrors will transfer to the Duke of York’s Theatre where it will open on March 12, 2007 (previews from March 6), and where it is initially booking until June 2, 2007.
Although Sheridan Smith (Audrey), Paul Keating (Seymour) and Barry James (Mushnik) will reprise their roles in the West End, Alistair McGowan will replace Jasper Britton as sadistic dentist Orin Scrivello.
Down and out Skid Row floral assistant Seymour becomes an overnight sensation when he discovers an exotic plant with a mysterious craving for fresh blood.
Soon, “Audrey II” grows into an ill-tempered, foul-mouthed, R&B-singing carnivore offering him fame and fortune in exchange for feeding its growing appetite.
But as Audrey II’s hungry demands increase, all that Seymour holds dear is threatened as the plant’s sinister agenda for global domination is revealed….
One of the longest-running off-Broadway shows of all time, this affectionate spoof of 1950s sci-fi movies has become a household name, thanks to a highly successful film version and a score by the songwriting team of Howard Ashman and Alan Menken.
It was Ashman and Menken who redefined the animated musical film genre with Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Beauty and The Beast and Aladdin.
Smith is best known for her television work, most notably as regular characters in the long running BBC hits Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps and The Royle Family.
Keating’s credits include Don Carlos, the West End version of Tommy (in which he played the title role) and recently Closer to Heaven (in which he again played the lead).
McGowan, who will be making his West End debut, also made his musical debut last month – alongside Dame Judi Dench in the RSC’s adaptation of The Merry Wives of Windsor at Stratford-upon-Avon.
James was the original Seymour in the 1986 West End staging of Little Shop of Horrors at the Comedy Theatre.
The voice of the plant is performed by Whose Line Is It Anyway regular Mike McShane, while the plant itself is operated by puppeteer Andy Heath.
Little Shop of Horrors is directed by Matthew White and designed by David Farley whose set (with animator Timothy Bird) for the Menier’s last West End transfer, Sunday in the Park with George, has been nominated for an Olivier Award.
Tom Stoppard’s acclaimed Rock ‘N’ Roll is currently playing at the Duke of York’s Theatre.
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