Little Shop of Horrors
★★★★☆ High-energy
Braw Venues @ Hill Street (Venue 41): Fri 7 – Sun 30 Aug 2026
Review by Shuang Ning Tan
Sound Events Scotland are at Hill Street all Fringe with Little Shop of Horrors, the horror-comedy musical chronicling the bloody series of events that occur after a hapless florist discovers a bizarre plant, which soon reveals its taste for human blood.
Seymour Krelborn, a loveable dork working at Mushnik’s Florist (the flower shop on Skid Row), is initially overjoyed when his new plant miraculously brings him customers and widespread fame. He soon learns that success comes at a cost: the ravenous plant keeps demanding he kill for plant food. Coincidentally, his co-worker Audrey (whom Seymour is secretly in love with) is trapped in a toxic relationship with a sadistic dentist…
The ELS’s Little Shop of Horrors company. Pic SES.
Morgan Flannigan takes on the role of Seymour with great passion. Doubling as the choreographer, it is no wonder that he excels at theatrical physicality, often exaggerating his gestures and posing to achieve comedic effect. He isn’t merely there for the laughs, however: his expressions of terror and his cries of anguish are just as effective. While his physical comedy can verge on overdramatic, Flannigan turns Seymour into a character that is uniquely his.
He also does an excellent job choreographing the production, incorporating props like the florist countertop and the dentist’s chair. One of the show’s highlights is his comically sensual tango with Mr Mushnik (Lorenzo Grattepanche) during the musical number Mushnik and Son.
strength
Nicole Sureda Findon gives an affecting performance as Audrey (also performed by Kiera O’Neill), especially in her solo number Somewhere That’s Green, filled with longing for a better future. Findon’s clear and emotive vocals infuse a certain strength into the meek character. Her powerful voice is sometimes at odds with her ‘low self-image’; then, her abusive boyfriend appears, and she instantly turns into a convincingly pathetic figure.
Andrew Lodge is spectacularly compelling as Audrey’s boyfriend, Orin Scrivello, D.D.S. He dominates the stage, revelling in this gleefully twisted role. Wearing a motorcycle jacket and handlebar moustache, Lodge effortlessly strikes the balance of menace and absurdity. Particularly impressive is his acting in the musical number Now (It’s Just the Gas), which he sings while covered in a black mask and choking on laughing gas.
Morgan Flannigan, Lorenzo Grattepanche and Nicole Sureda Findon. Pic: SES
Josh McPherson’s performance as Audrey II (the carnivorous plant) is even more sinister. Portraying the voice of this otherworldly entity, he is an ever-growing source of dread. Audrey II’s human-sized puppet is already a marvellous behemoth, and McPherson gives it a spirited personality: devilish, condescending, the vocal epitome of an invasive species.
While not directly involved in the narrative, the Skid Row trio – Crystal, Chiffon and Ronette (played by Lisa Bowie, Angelina Cochrane Browne and Abi Kelly respectively) – share the best chemistry and give talented performances in their own right. Lisa Bowie’s Crystal is fabulous from the very start; Browne and Kelly prove themselves to be just as wonderful.
overdramatic
Becca Phillips’ direction is full of enthusiasm – perhaps too much enthusiasm, in some scenes. An overdramatic kiss that goes on for far too long, for example, sacrifices sincere emotion for comedy. Even so, those moments are generally balanced with heartfelt ones.
Sound Events Scotland’s production of Little Shop of Horrors is exuberant and entertaining – a terrific take on a musical theatre classic.
Running time: One hour and 45 minutes (including one interval).
Braw Venues @ Hill Street (Alba Theatre), 19 Hill Street EH2 3JP (Venue 41).
Friday 7 – Sunday 30 August 2026.
Daily: 11.30am.
Tickets and details: Book here at EdFringe.com.
Tickets direct from venue: Book here.
Morgan Flannigan (Seymour) and Audrey II. Pic: SES.
ENDS
