Little Shop of Horrors
★★★★☆ Blooming marvellous
Portobello Town Hall: Thu 6 – Sat 8th Nov 2025
Review by Martin Gray
The comic horror musical Little Shop of Horrors comes to Portobello Town Hall this week courtesy of Stage Door and proves shockingly good.
The musical tells the story of Seymour Krelborn, a downtrodden florist’s assistant whose life takes a turn for the better – at first, anyway – when he finds a ‘strange and interesting plant’ during an eclipse.
Fionn Cameron (centre) and ensemble. Pic Stage Door
The plant is named after his crush, Audrey, another worker at Skid Row shop Mushnik’s, who is in denial about her abusive relationship with a ‘semi-sadist’ dentist. The plant attracts attention and customers, but tends to wilt – if only Seymour could find the right food that would make Audrey II grow.
One night, he does, pricking a finger on a thorn. Audrey II laps up the sweet, red liquid, and shows more signs of life. Soon Seymour is regularly giving shots of his own blood to the plant, which gets bigger and bigger, making the shop – and Seymour – suddenly popular. But as it grows ever larger, Audrey II’s dietary demands grow to match…
treat
Now this is a treat. Unlike most stage mountings of Little Shop of Horrors, this isn’t the terrific 1986 Frank Oz film performed live – it’s the original show, and its finale is a lot darker.
It’s still a hoot, though, and the gags are in good hands in Lisa Goldie’s production, which features a fantastic cast, both seen and unseen. Fionn Cameron is terrific as Seymour, sketching his journey from misfit to manic with skill.
Melissa McNaught Simpson. Pic Stage Door
As Audrey, Melissa McNaught Simpson shows us the emotional and physical pain that comes with her lunatic lover, her yearning rendition of Somewhere That’s Green is a highlight of the night. Suddenly Seymour, with Cameron, is equally good, bringing the biggest reaction of the night from the audience.
There’s also great work from Jessica Grant, Daisy Morrison and Olivia Ejjaouani as the street urchins Crystal, Chiffon and Ronette, who set the scene with Skid Row, comment on the action and occasionally give advice. Their Sixties girl group stylings do justice to the doo-wop of Alan Menken’s brilliant music and Howard Ashman’s lyrics.
brimful of brio
Stephen Donaldson is the show’s busiest performer, showing up as a street bum, a coterie of showbiz reps and most notably, nitrous-oxide addicted dentist Orin Scrivello. His big number, Dentist, with the all-girl ensemble as his adoring nurses, is a real showstopper: Donaldson playing to Orin’s narcissism with his dazzling ability to hold, and work, a note.
Kevin McConnachie’s Mushnik is brimful of brio as he shares one of the lesser-known numbers, Mushnik and Son, a breezy calypso, with Cameron. And Aidan O’Brien is a full-throated Audrey II, its growing confidence filling the modest flower shop with terror.
Stephen Donaldson (centre) and ensemble. Pic Stage Door
It’s a shame the Oscar-nominated Mean Green Mother From Outer Space, written for the film, isn’t in here, but you can’t have everything. We do get the marvellously menacing Feed Me Seymour (Git It) and that, as they say, is not nuthin’.
O’Brien does double duty, creating the choreography both for the main characters and the aforementioned ensemble – Sylvia Travers, Kayla Travers, Talia Rivers, Katie McNulty, Robyn Devine and Chiara Baillie. Someone who doesn’t need dance steps is Ben White, operating Audrey II with real skill and chewing a lot more than just the scenery.
inventive
Lesley O’Brien’s costumes are excellent, while Laura Hawkins’s inventive lighting sells the drama, though the stage mist – a device to make the lighting pop – is sometimes a tad heavy, as if we’re watching a musical version of The Fog.
The band led by MD Tommie Travers is tight and tuneful, though the venue acoustics – it’s a town hall, not a theatre – mean lyrics and dialogue are occasionally swamped, especially by the percussion. Maybe sound designer Ian Cunningham can tweak the on-stage performers’ mics? Whatever the case, the value of live music can’t be underestimated.
The value of life, though? That’s something for you to decide at this confident, fun-filled presentation of a cult classic.
Running time: Two hours and 20 minutes (including an interval)
Portobello Town Hall, 147-149 Portobello High St, Portobello EH15 1AF.
Thurs 6 – Sat 8 Nov 2025
Evenings: 7.30pm; Sat mat: 2.30pm.
Tickets and details: Book here.
Stage Door website: www.stagedoorentertainment.co.uk
Facebook: @StageDoorEntsUK
Instagram: @stagedoorentsuk
Linktree: @stagedoorentsuk
Jessica Grant, Kevin McConnachie, Olivia Ejjaouani and Daisy Morrison. Pic Stage Door
ENDS
