Singing, dancing, a flesh-eating plant, what more can you ask for in a show? Well, no surprise, but you get all that from the Canstage production of Little Shop of Horrors. The show was a delight and I found myself grinning and dancing in my seat as I watched the show unfold.

My show-partner for this one was John, theatre-geek and techie-geek, all rolled up in one neat little package.

At intermission John commented to me "I had forgotten how much I enjoy the music in this show." I hadn't forgotten, but I too love the music in this show. It's lively, full of life, and without a doubt a 'hum-able' musical.

The set brought the story, and the era, alive. And Audrey II (the plant), well, it was a sight to behold - A puppet on a grand scale. All I can think is the guy working that puppet must be in wicked shape, and probably is pretty sweaty by the end of the show.

The talent on stage was excellent, every part was well done. All the actors were perfectly suited to their roles. I can't imagine how difficult it would have been to synchronize the voice of the plant with the actions of the plant, but they did it. After a very short period of time you stop thinking about the fact that the plant is a puppet, it really is just another actor on stage.

And, yes, I liked the play better than the movie (the musical version, not the very original B movie, although I'm sure I enjoyed it more than I would enjoy that one too...)

I liked it, John liked it, the rest of the audience seemed to like it, so I'd say this is well worth checking out. It's a great break from the 'everything Christmas' world we seem to be living in these days. Sometimes you just need some singing, dancing and eating of flesh, you know what I mean?

Details
- Little Shop of Horrors is at Canstage's Bluma Appel Theatre, 27 Front Street East
- Runs until December 15 Monday - Saturday evenings at 8 p.m.; matinees Wednesday 1:30 p.m.; Saturday 2 p.m.
- Ticket prices range from $20 - $89, Mondays are PWYC
- More details on the Canstage website

Photo of Sheldon Davis, Patricia Zentilli and Ron Pederson by Cylla von Tiedemann