Little Shop of Horrors

Yep, that time of the year has come around yet again! After three months of focusing on all things degree-oriented (well, mainly, at least!), it’s finally time for the show week of yet another production – and the millions of rehearsals, last-minute details and things to do that come with it, of course, putting sleep at a premium!

This time around, it’s the turn of SUSU Showstoppers, the musical theatre society, with their production of the cult classic Little Shop of Horrors, probably better known by its film adaptation. In essence it’s an all-guns-blazing, utterly bonkers bonanza of a show featuring sadistic dentists, seedy adoptions, perilous propositions, talking man-eating plants (on an epic scale!) and a heck of a lot of cheese to boot, all in the context of a darkly comic yet simultaneously touching musical – performing it all really is a blast!

It’s a far cry from the very much more gritty overtures of Equus, the last theatrical production I was directly involved in (as Director at the beginning of November), but it’s representative of just how many shows, and indeed opportunities, are on offer to students at the University of Southampton, especially when you consider what a small proportion of performers that theatrical societies like Showstoppers and Theatre Group actually make up with respect to the members of the multitudinous other student groups – there’s so much going on, all year round, and everyone gets their time to shine (or indeed two)!

Speaking of Equus, I was lucky enough to take time out of rehearsals last week to attend the Curtain Call awards (billed as the “Oscars of the South”). These were graciously and kindly hosted at the very swanky (it really hit home when a waitress came round our table, placing serviettes on all our laps!) Grand Harbour Hotel in the city centre by the local newspaper, The Daily Echo. Not only were attendees treated to a champagne reception, but also a magnificent three-course dinner accompanied by fine wine, and some top entertainment to boot – talk about a special occasion!

As always, any opportunity to suit up is greatly appreciated and taken advantage of!

Events then led into the awards ceremony itself, with Equus being the recipient of six nominations including Production of the Year, two for Best Actor in a Drama, Best Supporting Actor in a Drama, Best Choreographer and, as a personal nod, Best Director of a Drama. Indeed, SUSU Theatre Group as a whole received eleven nominations (with five going to a show earlier last year, Catch-22), so we were completely bowled over just to be there as a society in such great numbers – it was the most successful round in our history!

To top things off, we were all delighted to witness our very own brilliant President, Sam Dobson, winning a well-deserved Best Actor in a Drama award for his role in the show, where he amazed and terrified audience members alike night after night. Although as a show and society we were unfortunate to miss out on the others (although we gratefully still picked up nomination certificates!), with a couple of other companies having particularly successful years, it was still a night, and occasion, to remember, and was both a hugely enjoyable celebration of all of our efforts back then, as well a timely reminder of just how much talent exists amongst the student body.

I could barely believe I was invited to something so swish!

The incredible production team of Equus, who made it all happen – thanks guys!

But things don’t stand still at University, and I’m fortunate enough to be in a position where the next opportunity is just around the corner, this time in the form of Little Shop. I find myself playing the role of the hapless Mr Mushnik, the owner of an ailing flower shop which is suddenly catapulted to fame and fortune by the discovery of an alien plant species by an employee, Seymour – but, as ever, this comes at great cost to all involved, as the plant’s growth gets wildly out of hand and a lust for blood is afoot!

It’s a barnstorming show which doesn’t treat itself too seriously, while also packing a hefty punch, featuring some tremendously talented individuals on-stage as well as a powerful live band and the most ambitious technical set-up I’ve seen to date in student theatre – it’s quite incredible the level of detail in the set and, of course, the scale of the plant itself, and needs to be seen to be believed!

Plus, personally, the show also offers me the highlights of tangoing, shouting a lot in Yiddish and – eventually – being eaten alive, something I never thought I’d get to simulate on stage! But all in all, it’s a heck of a lot of fun for performers and audiences alike, and is guaranteed to have you humming along on the way home with some cracking music to boot.

A personal highlight of the show – but there are a heck of a lot more! (Credit: Oli Crump)

It’s also the first time I’ve ever been dancing alone and singing into a radio microphone with a live band behind me, which certainly took a bit of getting used to initially when I spent most rehearsals tripping over my own feet and singing far too quietly lest I veer completely out of tune! But a spell of intensive rehearsals last week seems to have brought everything together very nicely, both for myself and the show as a whole, and I’m looking forward to getting out there and being part of an incredibly talented cast and crew who all do what they do so well, on top of being great people to work with. The whole process has been a complete blast from start to finish!

An absolutely massive number of people have put so much into the show, and we hope the result will’ve been worth it! (Credit: Oli Crump)

So if you find yourself at a loose end one evening this week, please feel free to make your way down to the Annex Theatre on campus and check out the show! With ticket prices pretty low and a hugely entertaining evening in store which features massive man-eating plants, why not witness the alien invasion for yourself? And remember – don’t feed the plants!

SUSU Showstoppers’ Little Shop of Horrors is showing on Thursday 6 – Saturday 8 February 2014 at the Annex Theatre (Building 2a), Highfield Campus, with performances beginning at 7.30pm (and a 2.30pm matinee on Saturday). Tickets are £9 for Adults, £7 for Students and £5 for Performing Arts members – with demand high, advanced purchase is recommended at boxoffice.susu.org!

We hope to see you there!

Robin