Keelan Worwood

As with my last review with Miss Rodriguez, I am once again the ignorant social science student clumsily attempting to comment on a play I have never seen before until this review. However, this review focuses on a doo-wop musical rather than a southern gothic examination of class, so this should be more on my intellectual level. Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed my first time on Skid Row (which seems to share an odd likeness with the North Bailey on a Wednesday night).

The whole production is without flaw. The music, sound, and set design were all fantastic. It was a pleasant surprise to discover that the music is predominantly rock and Motown-inspired, evoking a fun retro 50s atmosphere that runs throughout the rest of the show. The pit band’s performance was energetic and tight for the entirety of the run-time, but I would like to draw particular attention to the number ‘Mushnik and Son’. Jamie Strand and Michael Nevin as Mushnik and Seymour are electric with their vocal delivery and hyper choreography, throwing their everything into it while maintaining the poise to land every comedic beat. It’s some of the most entertaining theatre I’ve seen in Durham. Backing them up, the pit band performed the most eclectic song of the musical, blending rock, tango, and even hints of klezmer, allowing every instrument its time to shine. It’s certainly a tune I’ll have circulating my head for days to come.    

The whole production is without flaw.

Another aspect I enjoyed was the design of the different Audrey II puppets. They managed to capture the sweet spot between convincing and amateur that was endlessly charming. The rough-around-the-edges construction and slightly latent reaction of the puppets maintained the humorous tone among the darker Faustian themes and B-movie violence. This production also does an admirable job of toeing the line with its dark and sometimes edgy humour. Jokes centred on the abuse that Audrey I (Georgia Hitchcock) suffers could be in danger of seeming tasteless, yet the campy presentation dulls the sting that such lines could inflict. Furthermore, the revelation that Audrey I’s abusive boyfriend is a sadistic dentist (Max Mildred) – imagine your childhood dentist mixed with James Dean and a mad scientist – again provides an elevated context that retains the humour that can be found in such a ludicrously morbid situation. 

I know earlier I implied that Little Shop lacks the social commentary of Streetcar, but I was caught off guard by some of the themes of class and capitalism. There are many obvious examples, from Mushnik’s desire to keep Seymour under duress to maintain his passive income, to the various media and businessmen attempting to capitalise on the phenomenon of the carnivorous plant. One that stuck with me was the vampiric use of blood to attain the means of escaping the slums of Skid Row, to feed the entity that drives our characters’ actions, an entity that demands to be fed so that it may expand exponentially. It all feels loosely Marxian in a way: “capital is dead labour, which, vampire-like, lives only by sucking living labour, and lives the more, the more labour it sucks”. But alas, as much as I would love to elaborate, I’m letting my insufferable social science tendencies show, and I’m tied to a word count. 

This was a fantastic musical, and I would implore fellow students to catch the Bailey Theatre Company’s next production. I am giving this one 7 out of 7 begonias.

Hannah Rodriguez

The first thing I noticed was the energy the three ‘Urchins’ brought to the stage. Their impressive vocal skills and smooth choreography quickly introduced the standard of this performance. I approached this production with fairly specific ideas of the characters, but the cast met and even exceeded my expectations. Nevin’s offstage voice breaks and his awkward body language skillfully conveyed Seymour’s endearing yet troubling character that complemented Hitchcock’s hopeful yet world-weary Audrey.

…the cast met and even exceeded my expectations.

Mr Mushnik – Jamie Strand – was exceptional, with a strong sense of timing. As Mr Worwood said, ‘Mushnik and Son’ was a spectacle that can’t be missed. It has a tango break, what more can we ask? The band was indicative of the high standard of Durham music, and credit must go to Amelia Awan for coordinating the musical sound effects.

Max Mildred’s Orin Scrivello, DDS, was thrillingly disturbing. His smile was both charming and terrifying, really giving his comedic audience engagement a sinister edge. As an English student, I’m always on the lookout for a good parallel, and the way he coveted his drill (yes, they do lean into the innuendo) mirrors how Seymour pets the Audrey II hand puppet. Speaking of the infamous plant, Fred Walmsley’s finale appearance dressed in a suit, tie and sunglasses really leant into the camp capitalism theme of the show.

Audrey’s ‘Somewhere that’s Green’ and the reprise in her death scene (spoiler alert) were very well done. It can be difficult to balance the blend of comedy and tragedy in Audrey’s wish to join her namesake. Hitchcock’s technique of breaking character as though to narrate her own death was really effective, provoking a laugh before snapping straight back into the drama.

Honestly, the Bailey Theatre Company has done an amazing job. Watching characters get fed to a sassy plant was the perfect distraction from revision. Sacrificing time and energy to an insatiable monster, who could relate to that? Well, time to walk into the jaws of the Billy B again… This production is definitely high on the list of shows I’ve seen in my four years at Durham. Any musical theatre fans should check out @baileytheatrecompanydurham on Instagram. I award this show 2 out of 2 Audreys.

Image: Bailey Theatre Company