Little Shop of Horrors Review: 4.5 Stars

Little Shop of Horrors photo: Masquerade / Teatru Manoel / Facebook.

Little Shop of Horrors is one of those classics with evergreen appeal (sorry). We’ve got a thwarted love story, music you can sing along and stamp your feet to and – of course – a bloodthirsty plant. Masquerade’s production delivers a faithful and polished staging, with a very capable all-singing, all-dancing cast and a couple of well-executed surprises along the way. Before the review, here are the details.

Little Shop of Horrors – details

Play	Little Shop of Horrors
My Rating	⭐⭐⭐⭐🌟 (4.5/5)
Producer	Masquerade
Book & lyrics	Howard Ashman
Music	Alan Menken
Director	anthony bezzina
Music director	Kris Spiteri
Cast	Luigi Buhagiar, Michela Agius, Francesco Nicodeme, Max Dingli, Rachel Fabri, Natassja Chapman, Karl Bartolo, Abigail Zarb, Miguel Morales.
Set design	Adrian Mamo
Costume design	Simona Mamo
Sound design	Sergio Costa
Lighting Design	Matthew Gellel
Choreography	Valerie Burke
Running Time	2.5 hours including interval
Dates	October 23 till November 1
Venue	Teatru Manoel
Language	English

Little Shop of Horrors – story and score

Think of it as a traditional love story, but the only one to get a happy ending is the plant. Seymour works at a plant store on the less-than-delectable Skid Row. He’s shy, he’s in love with his co-worker Audrey, and he’s pretty much got nothing going on. Much like the store he works at. Until, that is, he rescues a weird looking plant and things start going green again. He dubs her Audrey II, in honour of his lady-love, of course. The original Audrey, meanwhile, is busy getting beaten up by her boyfriend Orin.

Suddenly, the entire town wants to see Audrey II, and to buy flowers from Mushnik’s plant shop. The fly in the ointment? Audrey II isn’t doing very well — until, that is, Seymour discovers she’s got a taste for blood. Cue some serious dark comedy to the tune of Alan Menken’s and Howard Ashman’s score and book. Goofy and high-energy tracks with more than a nod to the 60s rock and roll scene. Who’d have thought they’d make a perfect soundtrack to a story about a murderous plant?

Little Shop of Horrors – cast

Honestly, it’s difficult to pick the brightest star here. Not only do all performers deliver fully, it’s also obvious they were having a blast. There’s some good chemistry there, which was transmitted to the audience. I do have a soft spot for Francesco Nicodeme’s Orin, whose sadistic dentist was giving strong Villain Elvis vibes. Breaking the fourth wall and venturing into the audience is not something every actor can pull off convincingly, but Nicodeme handled the interaction with an effortless ease that made the whole thing feel entirely spontaneous, rather than annoying (which, too often, it can be). He captures the vibe of his solo Dentist — when audience members are randomly going “aaaaah” along with the chorus, well you know the performance has landed.

Luigi Buhagiar’s performance as Seymour starts out a tad subdued, but becomes increasingly powerful as the show progresses. His skill truly shines in Mushnik & Son, where he couples well-timed comic reactions and awkward hesitations with powerful vocal delivery and nimble moves. A real all-rounder of a performer.

But, arguably, it’s the role of Audrey that’s the most interesting in Little Shop of Horrors. A strong performance requires a balance of comic exaggeration, vulnerability and genuine emotional depth, and Michela Agius provides all three. She delivers the poignant pause required by Somewhere That’s Green, her expressive vocals conveying longing without becoming overly sappy.

Max Dingli makes for a serviceable Mushnik, albeit tripping over his lines on occasion. The trio of Urchins carry out tight work and bring an additional layer of chemistry. Rachel Fabri’s Crystal is a snappy, cheeky delight with an assured delivery and vocals, particularly in Skid Row; Natassja Chapman’s Chiffon makes an immediate impression in the opening number; and Abigail Zarb’s Ronnette takes the vocal lead with confidence in Ya Never Know.

And then, of course, Audrey II, in this production rendered through puppetry, voiced and performed by Karl Bartolo. Bartolo may only have had one solo, the ridiculously infectious Feed Me (Git It) but he brings incomparable energy that had everyone tapping their feet and moving in their seats.

As an aside, Malta appears to be going through something of a musical renaissance with production standards across different companies having taken a significant leap upwards. In the past years we’ve had 2024’s Oliver! The Musical (also by Masquerade), Revamp’s Amélie, and Teatru Manoel’s Into the Woods (among others) all scoring 4+ stars. Considering there was a time many believed that a professionally produced full musical in Malta was out of the question, this is wonderful.

Direction, set, costumes, music & lights

Little Shop of Horrors is directed by anthony bezzina, who uses a discerning hand that keeps the action flowing seamlessly. He gives the performers enough freedom to inhabit their characters fully, wisely resisting the temptation to overcomplicate matters. The cast shines under his direction, while a couple of inspired and unexpected flourishes add an extra spark to the production. bezzina also handles the domestic violence arc with sensitivity, giving the narrative room to develop and to bring the underlying message home.

Kris Spiteri’s musical direction brings out the infectious energy of Menken’s score, with punchy rhythms and an irresistible sense of momentum running through the numbers. Spiteri and his orchestra negotiate the score’s shifts between exuberant doo-wop numbers and tender ballads with finesse. This was complemented by Sergio Costa’s effective sound design, which maintained a pleasing balance between vocals and instrumentation, allowing both music and lyrics to have their moment.

Adrian Mamo’s revolving set was both visually appealing and practical. It created a layered sense of urban depth while enabling seamless transitions that kept up with the production’s brisk pace. Simona Mamo’s excellent costume design completed the picture with a delightful nod to the retro roots of the show. Not sure if this is where Audrey II’s puppet-work falls, but this was another triumph that grew larger and larger — literally.

Little Shop of Horrors – verdict

There’s precious little to fault in this production, which brings together strong performances, polished production values and some delightful creative touches. Director anthony bezzina delivers a thoroughly entertaining production that does justice to the material while finding a few opportunities to surprise us along the way. The production also serves as a testament to Masquerade’s versatility as a producer. Their last production I reviewed was Arthur Miller’s A View from the Bridge, a world away from the gloriously macabre musical comedy of Little Shop of Horrors. Yet, both productions stand out for entirely different reasons.

If you’ve got a free Sunday, some tickets are still available, and this Little Shop of Horrors is in full bloom, with a wicked streak running right down to its roots.

Affiliate/Advertising Disclaimer: How I Carry Out Reviews

I received no payment for this review of Little Shop of Horrors, and I was offered press tickets. The opinions expressed here are purely my own and the producers had no input/control over what I wrote. There are no affiliate links contained within this page. To learn more about my policies and my reviewing process, visit my Affiliate/Advertising disclosure page. To better understand what my rating means, check out the details of the star system. Check out another equally funny show: Cagliostro & The Pirate Queen: The Secret Story of Malta.