The reviews are in for Little Shop of Horrors at Hope Mill Theatre in Manchester, which had its press night on 7 October and runs until 28 November before moving to Liverpool Playhouse from 3 December to 9 January. Carrie-Anne Ingrouille directs and choreographs Howard Ashman and Alan Menken’s musical about a Skid Row florist and a plant with a taste for blood, with Jed Berry as Seymour and Maisie Smith as Audrey. The notices are strong: three critics give it full marks, and nobody who scores it goes below four stars. The Audrey II puppetry and Benjamin Yates’s sadistic dentist draw the most praise. The one recurring reservation is that this is a faithful staging rather than a fresh one.
The verdict: thirteen reviews so far, ten of them rated: three five-star notices, one four-and-a-half and six four-star, an average of 4.35 out of 5, and nobody who scores it goes below four. Almost every critic singles out the Audrey II puppetry and Benjamin Yates’s dentist. The only real disagreement is over whether a faithful staging needed fresh ideas.
What are critics saying about LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS?
The Reviews Hub
Reviewer: Sebastian Farrell
Sebastian Farrell gives the production full marks and says it never feels like a copy of stagings audiences have seen before. He praises every department, from the set and costumes to the direction and choreography of Carrie-Anne Ingrouille.
“Arguably, however, the true star of the show is the extraordinary puppetry of Audrey II.”
He singles out Julia Frost among the three puppeteers and credits Rory Beaton’s lighting with a memorable eclipse. His only quibble is a moment in ‘Suddenly Seymour’ where the small stage pushes the action to one side.
North West End
Reviewer: Paul Downham
Writing on press night, Paul Downham could not find a weak link in the company, and gives much of the credit to casting director Rob Kelly.
“Jed Berry is the star of the show displaying every ounce of his exceptional talent playing the hapless Seymour.”
He calls the ‘Suddenly Seymour’ duet with Maisie Smith the high point, admires the detail in Morgan Large’s design and the mix of the hidden five-piece band, and ranks it among the best shows he has seen this year. His one reservation is the way Michael Starke pitches Mushnik.
Theatre and Tonic
Reviewer: Roni
Roni thinks the intimate Hope Mill suits a show that never needed spectacle, and credits Morgan Large and Matthew Cassar with a striking set made from very little, including the giant lit-up ‘SKID ROW’ letters.
“It’s a flawless, feel-good, powerhouse production – phenomenally entertaining and devilishly funny.”
The review picks out Marcus Ayton’s voice for Audrey II and the trio of Rio Maye, Psalms-Nissi Myers-Reid and Gabrielle Davina Smith, and says the smaller room also makes for crisper vocals.
A Young(ish) Perspective
“Charming, glamorous, and camply entertaining musical fun”
Reviewer: Seth Connor-Fullwood
Seth Connor-Fullwood came to the show without knowing the film, and was won over by how well it holds its camp comedy and its darker material together, notably the abusive dentist.
“Marcus Ayton’s delivery as the voice of Audrey II is superb”
He calls the lighting brilliant, especially the bulbs above the audience that flash red whenever the plant feeds. His reservations: the ending feels rushed, and too much dialogue was lost under the music.
Read Seth Connor-Fullwood’s full review at A Young(ish) Perspective
WhatsOnStage
Reviewer: Amanda Dunlop
Amanda Dunlop enjoys a revival that is big on personality and laughs, while noting the sharper story underneath about poverty, ambition and abuse.
“Benjamin Yates steals all his scenes with a deliciously dark and flamboyant turn”
She finds Jed Berry’s Seymour believable and his unravelling both funny and true, and praises Maisie Smith for an Audrey who keeps the B-movie daftness while showing a woman worn down by coercive control.
BroadwayWorld
“Much-loved musical finds a new resonance in the 2020s”
Reviewer: Gary Naylor
Gary Naylor takes the show somewhere unexpected, reading the ever-hungrier plant as an allegory for something very current: a thing invited in to solve problems that ends up making its own decisions.
“Few elements of theatre have improved as much as puppetry in the last couple of decades”
He thinks this Audrey II is convincing enough to carry the craziness, and calls Benjamin Yates’s Orin a glorious turn.
Musical Theatre Review
Reviewer: William Keeling
William Keeling finds the leads faithful to the film’s Seymour and Audrey but distinct enough to be their own, with Maisie Smith bringing out the domestic-abuse story more than usual.
“But this production isn’t all homage; there’s enough fresh energy to show why audiences still love this show.”
He calls the girl-group trio the show’s beating heart, but feels the Skid Row setting never quite shows the poverty the characters want to escape.
Read William Keeling’s full review at Musical Theatre Review
West End Best Friend
Reviewer: Jacob Bush
Jacob Bush says plainly that the production brings no new ideas to the show, and enjoys it anyway as a strong, traditional staging.
“Benjamin Yates is perhaps the strongest vocalist to have ever played Orin, the sadistic dentist.”
He credits Carrie-Anne Ingrouille with landing every laugh without overplaying it, and would have liked Audrey to have a few more costume changes. He also notes that Smith plays Audrey in Manchester only; Jessie Elland takes over in Liverpool.
All That Dazzles
“Seymour, Audrey and a very hungry plant bring this cult classic snapping back to life in a thrilling night at Hope Mill Theatre”
Reviewer: Jack McCabe
Jack McCabe thinks the writing is where the show really bites, and praises Morgan Large’s detailed Skid Row for making a small theatre feel like a lived-in street.
“Maisie Smith’s performance as Audrey is remarkable and portrays the vulnerability of her character beautifully.”
He notes the odd moment where Mushnik fell behind the choreography, and calls those minor blemishes on a hugely entertaining evening.
British Theatre Guide
Reviewer: David Chadderton
David Chadderton calls it the West End in miniature, and says nearly two weeks of previews show in a slick, confident staging that lets the material speak for itself.
“It's just a joyful night at the theatre. I had a grin on my face for the whole time”
His reservations are small: the energy dips when the leads play a line too realistically, and the sound is loud enough to make some microphones shrill.
Read David Chadderton’s full review at British Theatre Guide
Northern Soul
Reviewer: Andy Murray
Andy Murray describes a faithful, flab-free production. He finds Smith sensational in the songs but short on vulnerability elsewhere, and thinks some of the comic business risks tipping over the top.
“this production works wonders with a show that may be on the verge of becoming too familiar”
Those quibbles aside, he urges readers to go.
Canal Street Media
Canal Street Media’s reviewer, who is not named, has no complaints at all, and points out that the stage version keeps the darker original ending rather than the 1986 film’s happier one.
“In short, there is absolutely nothing to criticise in the entire show.”
The review singles out Benjamin Yates’s crop-topped dentist and Marcus Ayton’s menacing voice for the plant.
Production photographs by Danny Kaan.
Also reviewed by: The Stage (Matt Barton, four stars, “Strange, macabre beast”), whose review sits behind a registration wall.
For more of this week’s openings, see our review roundups for Fences at the Lyric Hammersmith, The Haunting of Hill House at Richmond Theatre and NINA at Battersea Arts Centre.
Little Shop of Horrors plays at Hope Mill Theatre, Manchester, until 28 November 2026, then at Liverpool Playhouse from 3 December 2026 to 9 January 2027.
