‘Little Shop of Horrors’

Presented by North Canterbury Musicals, Rangiora Town Hall, 9-17 October 2026

Reviewed by Courtenay Washington for Chris Lynch Media

There’s a reason Little Shop of Horrors remains such a crowd-pleaser. With familiar favourites like ‘Suddenly, Seymour’ and ‘You’ll Be a Dentist’, a gloriously ridiculous plot, and a man-eating plant at its centre, it’s a recipe for a good night at the theatre. North Canterbury’s opening night had all the ingredients for a very entertaining show, and, aside from the odd technical glitch, it was a seriously strong start.

First up, a special shout-out to Jono Cartmell as the dentist, Orin Scrivello. Sensational. It takes a special kind of performer to make such a thoroughly vile character almost likeable, but Cartmell’s campness was an absolute joy. Just when you thought he couldn’t possibly crank it up another notch, he did. And then he did it again. And again. More, please! Alongside Cartmell, Oscar Days as the voice of Audrey II was one of the show’s workhorses.  The two of them bring an enormous amount of energy to the production, and you’ll have to go and see it for yourself to understand exactly what I mean by that.  Days’ voice is exquisite and his comic timing is truly next level.  I even found myself letting out the occasional snort.  Not that I am really keen to publicly admit to that.  Apologies to the lady seated in front of me.

The puppeteering team also deserves a special mention of it’s own. Audrey II is a star in her own right, and the team behind the plant had the audience laughing from the get-go. It’s no small feat to make a giant, hungry plant puppet such an engaging and animated presence, but they certainly delivered.

McKenzie Gardner is delightful as Audrey, with a lovely voice to match. She brings the right combination of sweetness and vulnerability to the role, making Audrey someone you can’t help but root for. Seymour, played by Josh Hogarty was a strong anchor throughout the show, and Benjamin Maher was well-cast as Mr Mushnik; both embodying the cocktail of neuroses that only add to the outrageousness of the show. A special mention must go to Ella Berry as Crystal, one of ‘The Trio’. This girl has some serious pipes! The trio’s musical numbers are a highlight, and Berry certainly makes her voice heard with additional powerhouse vocals from Yeiji Kim and Jenny Wang.

If I were to nitpick, I’d have loved the band to be louder. They sounded almost apologetic from the outset, which was a shame because they were so good that the production felt the need to announce beforehand that, yes, the band was actually live, and I can vouch for the fact that they truly are! Give them the volume they deserve and let them loose. Just because a venue is intimate, doesn’t mean the audience has come to see something small. To the contrary, this production is larger than life in every way.

Opening nights can be unpredictable, and a technical hiccup or two is hardly the end of the world. What matters is the energy, the performances and the promise of a show finding its feet. North Canterbury’s Little Shop of Horrors has plenty of all three. Come for the songs you know, stay for the increasingly outrageous dentist, and prepare to be entertained from ‘go’ to ‘woah’. A very promising opening night, and well worth a visit.