Review: Little Shop of Horrors - St. Brendan’s Choral and Dramatic Society

Society name: St. Brendan’s Choral and Dramatic Society

Show name: Little Shop of Horrors

Adjudicator date of attendance: 29/04/2026

‘Little Shop of Horrors’ is packed with catchy songs, larger-than-life characters and a rather unusual story. Underneath all the comedy and fun, it is a show about ambition, temptation and the dangers of chasing success at any cost. It can also be a challenging show to stage, with the ever-present difficulty of bringing Audrey II convincingly to life. St. Brendan's Choral and Dramatic Society presented their production in the Temperance Hall, Loughrea. I attended on opening night and, while there were aspects of the production that needed a night or two to settle and improve as the run progressed, there was no shortage of commitment from those involved. What stayed with me most was the potential within the society. There was no shortage of talent and promise. Every production fosters greater confidence and skills and, no doubt, the experience gained will reap rewards for many more productions to come.

Front of house provided a very positive start to the evening. Audience members were greeted by friendly and welcoming personnel who helped create a very relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere in the Temperance Hall. There was a lovely sense of warmth about the venue as we were shown to our seats, setting the tone nicely for the performance ahead.

Ronan Lardner directed the production and did a very good job overall with a young and developing cast. It was clear that he recognised the potential within the society and worked hard to create an environment in which performers could grow in confidence and enjoy their time on stage. Mr. Lardner's strength, as always, lay in his handling of the comedy and for the most part the humour was handled very effectively. There was thoughtful work with the principal cast, helping them to deliver performances with confidence and commitment. The ensemble was used well. ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ does not normally lend itself to a lot of ensemble activity, however, members were given many opportunities to contribute and to shine throughout. Overall, very good work from Mr. Lardner facilitating a positive step forward for the society.

Musically, the show was in very good hands with Shane Farrell as Musical Director and Eilís O'Neill as Chorus Mistress. Mr. Farrell, on keyboard, was joined by six accomplished musicians who created a very strong sound throughout and gave the production a very professional feel from a musical perspective. Principal singing was secure for the most part, and there were a number of very enjoyable choral moments during the show. Good work was also done with the three urchins. Their commitment was a very important part of the musical success of the production. One aspect of musical direction that particularly stood out was Mr. Farrell's professionalism when dealing with a small number of moments that went slightly awry on stage. These moments were managed calmly and effectively and showed the value of an experienced musical director at the helm. Overall, this was excellent work from Mr. Farrell, Ms. O'Neill and everyone involved.

Ronan Lardner also took on the role of choreographer and devised routines that suited the cast well. Movement was kept within the abilities of the cast, giving everyone opportunities to contribute and ensuring that performers with different levels of experience were able to participate fully. The three urchins brought great energy and commitment to their movement throughout. Their enthusiastic movement helped to drive many of the musical numbers. The ensemble's strongest choreographic work came during ‘The Meek Shall Inherit’. This was a very effective number, full of purpose, and it allowed some of the more experienced performers to really shine. ‘Mushnik and Son’ was particularly funny with great work from both performers, especially in their hilarious tango sequence.

At just 17 years of age, Adam Broderick is a relative newcomer to musical theatre but I have a feeling he is a name we will be hearing more of in the years ahead as he continues to develop as a performer. Taking on the role of Seymour is a significant challenge for anyone and the biggest takeaway from this performance was the wonderful potential that Mr. Broderick has. As he settled into the role, he became increasingly comfortable with the comedy and began to throw himself fully into Seymour's more humorous moments. Vocally, there was wonderful potential too. He gave a particularly strong performance in ‘Feed Me’, handling the higher notes with impressive confidence. There was also good work during the scene in Orin's surgery, where he conveyed Seymour's nerves and growing panic as events spiralled out of control. This was a performance full of promise from a young actor with super potential and I have no doubt that Mr. Broderick will have gained a great deal from it.

Sarah Dowd gave a very strong performance in the role of Audrey. As the flower shop assistant with dreams of escaping Skid Row for a better life, Ms. Dowd found a lovely balance between the humour and the heart of the role. She captured Audrey's vulnerability and innocence well, while also embracing the character's comic qualities with great confidence. This was particularly evident in ‘Somewhere That's Green’, where she struck a lovely balance between poignancy and humour. Audrey's dream of a better life away from Skid Row was genuine and heartfelt, while still keeping the charm and understated comedy that make the song so memorable. Vocally, Ms. Dowd did very well. Her performance in ‘Suddenly Seymour’ was particularly strong, making the number the musical highlight of the evening.

There was some interesting casting in the role of Mrs. Mushnik, played here by Yvonne Earls. I will admit that I was a little bit unsure about the choice to gender swap the character initially. However, Ms. Earls quickly won the audience and myself over with a performance that drew upon her vast talent and experience. She brought intelligence, confidence and a very strong comic instinct to the role. What impressed me most was the assurance that comes with experience. There were moments where onstage ‘hiccups’ could easily have disrupted scenes but Ms. Earls covered things seamlessly. Vocally, there were some challenges outside of Ms. Earls’ control. As the songs were not transposed, numbers such as ‘Ya Never Know’ and ‘Mushnik and Son’ sat in a lower register than would have been ideal. With good support from the sound department, however, she successfully navigated both numbers.

Sinead Murphy was very strong as the voice of Audrey II. Although we didn’t see Ms. Murphy until the finale, her presence was certainly felt through a wonderfully rich vocal performance that provided the man-eating plant with plenty of personality. Her delivery was bold and commanding. She nailed the plant's sinister nature but never lost the humour that makes this absurd character so entertaining. Her singing in ‘Feed Me’ was particularly impressive. It was one of the show's standout numbers as Audrey II began to exert her control. Overall, wonderful work from Ms. Murphy, who made a big impact on the production despite spending most of the show unseen.

The urchin trio of Crystal, Ronnette and Chiffon were played by Sadhbh Mechan, Sophie Smith and Raphael McKenna Short. These three young performers approached their roles with great energy, confidence and commitment throughout. The urchins have a significant responsibility within the show, acting as Greek chorus while singing some challenging harmonies on top of their many choreographed sequences. All three rose to the challenge and will have learned a huge amount from the experience. Vocally, they acquitted themselves very well. Their harmonies were, for the most part, secure, and they made a particularly strong contribution to ‘Suddenly Seymour’. The experience gained from taking on roles of this scale will stand to all three and I have no doubt they will continue to build on this in the years ahead.

Oisín Dowling was another talented young performer who made a strong impression as the sadistic dentist, Orin Scrivello DDS. Orin is a wonderfully over-the-top character, who takes great pleasure in the misery of others and thrives on intimidation and control. Mr. Dowling embraced those qualities and gave a performance full of energy and confidence. One of Mr. Dowling’s greatest strengths was his physicality. He moved very well and brought a wonderful, larger-than-life quality to the role. His accent was strong throughout, and he clearly enjoyed the character's darker side as he created a most unpleasant and intimidating figure. Musically, he had great fun with the role. He enjoyed his ridiculously long-held note in ‘Dentist’, which went down a treat with the audience. There were some timing issues during ‘Now (It's Just the Gas)’, which can be a difficult number to get right but, to his credit, Mr. Dowling got things back on track thanks to some good musical awareness.

Special mention must go to Gavin Treacy who manipulated the plant puppets. It is a pretty thankless and physically demanding task but Mr. Treacy did well in helping to create the illusion.

The ensemble contributed well throughout the evening and brought plenty of energy and commitment to the production. There was a nice mix of experienced and less experienced performers on stage and, while that naturally brought varying levels of confidence and polish, it also created good opportunities for learning. A number of cameo performances stood out. Samuel Nicolas made a positive impression as Customer No. 1, while Paul Callanan was a sleazy Skip Snip. Vincent Hays gave a well-characterised performance as Mr. Bernstein. While some of his timing could have been a little sharper, his characterisation was solid. Daniel Cronin also impressed as Patrick Martin, demonstrating excellent diction and strong characterisation during his scene. The wider ensemble came into their own during numbers such as ‘Call Back in the Morning’, which featured some enjoyable stage business and good engagement from the cast. There was also strong work from all in ‘The Meek Shall Inherit’. Chorally they did very well throughout, especially during the excellent ‘Suddenly Seymour’. Strong work throughout and plenty to build on for the future.

The set design worked well overall and created a believable Skid Row setting for the action. The flower shop was clearly established as the main location, with the counter, shelving and various pieces of dressing helping to create the feel of a small business struggling to survive. I really liked the use of the back wall of the stage. It’s rough, textured appearance was very effective and perfectly suited the rundown world of the show. It gave the set a worn and weathered look and helped to create the sense of a neglected part of town without needing anything overly elaborate. Importantly, the design allowed cast plenty of room to work with, which helped scenes to move along smoothly.

Christina McKeogh was stage manager and ensured that the production ran smoothly throughout the evening. There was evidence of good organisation behind the scenes, with scene changes carried out efficiently and without disrupting the flow of the show. The various stages of Audrey II's growth were managed well, which is no small task in a production of ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ and credit is due to the backstage team for the coordination required to make this happen successfully.

The lighting design was strong throughout and made a strong contribution to the atmosphere of the production. One of its greatest strengths was the way it used the rough, textured back wall of the stage. This surface took colour exceptionally well and helped to create some nice states throughout. Lighting was particularly effective during some of the darker moments of the story. The end of Act One was superb, with the lighting reflecting the drama and violence as Orin was fed to Audrey II. There was also some beautiful backlighting during ‘Somewhere That's Green (Reprise)’. Overall, this was very good work from the lighting team.

The sound design was very strong throughout. Vocal levels were generally set very well, allowing dialogue and lyrics to be heard clearly, while the overall EQing across the cast was of a good standard. Band levels were also well managed, with a very balanced sound for the most part. There was also good work in the mixing of ensemble vocals. The bigger numbers came across very well. The three urchins particularly benefited from good sound levels, ensuring that their narration was always clear. The use of sound effects was particularly impressive. These were well chosen and very well timed. Orin's motorcycle was very effective, while the ringing phones during ‘Call Back in the Morning’ were perfectly timed and helped bring the scene to life. Audrey II's well-timed burp provided a lovely comic moment and the coordination of the gunshots during the latter stages of the show was handled superbly.

Costumes were a little hit and miss for me overall. While there were some very strong individual costumes, I felt there was a lack of consistency at times, particularly amongst the ensemble and even within the urchin trio. That said, there was plenty to like. Audrey's leopard-print skirt suited her character perfectly. Orin's leather jacket was another strong piece and helped to emphasise his swagger and confidence. I loved the green overalls worn by Orin, Mushnik, Seymour and Audrey when they returned under Audrey II's control. Their ivy-covered costumes looked great, while the plant-inspired headpieces were particularly effective. I also thought it was lovely to see Ms. Murphy so well costumed when she finally appeared on stage as the voice of Audrey II. The green sequinned costume was a classy touch and ensured that she got a well-deserved moment in the spotlight after carrying the role vocally throughout the show.

Props were one of the strongest aspects of the production and there was some really good attention to detail throughout that helped bring both the flower shop and Skid Row to life. Simple items such as Mushnik's radio, the trash can, the cash register and the various flowers around the shop all added authenticity. There were also some nice comic touches. The order for the Shivas was hilariously oversized. Orin's motorcycle was a fabulous addition. The dentist's chair looked very well and the blood-spattered sheet added great visual comedy. The phones used during ‘Call Back in the Morning’ worked very well, while smaller items such as Mushnik's magnifying glass helped add to the detail. The all-important bullets, rat poison and machete in the latter stages were also most effective.

Hair and makeup worked well in places and there were some nice character touches throughout. I particularly liked the dramatic white streak in Mrs. Mushnik's hair. It suited the character well and helped give her a very distinctive look. Audrey's blonde wig looked a little untidy during the opening scenes, although it was noticeably neater by Act Two. I also felt that the black eye makeup for her “shiner” didn't quite work as intended. It looked very artificial and drew attention to itself for the wrong reasons. I also felt that the three urchins could have benefited from a more coordinated look. They all worked hard and had plenty of energy but some common styling might have helped them stand out more clearly as a trio. Overall, there were some good ideas and a little more attention to a few of the finer points might have helped to lift the overall presentation.

What stayed with me most as I left the Temperance Hall was the potential within this cast. It felt very much like a society that is growing, learning and building towards the future. Not everything worked perfectly on opening night but that should never take away from the achievement of staging a challenging show such as ‘Little Shop of Horrors’. There was plenty of talent on display, particularly amongst the younger members of the cast, and there was a genuine sense of enthusiasm and commitment running through the production. The experience gained from this show will stand to everyone involved and will undoubtedly help the society continue to move forward. St. Brendan's Choral and Dramatic Society should take great encouragement from the many positives on display throughout. With each production comes greater confidence and experience and I have no doubt that the lessons learned from this show will help the society continue to develop. I look forward to seeing where that journey leads in the years ahead.

Pat McElwain

Sullivan Adjudicator 2025/2026