Review: LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS at Opéra Comique

In sync with the off-Broadway revival currently playing in New York until 2024 comes to the Opéra Comique the first legitimate Paris revival of the 1986 French adaptation of The Little Shop of Horrors by the late Alain Marcel, which first opened at the Théâtre Dejazet in June and then transferred to the Théâtre la Porte St-Martin. A previous French revival, also at the Dejazet in 2001, starring Hervé Lewandowski as Seymour and Franck Vincent as the plant, was cut short because the rights didn't allow for the vegetal monster to be played by a human! Of course, this has now changed. As in the excellent Maria Aberg production at Regent's Park Open Air in 2018, the plant appeared in the human form of American drag queen Vicky Vox! In this new production, the plant made bigger and sensibly more frightening, is a giant puppet manipulated by Daniel Njo Lobé whose powerful voice gives the vegetal its identity.

Marc Mauillon (remarkably, his first musical) makes for a slightly older, but nonetheless believable, Seymour, and Judith Fa is vocally impressive as Audrey, especially in "Somewhere That's Green" ("Au coeur du vert" in French), which foreshadows another Alan Menken I-want song: "Part of Your World" from The Little Mermaid, the movie that made Menken the undisputed king of Disney film composers for almost two decades. Lionel Peintre is a convincing Mr. Mushnik, and Damien Bigourdan provides good comic relief with his high camp portrayal of the sadistic dentist; his 60s hairdo is a direct reference to Grease, whose musical style Menken decided to adopt, giving up on the original Brechtian-Weil option he initially planned.

Laura Nanou, Sofia Mountassir, and Anissa Brahmi are excellent as the Motown-style Greek chorus commenting on the story. They are helped by the highly original choreography by Rémi Boissy. In fact, it is one of the danciest Little Shop of Horrors ever, the orignal having very little, if no, dancing at all.

The lighting by Pascal Laajili is a little too dark at times, but the set by Audrey Vuong and costumes by Vanesa Sannino are quite efficient. Of course, Audrey 2 is the star of the evening, thanks to the work of puppeteer Carole Allemand.

All in all, a highly satisfying revival of a classic that has aged very well and now can be seen as a metaphor of nature revenging itself against man and his abuse. Musically, the new arrangements of Arthur Lavandier do justice to Menken's score, and the musical direction of Maxime Pascal, as well as the direction of Valérie Lesort and Cristian Hecq, gives the audience a fresh vision to the work.

Hoping this production, a deserved tribute to the talent of the late French adaptor Alain Marcel, who also adapted Kiss Me Kate in 1992 and La Cage aux Folles 1999, will have a revival after its short run at the Opéra Comique.