LITTLE SHOP INTERVIEW: Edward Reid

Rehearsals are in full swing for Insideout's Little Shop and with just a week until show time I caught up with the lovely Mr Edward Reid. Edward made a big splash when he appeared on Britain's Got Talent with his own unique spin on the classic nursery rhyme, and has been entertaining audiences ever since. His latest endeavour sees him playing controlling dentist Orin, read on to find out how the process is going -

Tell me about your character

I play Orin the sadistic dentist who dates Audrey. He's not very nice to her.

How do you prepare for this role?

Laughing a lot. I watched YouTube clips of people falling and of cats falling off TV sets etc. We do have a fascination with people in pain. My character takes it to an extreme level though. As the song in Avenue Q explains it's Schadenfreude. I also watched old clips of Elvis.

Have you ever had an 'Orin style' dental visit? 

Oh my goodness yes. I have nearly fainted in the dentist chair. I don't believe in pain. Luckily my dentist now is amazing.

What would you do if you had a plant similar to Audrey II? 

Stay away from it and sell it to the highest bidder. Let them have the hassle of finding fresh blood.

What character in the show do you identify with the most? 

Them all in some way. I do love Seymour though. My heart goes out to him. Desperate to give love and desperate to get it.

What do you think makes this cast different? 

I have worked with most of them so I know what they are like as performers. They are amazing. I'm not sure what makes them different? I think all performers can be different if given the right direction and encouragement.

Is there a particular quote or scene that stands out as a favourite for you ?

I have deliberately not watched the film or listened to the CD as I want to experience it first hand from this amazing cast so all I know are Orin's scenes. I am really looking forward to laughing in every scene I am in. 

What's your favourite song from the show and why ? 

Again I like them all but I guess Somewhere That's Green. I remember Ellen Green sing it on Hey Mr Producer and loved her innocence and vulnerability.

What are some of the challenges in staging a piece like this? 

I am not even going to start thinking about that. That stresses me out. I'll just focus on the performance.

Thanks to Edward for taking time out to answer my questions.

Little Shop of Horrors 
1st - 10th of May 2014
Tickets are £15 
Book by calling the Cottiers box office - 0141 357 4000 
or online by clicking here

LITTLE SHOP INTERVIEW: Neil Thomas

With just weeks to go before Little Shop of Horrors opens in Glasgow's Webster Theatre I caught up with a couple of the cast members to have a chat about the show. First up was Neil Thomas who is currently preparing to take on the role of Seymour:-

Tell me about your character:

Seymour Krelborn is poor and down on his luck.  He's kind, caring and works hard. He lives on Skid Row, and works in Mushnik's Florists alongside Mr Mushnik and the pretty Audrey. A little clumsy, and more than a little geeky, Seymour has feelings for Audrey, but can't pluck up the courage to tell her. But Seymour has discovered a brand new breed of plant, similar in appearance to a Venus flytrap, which he names Audrey II in honour of the subject of his affections.  Could this new plant be about to change Seymour's luck forever.....?

What drew you to the part?

It has genuinely always been my ambition to get a chance to play Seymour Krelborn.  I told Paul Harper-Swan (producer and director of this production of Little Shop of Horrors) about how much I loved this part, and this show, the very first time I ever met him.  This show is absolutely one of my favourites, and has been since I saw the fantastic movie version of it when I was younger. The music, the atmosphere and the characters really drew me in. I love Seymour's story and the journey he goes on throughout the show.  I also feel like I can easily relate to Seymour's geekiness!

How do you prepare for the role of Seymour? 

I think the important thing with playing Seymour is that, although he is of course a bit geeky and down on his luck, he's a really decent guy, and he should be "real" too.  It would be wrong to send him up, or have him prat falling and making a mess of everything.  He's not supposed to be a silly slapstick pantomime character, he needs the audience to really care about him and sympathise with him.  The audience should also believe in his feelings for Audrey and the whirlwind journey he goes on after discovering this exciting new plant, Audrey II.  I'm excited to get started on rehearsals and find out how to balance all these aspects of Seymour's character.  It'll be hard work, but great fun!

The show has been around for a long time now, what do you think makes it so popular? 

Undoubtedly it's the quality of the material.  The music by Alan Menken, and the lyrics and book by Howard Ashman, are some of the best I think musical theatre has ever produced.  There's a timeless appeal to the show, and it doesn't feel dated as it deliberately evokes that classic feel of the B-movie era.  The show is based on the 1960 non-musical film of the same name, and the ideas and characters are unique and unforgettable.  Another thing that I think helps, is that the 1986 film of this musical version is fantastically made, and so well cast.  It introduces so many people to the musical, who may then go and see a stage production of it.  The nice thing is that there are some differences between the stage version and the film version of the musical, so if you've only seen the movie before - you're in for a few surprises....!

What's your favourite song from the show and why? 

This is a really hard one to answer, as I can honestly say I feel this show has some of the best songs I've ever heard in a musical.  But, if I had to pick one, I'd go for "Feed Me (Git It)", the song from Act I sung by Seymour and Audrey II.  How can you not completely fall in love with a rock and roll duet performed by a florist's assistant and massive, hungry, soul-singing plant!

What do you hope audiences take away from the show? 

I really hope audiences have a great time, and come away totally satisfied and singing all the songs.  This material is some of the strongest the world of musical theatre has ever produced, in my opinion.  So I hope the audience have a fantastic night out and feel that we have done the show justice.  We will all work really hard to make sure they do!

Big thanks to Neil for taking some time out to answer my questions,

Little Shop of Horrors 
1st - 10th of May 2014
Tickets are £15 
Book by calling the Cottiers box office - 0141 357 4000 
or online by clicking here 

Review - Star Stricken

My first experience of the Glasgow Comedy Festival took me to the CCA for Star Stricken - a double bill of one-act comedy plays exposing celebrity.

CAST

Margo - Johanna Harper

Elfrida - Frankie MacEachen 

Beverley - Paul Kozinski  

Kicking off proceedings was 'Emily Entwistle' written and directed by Karen Barclay.  The piece follows consultant Elfrida as she attempts to lead a business workshop with brand manager Margo whose company is facing a public relations disaster.  The pair strike up an unlikely bond by channelling their late idols Emily Bronte and Peg Entwistle.  The snappy writing and fast-paced dialogue made for an entertaining act although at times I found the business jargon a bit on the heavy side.

CAST

Laura - Johanna Harper

Pearl - Frankie MacEachen 

Mark - Paul Kozinski  

Next up was Tom Brogan's hilarious 'Good Times Never Seemed So Good' where we joined unemployed Mark who is full of good ideas, but struggles to find a lucrative one to help long suffering girlfriend Laura pay the bills. Mark has a light bulb moment that he will make it big on the local tribute scene impersonating Neil Diamond, and what follows is a comical journey to find out what's really important to him. Mark shares some genuinely touching scenes with vulnerable Janis Joplin tribute Pearl, and his relationship with Laura is familiar and credible without ever becoming clichéd.

Both plays were original, witty and well acted. The chemistry between the small cast coupled with spot-on writing and comic timing made for a welcome addition to the festival.

Review - The Perfect Murder

Peter James is known for his bestselling crime novels, and the current UK tour of The Perfect Murder is the first one of his works to be adapted for the stage. It's clear that the witty dialogue and fast-paced plot of the original novel lend themselves well to live performance.

Enter the world of Joan and Victor Smiley, a not-so-happily married couple who now have nothing in common apart from a substantial dislike of one another. Victor decides to take extreme, macabre measures to rectify his marriage crisis and ensure himself a life free of nagging and bickering.  Unbeknown to him, Joan is hatching a similar plan herself - but who will succeed in carrying out the perfect murder?

Les Dennis and Claire Goose give credible performances as the Smileys, weaving between spells of tension and humour as the details of their many years of marriage are revealed.Their respective lovers, Kamilla (Simona Armstrong) a Brighton sex worker and Don (Gray O’Brien) a faux-Cockney jack-of-all-trades, offer both comic relief and some genuinely heartfelt encounters.  Steven Miller’s portrayal of the novel’s protagonist, Detective Roy Grace, manages to remain understated while still successfully piecing the story together.

The clever split-level set design allowed each scene to run seamlessly into the next while keeping the audience focused as the story unravelled. This play is full of exciting twists and turns, with some unexpectedly frightening parts and an ending that is worth the ticket price alone.

March 2014 - Star Stricken

As part of the Glasgow International Comedy Festival, Book Arrow Heart/Compulsory Trousers present:

STAR STRICKEN - A double-bill of new one-act comedy plays exposing celebrity.

Karen Barclay's 'Emily Entwistle' explores the story of an anxious brand manager consulting the dead famous, while Tom Brogan's 'Good Times Never Seemed So Good' follows a Neil Diamond tribute act who finds the demands of the industry is putting his relationship under strain.

The plays run from 26th - 29th of March at the CCA on Sauchiehall St Glasgow at 7.30pm.

Tickets are priced at £10/£8 concession and can be booked here. 

May 2014- Little Shop of Horrors

Just how far will one man go for fame and fortune? Find out this May when the cult rock comedy musical Little Shop of Horrors plants itself in Glasgow's West End.

The show will run in the new Webster Theatre (formally Lansdowne) and is brought to you by Scottish theatre company, Insideout Productions. Paul Harper-Swan (Insideout's Artistic Director) said he was over the moon with the phenomenal cast. 

Heading up said cast is Britain's Got Talent semi finalist, Edward Reid who will be taking on the role of Orin (except from Friday 2nd when the role will be played by Ben Fitzpatrick). Reid said he was 'looking forward to getting his 'teeth' into the character' and (if he can put his squeamishness to one side)  do some show research in his real-life dentist's surgery. The other cast members joining Reid include West Enders Sabrina Carter and David Kristopher Brown and a whole host of Scottish talent including Natalie Toyne, Lauren Ellis Steele, Alison Rona Cleland and Neil Thomas. 

Directed by Paul Harper-Swan who is responsible for a host of successful shows such as Company and Broadway in the Bar, and musically directed by Kieran Young (currently training at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland) this is a show not to be missed! 

Catch Little Shop of Horrors on one of its 10 performances between Thursday 1st and Saturday 10th of May. Tickets are £15 and selling fast!  

For more info call the Cottiers box office - 0141 357 4000 

or 

check out the website here

TICKET OFFER - £5 off 'The Perfect Murder'

£5 OFF band A tickets  for Wednesday 19th and Thursday 20th of March. Quote PERFECT5 when booking.

Have you ever wondered how you commit the perfect murder?

Victor Smiley and his wife Joan have been married for a long time. But their marriage has reached crisis point and Victor has decided there is only one way to get Joan out of his life forever….but he's about to get a nasty surprise...as a young Detective Roy Grace starts to investigate his very first homicide case, dark forces intervene and Grace begins to fear that nothing is quite as it seems in this entertaining dark comedy thriller.

Direct from his West End lead role in Spamalot, Les Dennis(Chicago, Hairspray, Art, BBC 2’s Life’s Too Short), stars along sideClaire Goose, (Waking the Dead, Casualty),  Gray O’Brien(Coronation Street, Peak Practice), Steven Miller (Casualty) andSimona Armstrong, (finalist in the BBC’s search for a ‘Maria’).

International best selling crime thriller novelist Peter James has sold over 15 million books of his Roy Grace series, and is published in 36 languages. The Perfect Murder was 15 weeks at No. 1 and remained for 50 weeks in the iBook Top 10.