SURELY, there can be no greater challenge for a school production than putting on a show, in which one of the central characters is a talking plant with a gruesome taste for flesh and blood?

So the cast and crew of Christopher Whitehead Language College & Sixth Form’s Little Shop of Horrors deserve much admiration for pulling this off so beautifully.

A clever use of puppets showed the plant growing from a seedling to a giant, man-eating monstrosity – hats off to the puppet team (Sophie Huggett, Caitlin Prosser, Annie Simons, Noor Fatima and Ollie Gregory Norton) for making it work so seamlessly and effectively.

The jump scare when the plant, Audrey II, shouts ‘Feed Me’ was just the start of a great performance by Phoebe Fisher, whose singing voice was fantastic. Harry Birtwhistle, as lead Seymour, had a huge part to manage and did so comfortably bringing real energy to the role. While Jacob Steed, as Mustnik, portrayed a complex character with great depth. Ruby Jones was wonderful and very believable as Audrey, the sweet girl taken in by abusive dentist, Orin, played with a real sense of panache by Ben Hunt.

I particularly enjoyed the performance of the Ronettes (Lara Banks, Grace Collard, Aimee Lufkin, Amberleigh Pettifer, Robyn Underwood, Megan Walley and Lydia Watton). They held the show together with their exceptional singing and dancing. Skid Row was a highlight for me - but throughout the performance, they gave this show a very professional feel. It was particularly impressive they remained in character throughout their time on the stage with facial expressions and mannerisms.

The end result was a very slick show. I loved the set design, the costumes but, above all else, the ambition on display here. This production was on a grand scale with a large ensemble - and showcased a huge amount of talent within this performing arts department.

Little Shop of Horrors was a big treat.