Menier's Little Shop of Horrors Will Tour U.K. | Playbill

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News Menier's Little Shop of Horrors Will Tour U.K. The 2006 London revival of Little Shop of Horrors, which moved from the Menier Chocolate Factory to the West End before closing in September 2007, is to be re-launched for a U.K. national tour that begins Feb. 6. Dates to May 2009 have been announced.

The cast is led by Claire Buckfield, Alex Ferns, Sylvester McCoy and Damian Humbley.

The tour will kick off at Bromley's Churchill Theatre Feb. 6-14, then continue to Brighton's Theatre Royal (Feb. 16-21), Wimbledon's New Theatre (Feb. 23-28), Coventry's Belgrade (March 2-7), Cambridge's Arts Theatre (March 9-14), Cardiff's New Theatre (March 16-21), Billingham's Forum (March 23-28), Sheffield's Lyceum (March 30-April 4), Glasgow's King's Theatre (April 6-11), Sunderland's Empire (April 13-18), Nottingham's Theatre Royal (April 20-25), Manchester's Opera House (April 27-May 2), Liverpool's Empire (May 4-9), Milton Keynes Theatre (May 11-16), and Woking's New Victoria (May 18-23).

Alan Menken and Howard Ashman's musical version of the 1960 low-budget Roger Corman film of the same name originally premiered Off-Broadway in 1982, opening at the WPA Theatre in May and then transferring two months later to the Orpheum Theatre, where it ran to 1987, chalking up a run of 2,209 performances that established it as the highest-grossing production in Off-Broadway history at that time. It was first brought to the West End's Comedy Theatre in October 2003.

The show follows Skid Row floral assistant Seymour, who's down on his luck until he discovers an exotic plant with a mysterious craving for fresh blood. Soon the plant, known as Audrey Two, grows into an ill-tempered, foul-mouthed, R&B-singing carnivore offering him fame and fortune in exchange for feeding its growing appetite.

Buckfield, who plays Seymour's love interest, Audrey, recently made the final of ITV's "Dancing on Ice," and led her team to victory in the Christmas Special on Christmas Day. She is best known for her TV roles in "2 Point 4 Children" and "Holby City." Sylvester McCoy, who plays flower shop owner Mushnik, was the seventh Doctor in the long running BBC TV series of "Doctor Who." He was last seen on the London stage in the RSC's production of King Lear, playing The Fool to Ian McKellen's Lear. His other stage roles include the title role of Adrian Mitchell's The Pied Piper at the National Theatre.

Ferns, who plays the Dentist, starred as Nathan Detroit in the Michael Grandage production of Guys and Dolls. His other stage credits include And Then There Were None, Coyote on a Fence and ID. He won numerous TV Awards for his role as Trevor in EastEnders and was also in Adrian Shergold's award-winning "Low Winter Sun" and in Richard Eyre's BBC radio production of Macbeth.

Humbley, who plays Seymour, was in the West End productions of Fiddler on the Roof and The Woman in White and The Last Five Years at the Menier Chocolate Factory. He was part of the Melbourne Theatre Company of Urinetown.

At the Menier and in the West End, Little Shop of Horrors was directed by Matthew White and designed by David Farley.

 
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