The world famous Sheffield Crucible’s choice of a Christmas musical this year is probably a slightly odd one but any revival of ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ always proves to be popular and this new redesigning is another winner.

Amy Hodge has opted for a complete rethinking of direction here – it’s set in England for a start – and Georgia Lowe’s set design is stripped back and rather minimalistic. The threesome Greek chorus of Ronette (Lizzy Rose Esin Kelly), Chiffon (Paige Fenlon) and Crystal (Charlotte Jaconelli) are dressed all in white and use Cockney accents in a complete overhaul of traditions from this musical but their street urchin roots is a strong idea and Jaconelli’s comedy and vocals shine, together with Fenlon’s impressive dance skills.

The simple, and frankly bizarre, plot from Howard Ashman’s well-known book hasn’t changed however. Florist shopkeeper Mr Mushnik (Michael Matus) has to close his Skid Row shop due to lack of customers until his assistant Seymour (Colin Ryan) develops a new plant, who he has aptly named Audrey II after the other shop assistant Audrey (Georgina Onuorah). Audrey II (Sam Buttery) needs human blood to grow leading to morbid and rather farfetched circumstances.

Jade Hackett’s choreography is energetic and vibrant, bringing the most out of Lowe’s spinning stage revolve well. Credit here to Rob Bettle’s expert sound design too leading to a great mix of Musical Director Chris Poon’s nine piece band and the joy of being able to hear crisp and clear vocals from the strong cast.

Colin Ryan’s Seymour has a general Black Country accent that’s hard to place but is joyfully naive and innocent and he’s a perfect leading man. Georgina Onuorah’s Audrey, slightly oddly dressed in leopard print (maybe to link back to the famous 1986 film?), has impeccable vocals and her big number ‘Somewhere That’s Green’ is a real showstopper, even if some of the comedy in the lyrics is sadly overlooked. Wilf Scolding is a joy to watch as the Dentist bringing dark humour and phenomenal laugh-out-loud moments to the piece.

You can’t knock Sam Buttery’s beautiful singing voice as Audrey II, clearly a force to be reckoned with, but disappointingly the puppetry was poor and lacklustre and I missed seeing a real growing plant which swallows humans, together with the comedy and illusion that it brings. One of the many bold choices made in this production that some will love and some will find a little jarring.

This musical is always a winner though and Hodge & her creative team have certainly put their own unique stamp on it which is very successful on the most part and really does grow on you…

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