READING Operatic Society will present Little Shop of Horrors to captive audiences in Henley-on-Thames this month.

A deviously delicious Broadway and Hollywood sci-fi smash hit musical, Little Shop of Horrors has devoured the hearts of theatre–goers for over 30 years - and will come to the Kenton Theatre from March 18 to 21.

Howard Ashman and Alan Menken (Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Beauty and The Beast, and Aladdin) are the creative geniuses behind what has become one of the most popular shows in the world.

A meek floral assistant, Seymour Krelborn, stumbles across a new breed of plant he names Audrey II – after his co-worker crush.

This foul-mouthed, R&B-singing carnivore promises unending fame and fortune to the down and out Krelborn as long as he keeps feeding it – with blood.

Over time, though, Seymour discovers Audrey II‘s out–of–this–world origins and intent towards global domination.

Little Shop of Horrors is one of the longest-running Off-Broadway shows and this charmingly tongue–in–cheek musical comedy has been produced worldwide to incredible success.

This is the latest Kenton Theatre appearance from Reading Operatic Society after their brilliantly reviewed productions of Annie and Godspell.

A spokesman for the Society said: “Rehearsals over the past few months have been a thrill, we’re working with a small 13-strong cast who sound absolutely incredible, as well as a stellar band, under the careful eye of director and choreographer Nicky Jaggar and assistant Delun Jones.

“I think a lot of people think of am-dram as this quaint village hall activity, complete with out of tune singing and rusty dance moves, but this production could not be further from that - we’ve got a whole cast of exceptional talent, both singing and dancing.

“Creating a dark modern Little Shop has been good fun, with the original movie and show set in the 70s/80s, we bring the action to the modern day, and also introduce some exciting new ideas, including the visions that Seymour has of the carnivorous plant that he’s growing come to life on stage.

“Combining that modern twist to a show that’s already laced with a dark, camp sci-fi plot has resulted in a show that is both funny and slightly scary, but also quite touching too as it deals with some of the intense elements of humanity, such as celebrity, poverty, love, and abuse.

“It’s also a gift of a show from a musical point of view, with Disney-favourite Alan Menken behind the score, the show ranges from 80s synth rock to gospel and everything in between.”

Get your tickets now and join the cast as they take you on a visually creative ride of fun and mayhem, in a new interpretation of this well–known favourite.

On Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, the show starts at 7.45pm.

On Saturday, there will be a matinee at 3pm and a show at 7.45pm.

Tickets are priced from £14 to £19 - go online to kentontheatre.co.uk/event/little-shop-of-horrors.

Photo by Ri Rowlands.