The cult musical will play a strictly limited Melbourne season as Woodward Productions takes its sold-out Brisbane production on tour.
Melbourne’s Athenaeum Theatre will welcome Little Shop of Horrors from May 2027, with Woodward Productions confirming an Australian tour following the production’s sold-out season at Brisbane’s QPAC.
Announced on 5 October, the tour will also visit Hobart’s Theatre Royal from April 2027 and Wollongong’s Illawarra Performing Arts Centre from July 2027. Each venue will host a strictly limited season.
The waitlist is now open for pre-sale access, with tickets scheduled to go on general sale in early November. The full touring cast will be announced soon.
A Florist, A Crush And A Very Hungry Plant
Set in Skid Row, the dark comedy musical follows Seymour Krelborn, a florist working at Mushnik’s struggling flower shop. When he discovers an unusual plant, he names it Audrey II after his co-worker crush.
But this is no ordinary houseplant. The foul-mouthed, R&B-singing carnivore has sinister intentions, drawing Seymour into a story about ambition, greed and the cost of getting everything he wants.
The production combines elaborate plant puppetry, B-movie horror and camp comedy with a score spanning 1960s pop, doo-wop and rock ’n’ roll. Songs include ‘Suddenly Seymour’, ‘Feed Me (Git It)’ and ‘Dentist!’.
Woodward Productions founder and producer Alex Woodward said the show had captivated him long before he brought it to Brisbane.
“Little Shop of Horrors was one of the first shows I’d seen that had me completely rapt. It had that same effect on audiences when we staged it in Brisbane, so we can’t wait for Melbourne and Hobart to experience the magic mix of elaborate plant puppetry and a deranged dentist that has garnered such a cult following for more than 40 years,” said Woodward.
“Audiences are in for a potent nostalgia hit that is very camp, ridiculously fun and slightly gory.”
Cult Musical Heads To The Athenaeum
With music by Alan Menken and book and lyrics by Howard Ashman, Little Shop of Horrors premiered Off-Off-Broadway in 1982. Its 1986 film adaptation starred Rick Moranis, Ellen Greene and Steve Martin.
This revival is directed by Alister Smith, whose previous musical productions include Bring It On, Cruel Intentions and The Wedding Singer.
Music supervisor David Young and musical director Heidi Loveland will lead a six-piece band. Designer Penny Challen, lighting designer Declan O’Neil and choreographer Dan Venz complete the production’s visual and movement team, with Ben Murray as sound designer and operator.
Little Shop Of Horrors: Melbourne season
- Venue: Athenaeum Theatre, Melbourne
- Season: From May 2027, strictly limited
- Tickets: General sale opens early November 2026
- Cast: To be announced
