In a production well worthy of a London West End show, Ipswich's New Wolsey Theatre has unleashed the mean green flesh-eating machine to devour the hearts of its audiences, as it has done worldwide for the past four decades.

 New York Skid Row's neighbourhood flower shop - owned by the stressed-out Mr Mushnik (Andrew Whitehead) - is doing badly until his nerdy assistant Seymour (Oliver Mawdsley) nurtures a plant which grows into a giant carnivore.

One of the most impressive of all musical theatre creations is the voracious plant Audrey 2 (menacingly voiced by Anton Stephens), named after Seymour's co-worker and object of his desire Audrey (Laura Jane Matthewson).

However, Audrey is the punch-bag girlfriend of sadistic dentist Orin (Matthew Ganley) until his ironic death by self-administered laughing gas; becoming a meal for Audrey 2, with a little help from Seymour.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the fate of the other principal human characters, I would not want to spoil your entertainment - you will have to see the show to find out.

But just to say that the nervous and neurotic Woody Allen-like persona of Mawdsley as Seymour was a joy to behold, and his singing was movingly performed. 

Matthewson's touching portrayal of Audrey successfully conveyed the world-weariness of a would-be Marilyn Monroe look-alike loser. I particularly enjoyed her solo Somewhere That's Green.

Being a fan of sixties American girl groups, Chiffon (Janna May), Crystal (Zweyla Mitchell dos Santos) and Ronnette ((Chardai Shaw) especially caught my ears and eyes. Named after groups of the time, the all-singing, all-dancing, all-playing trio were almost ever-present performers of the rock/soul/pop, lifting the mood of the dark humour and commenting on the action as if they were the chorus in a Greek drama – great fun.

Although, of course, Audrey 2 is the dominant character of the show, puppeteer Matthew Heywood's all-important contribution to the action was unseen – but well done to him.

And well done to drummer Migdalia Vander Haven for her sustained lively rhythmic performance in the background.

Finally, the writer and lyricist Howard Ashman and the composer Alan Menken were the pair who came up with the unique theatrical experience. I must confess that their show was completely new to me, and it was wonderful to discover the quality of the music I've been missing for so many years.   

With a murdering muncher comparable to Frankenstein's monster, and a storyline that suggests  Freudian analysis would not go amiss, the cult camp classic continues to attract audiences from far and wide. Some have seen it time and time again; in fact, during the intermission, a fan of the show told me that she had seen at least a dozen productions of it! 

The rocking finale brought the capacity audience to its feet and, to loud cheers, they gave a rousing round of applause to express appreciation for one of the very best shows at the theatre. 

Benefitting from collaboration with Bolton Octagon Theatre, Hull Truck Theatre, and Theatre by the Lake Keswick, its music, production, and creative standards are outstanding, so catch it while you can. 

Running up to Saturday 23rd March, tickets are still available in person from the box office; at www.wolseytheatre.co.uk; or on 01473 295900.       

Many performances are audio-described; some are captioned; others benefit from British Sign Language 3 interpretation; and there are some which are relaxed/dementia-friendly.