On paper, the plot of Little Shop of Horrors wouldn’t seem an obvious one for an all-singing, all-dancing, thoroughly engaging and very funny musical.

But Hereford Musical Theatre Company are demonstrating brilliantly why it’s one of the most popular musicals of recent years with a production that really hits the spot.

Set in a florist’s shop on Skid Row, Little Shop tells the unlikely story of an exotic plant with exotic tastes to match ... just as owner Mr Mushnik is poised to close the door of the shop for ever, leaving Seymour and Audrey jobless, Seymour discovers the mysterious plant and names it Audrey II. Given pride of place in the shop window, Audrey II soon turns the shop’s fortunes around and the nerdy Seymour’s with it. But Audrey II has a habit that needs feeding and Seymour must find a way to assuage her blood-lust. Will there be too high a price to pay for hanging on to the fame and fortune, and more importantly for Seymour, will Audrey love him without it?

The two leads, Richard Thomas and Emma Eastick, brought conviction and poignancy to their roles as Seymour and Audrey, giving the production strong central performances that were complemented beautifully by everyone else - Alex Rowberry clearly relished his casting as Orin Scrivello, the abusive dentist dating Audrey, and Bex Taylor, Breanne Burton and Charlotte Glasspool hit all the right notes as Crystal, Ronette and Chiffon, the Spector-style Greek chorus of the piece. Audrey II was imbued with a larger-than-life personality by Steve Liddle, and Richard Davies made the most of his part as the less-than-entirely altruistic Mr Mushnik.

The quality of the main roles was emphatically underscored by the excellent ensemble, ensuring a production that combined great singing, great performances and a plot that is, let’s face it, totally bonkers, but enormous fun.

There’s still time to get tickets for the final shows of the run. To book, call The Courtyard box office on 01432 340555.