A superbly talented cast worked up a sweat to bring A Little Shop of Horrors into vivid life at Bournemouth Pavilion last night.

The theatre steps were abuzz on this bright summer's evening as the audience arrived for a journey to a dark, mysterious underworld.

Based on a low-budget 1960 black comedy film, this comedy rock musical tells the story of the hapless Seymour, a flower shop assistant from downtrodden Skid Row who becomes an overnight sensation when he discovers a strange and exotic plant.

He names it Audrey Two in order to impress glamorous Audrey, the colleague he’s secretly in love with, but bites off more than he can chew as its demand for human blood and flesh grows.

This production, by Sell a Door theatre company, remains true to the scripts' 1950s setting with a Supreme-style chorus.

The X Factor's Rhydian Roberts is an added draw for modern audiences and turned in a great performance as Seymour's love rival, the sadistic Dentist.

Looking like a blond Danny Zuko bad boy, the former reality TV contestant showed off his true vocal talents and Royal Academy training before hamming it up as various other minor characters.

But Stephanie Clift stole the show as sparky bombshell Audrey, first with an angelic solo Somewhere That's Green and then the emotional duet Suddenly Seymour.

Her admirer's Triffid like plant, which creates all the mischief, became a sceptacle - growing from a handpuppet to a character in its own right, with a voice as gravelly as Barry White's.

This Little Shop of Horrors is vibrant, fun and well worth a watch.

Make an appointment before it embarks for a UK tour: parts may bring a tear to your eye but you're guaranteed to leave singing and smiling.