Theatre By The Lake

Written by: Amanda

Location: Keswick
Venue: Theatre by the Lake
Duration: Evening Out

As part of Cumbria Tourism’s 50th anniversary, the team are trying out 50 different tourism experiences throughout the year – to help inspire your own days out across the Lake District, Cumbria. Amanda MacIntyre visited Theatre by the Lake in Keswick to see the musical 'Little Shop of Horrors'.

Having seen a couple of productions at Theatre by the Lake in the last year, I was so excited to see that they would be hosting a production of 'Little Shop of Horrors', one of my all-time favourite musicals. I was involved in a production of the show when I was in school, but had never seen another live performance, and my partner had never seen it at all, so it was an excellent opportunity for a new experience.

Theatre by the Lake, as the name suggests, is located right on the shores of Derwentwater in Keswick, which means that you can get some spectacular views from outside the theatre or on the cafe terrace. All throughout the year, they put on fantastic professional performances of popular and new shows, including musicals and comedy, so it's always worth checking their upcoming performances to see what's new. They also support and showcase local amateur theatre groups like Keswick Theatre Club (KTC) and Keswick Amateur Operatic Society (KAOS) so are very much part of their local community.

 

We arrived at the theatre just before an evening performance, with just enough time to grab a drink and get a look around, including a quick browse through a library of scripts available near the top floor's bar. 2024 marks the 25th anniversary of the building, but a "theatre by the lake" has operated in Keswick since the 1960s, first appearing as the Blue Box for a summer season in Central Car Park back in 1961. Today, the theatre is active with programmes to support local artists and creatives, as well as hosting masterclasses and opportunities for young people to take to the stage and information on creative careers.

When it was time for the performance, we made our way into the Main House, which can seat an impressive 389 people - it was a full house! 

'Little Shop of Horrors' was an early collaboration of Howard Ashman and Alan Menken, first staged "off-off-Broadway" in 1982, well before the duo rose to fame with their music and lyrics for Disney movies like The Little Mermaid (1989). The show is a rock-comedy with some horror elements thrown in, and it's always an incredibly entertaining watch with catchy music to boot! The story follows Seymour, a poor young man working at a florist, who comes upon a "strange and interesting plant" during a total eclipse of the sun, which launches the whole cast into a whirlwind of fame and success beyond their wildest dreams.

 

This production was simply excellent, with jaw-dropping vocal performances and hilarious characterisation of the classic characters. Both my partner and I were blown away by the performance, and were talking about it for weeks afterwards. Keep an eye out for other exciting upcoming productions at Theatre by the Lake through their website below.

For more information visit:

The Theatre by the Lake website

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