In 1976 John Hall made his debut for York Light Opera Company in Showboat with his memorable first line on stage, 'Time to open up the game boys.

Wind on 35 years and, by now a stalwart of the Yorktheatre scene, he directs and choreographs the company for the first time in Howard Ashman and Alan Menkin's darkly comic musical Little Shop of Horrors. He hopes it will set down a marker for further engagements with the company, as he builds a directorial portfolio that already incorporates Rowntree Players and York Stage Musicals.

Although the production was not without technical issues on the first night, he nevertheless makes a good case with a lively, fun account of Little Shop, and who else but the director could play the Voice of God!

This camp B-movie spoof is perhaps the silliest of all horror stories, but a show seldom from its next production, as shown by the number of cast members with past performances on their CV.

The most experienced hand of all is Eric Daines, who looks every inch Mr Mushnik, the down-trodden florist on Skid Row, where business is anything but rosy until one day, during a total eclipse of the sun, young assistant Seymour Krelborn stumbles on a strange new plant that could change his luck and the florists' fortunes forever.

Daines rushes Mushnik's lines in the first half, and he could slow down further still, but as ever, he has an engaging stage personality and he bonds well with Richard Blackburn's troubled Seymour.

Blackburn has the bespectacled, weedy and desperately in love Seymour off to a tee, his New York accent, singing voice and B-movie mannerisms all impressive as the poor lad struggles to cope with the bloodlust of Audrey II, the ever-expanding plant.

Rachael Wilkinson is suitably naïve and ditzy as shop assistant Audrey, while Alexa Chaplin, Jen Summers and Emily Rockliff maximise the girl-group pastiche as cheeky Ronette, Crystal and Chiffon, their movements a throwback to black-and-white pop shows.

Anthony Gardner could take mad dentist Orin's nitric acid-fuelled delirium up another notch - the more extreme the better - but he has plenty of humour about him and a deep well of energy as he has to speed through three cameo roles too.

The show's best cameo turn comes from Richard McDonald's Sicko, the pain-junkie dental patient, who is truly a scream.

Now to those technical issues: Phil Redding's band are in fine form but the first-night sound mix had them over-powering various voices, most unfortunately Lee Gemmell's Audrey II. He has lungs as mighty as Meat Loaf in his pomp and has made this role his own - this is third stretch of plant life in York - but let's hope he can be better heard from now on.

Once the lighting is pin-sharp and the sound balance improved, this Little Shop will be in full bloom. John Hall will make sure of that.

Joseph Rowntree Theatre,York, until Saturday,7.30pm, plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee.

Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk