YOUNGSTOWN — Millennial Theatre Company’s “Little Shop of Horrors” is both perfectly suited for the Hopewell Theatre and simply too big for the space.

It’s an early work by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, the duo that went on to craft memorable songs for such Disney animated musicals as “The Little Mermaid” and “Beauty and the Beast.”

And it has some of the hallmarks of big musicals — starting with two perfect showtunes in “Somewhere That’s Green” and “Suddenly Seymour” — but it’s a more intimate show with darker themes than the average Broadway spectacle.

While the show can be done with an expanded cast to satisfy the needs of community theater, it probably works best with a tight ensemble that doesn’t pull focus from the main characters. Hannah Sinclair as Audrey, the object of nebbish flower shop employee Seymour Krelborn’s affection, has a voice big enough to fill any Mahoning Valley theater, but hearing her on “Somewhere That’s Green” and “Suddenly Seymour” in a space that size produced goosebumps.

But while “Little Shop” benefits from intimacy, one of its characters demands its space. Director Joe Asente has been a magician in the past making massive musicals with large casts fit seamlessly at Hopewell, but deadly plant Audrey II is too big to be contained there.

The second act version the plant, which keeps growing once Seymour (Edward Bazzell) discovers its taste for blood, is as large as a midsize SUV, not including the tentacles that extend from underneath.

The actors essentially have to navigate a narrow catwalk of stage space while gingerly stepping over those tentacles to maneuver around the plant. If they get through all nine performances of the show’s three-weekend run through Nov. 3 without someone stumbling, it will be a minor miracle.

Another factor at Hopewell is the lack of a stage curtain. That second act reveal of Audrey II usually produces an audible gasp from the audience when the curtain rises. This time the audience spent the intermission watching the creature get assembled in front of them.

Getting a peak behind the curtain is fun, but it also took away some of the mystique.

Many of Asente’s creative choices work. Mixing up the girl-group aesthetic of the show’s chorus by casting Ty Hanes alongside Sammie Gurd and Kate Del was effective, and his tenor fit neatly into the vocal arrangements. Danielle Mentzer created appealing choreography for the trio that relied more on synchronized hand gestures and body movement than elaborate footwork.

Bazzell is strong in his interactions with the different sized Audrey II puppets, and his work makes it easier for the audience to accept the fabric creations as a living creature. Joshua Fleming isn’t seen by the audience until curtain call, but his rich baritone on “Feed Me” and “Suppertime” also brings the character to life.

Nate Beagle was stellar playing flower shop owner Mr. Mushnik when Youngstown Playhouse staged “Little Shop” last year, and he continued his mastery of the role here.

Andy Scott certainly found the humor in nitrous oxide-huffing dentist Orin Scrivello DDS, but he also brings a malevolence to a role that can be played too buffoonish. Even when Scott is making the audience members laugh, they never forget he’s a violent, abusive man.

One element that does need adjustment is the sound. The only benefit (outside of financial considerations and space limitations) to using pre-recorded instrumental tracks is that it’s easier to keep the music from drowning out the vocalists. Several times it was difficult to hear Bazzell and some of the other vocalists over the music. Some of the sound effects also drowned out the live action.