Free Essay "Little Shop of Horrors" Theatrical Analysis

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"Little Shop of Horrors" Theatrical Analysis

One of the longest-running and most successful off-Broadway shows of all time, “Little Shop of Horrors,” is what could be called an affectionate spoof of the 1960 Roger Corman movie, “Little Shop of Horrors.” “Little Shop of Horrors” has become a household name thanks to a highly successful film version and a score by the songwriting team of Howard Ashman and Alan Menken. The 1982 play “Little Shop of Horrors” is one of the most unlikely, but successful, musical comedies of all time.

The plot of the “Little Shop of Horrors” focuses around Seymour, a poor young man whose career and life are going nowhere. Seymour works as a florist’s assistant in a Skid Row flower shop. The love of Seymour’s life is his co-worker, Audrey, who dates a sadistic dentist named Orin. A miracle presents itself to Seymour at an unusual Chinese market in the form of a plant.

On the day after an eclipse, Seymour buys a peculiar-looking little plant and brings it to the shop. He names the plant Audrey II, after his real-life crush Audrey. For some reason, the plant attracts visitors, and the business of the shop increased dramatically. But as is always the case, there is one problem with the crowd-pleasing, publicity-attracting, money-generating plant. It feeds only on human blood. Seymour at first uses his own blood, but the plant keeps growing. It needs larger quantities of blood to live. The plant’s favorite phrase is,” Feed me” (Menken 52). As the plant’s appetite gets larger, the cast of the play decreases with Seymour’s desperation to feed the plant.

The play “Little Shop of Horrors” was loosely based on Roger Corman’s infamous 1960 science fiction movie “Little Shop of Horrors.” The 1960 movie of the same name is best known for two things: Having been filmed in under a week and featuring a young actor named Jack Nicholson in a supporting role. “The 1986 film version of the “Little Shop of Horrors” was directed by Frank Oz”( Menken 2) It brought Seymour and Audrey II into many houses across the world.

Howard Ashman and Alan Menken are the authors of the play “Little Shop of Horrors.” Ashman and Menken’s unique theatrical gifts enabled the play to become the third-longest-running musical in off-Broadway history, as well as the highest-grossing musical. “ The musical is currently tied with “Our Town” as the most-produced play in high schools throughout America.” (Disney 4/30/02)

“Little Shop of Horrors” opened at the Orpheum Theater, which is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It opened on July 27, 1982. Lee Wilk played the part of Seymour, and Ellen Greene was Audrey, the girl of his dreams. The play also opened in the Comedy Theatre in London, England, on October 12, 1983. The musical enjoyed a run of 2,209 performances. (Ashman 1) The response of the audiences was tremendous. The audience was seeing one of the first science-fiction musicals of its kind. “ The musical received many awards, the most prestigious being the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for best musical of 1982-1983.” (Ashman 2). Greg Wilson of the New York Times wrote, “Leaves the audience... feeling like Audrey 2 between victims - ravenous for more.” (Ashman 1)

“Little Shop of Horrors” is a one of a kind play with one of a kind results. Howard Ashman and Alan Menken wrote this musical to be original and special and they succeeded in doing that. “ Little Shop of Horrors” still entertains today with its blend of comedy and music. The 1982 play “Little Shop of Horrors” is one of the most unlikely, but successful, musical comedies of all time.