Little Shop of Horrors is a horror comedy rock musical, by composer Alan
Menken and writer Howard Ashman, about a hapless florist shop worker who raises
a plant that feeds on human blood and flesh. The musical is based on the
low-budget 1960 black comedy film The Little Shop of Horrors. The music,
composed by Menken in the style of early 1960s rock and roll, doo-wop and early
Motown, includes several well-known tunes, including the title song, "Skid
Row (Downtown)", "Somewhere That's Green", and "Suddenly,
Seymour".
The musical
premiered Off-Off-Broadway in 1982 before moving to the Orpheum Theatre
Off-Broadway, where it had a five-year run. It later received numerous
productions in the U.S. and abroad, and a subsequent Broadway production.
Because of its small cast and relatively simple orchestrations, it has become
popular with community theatre, school and other amateur groups. The musical
was also made into a 1986 film of the same name, directed by Frank Oz.
Act I
An offstage voice
recalls a time when the human race "suddenly encountered a deadly threat
to its very existence". A trio of 1960s street urchins named Crystal,
Ronette, and Chiffon set the scene ("Little Shop of Horrors") and
comment on the action throughout the show. Seymour Krelborn is a poor young
man, an orphan living in an urban skid row. Audrey is a pretty blonde with a
fashion sense that leans towards the tacky. They lament their stations in life
and the urban blight in their neighborhood ("Skid Row (Downtown)").
They are co-workers at Mushnik's Skid Row Florists, a run-down flower shop
owned and operated by the cranky Mr. Mushnik. Seymour has recently obtained a
mysterious plant that looks like a large venus flytrap. While he was browsing
the wholesale flower district, a sudden eclipse of the sun occurred, and when
the light returned, the weird plant had appeared ("Da-Doo"). Seymour
is secretly in love with Audrey and names the plant Audrey II in her honor.
The plant does
not thrive in its new environment and appears to be dying. Seymour questions
why it should be doing poorly, since he takes such good care of it. He
accidentally pricks his finger on a rose thorn, which draws blood, and Audrey
II's pod opens thirstily. Seymour realizes that Audrey II requires blood to
survive and allows the plant to suckle from his finger ("Grow for
Me"). As Audrey II grows, it becomes an attraction and starts generating
brisk business for Mushnik. As the caretaker of the plant, the timid Seymour is
suddenly regarded as a hero ("Ya Never Know"), while Audrey secretly
longs to leave her abusive boyfriend. Her dream is to lead an ideal suburban
life with Seymour, complete with a tract home, frozen dinners, and plastic on
the furniture ("Somewhere That's Green").
Meanwhile, the
employees at Mushnik's are sprucing up the flower shop because of the
popularity of the rapidly growing Audrey II and the revenue that it is bringing
in ("Closed for Renovation"). Orin Scrivello, a sadistic dentist, is
Audrey's abusive boyfriend. Modeled after the "Leader of the pack"
characters of the 1950s, Orin drives a motorcycle, wears leather, and enjoys
bringing other people pain ("Dentist!"). Orin encourages Seymour to
take the plant and get out of Skid Row. Realizing that his store's sudden
profitability is completely dependent on the plant (and therefore on Seymour),
Mushnik takes advantage of Seymour's innocence by offering to adopt him and
make him a full partner in the business. Having always wanted a family, Seymour
accepts, even though Mushnik has always yelled at him and treated him poorly
("Mushnik and Son"). However, Seymour is having difficulty providing
enough blood to keep Audrey II healthy. When Seymour stops feeding the plant,
Audrey II reveals that it can speak. It demands blood and promises that, if
fed, it will make sure that all of Seymour's dreams come true. Seymour
initially refuses, but he then witnesses Orin abusing Audrey. The plant
presents this as a justification for killing Orin. Not realizing that he is
being manipulated again, Seymour gives in to his baser instincts and agrees
("Feed Me (Git It)").
He sets up a
late-night appointment with Orin, intending to kill him. However, Seymour loses
his nerve and decides not to commit the crime. Unfortunately for Orin, who is
getting high on nitrous oxide, the gas device is stuck in the "on"
position, and he overdoses while asking Seymour to save him. Seymour cannot
bring himself to shoot Orin but lets him die of asphyxiation ("Now (It's
Just the Gas)"). Seymour feeds Orin's body to the now huge Audrey II, and
the plant consumes it with ravenous glee ("Act I Finale").
Act II
The flower shop
is much busier, and Seymour and Audrey have trouble keeping up with the
onslaught of orders ("Call Back in the Morning"). Audrey confides to
Seymour that she feels guilty about Orin's disappearance, because she secretly
wished it. The two admit their feelings for one another, and Seymour promises
that he will protect and care for Audrey from now on ("Suddenly,
Seymour"). The two plan to leave together and start a new life, although
Seymour mistakenly attributes Audrey's feelings to his newfound fame, not
realizing that she loved him even before he found the plant.
Before they can
go, Mushnik confronts Seymour about Orin's death. Mushnik has put two and two
together: the bloody dentist's uniform, the drops of blood on the floor, and he
has seen Seymour and Audrey kissing. Seymour denies killing Orin, but Mushnik
wants him to give a statement to the police, who have begun investigating.
Audrey II tells Seymour that he has to be rid of Mushnik or he will lose
everything, including Audrey ("Suppertime"). Seymour tells Mushnik
that he put the days' receipts inside Audrey II for safekeeping. Mushnik climbs
inside the plant's gaping maw to search for the money, realizing the deception
too late, and screams as he is devoured. Seymour now runs the flower shop and
reporters, salesman, lawyers and agents approach him, promising him fame and
fortune. Although tempted by the trappings of his success, Seymour realizes
that it is only a matter of time before Audrey II will kill again and that he
is morally responsible. He considers destroying the plant but believing that
his fame is the only thing that is earning him Audrey's love, he is unable to
do so ("The Meek Shall Inherit").
As Seymour works
on his speech for a lecture tour, Audrey II again squalls for blood. Seymour
threatens to kill it just as Audrey walks in asking when Mushnik will return
from visiting his "sick sister". Seymour learns that Audrey would
still love him without the fame and decides that Audrey II must die after the
scheduled LIFE magazine interview at the shop. Audrey is confused and
frightened by Seymour's ramblings, but she runs home by his order. That night,
unable to sleep and distressed by Seymour's strange behavior, Audrey goes to
the flower shop to talk with him. He is not there, and Audrey II begs her to
water him. Not sensing the mortal danger, she approaches to water it, and a
vine wraps around her and pulls her into the plant's gaping maw ("Sominex/Suppertime
II"). Seymour arrives and attacks the plant in an attempt to save Audrey.
He pulls her out, but Audrey is mortally wounded and tells him to feed her to
the plant after she dies so that they can always be together. She dies in his
arms, and he reluctantly honors her request ("Somewhere That's Green"
(reprise)). Seymour falls asleep as Audrey II grows small red flower buds.
The next day,
Patrick Martin from the World Botanical Enterprises tells Seymour that his
company wishes to take leaf cuttings of Audrey II and sell them across America.
Seymour realizes the plant's evil plan: during the solar eclipse, Audrey II
came from an unknown planet to conquer Earth. He tries shooting, cutting, and
poisoning the plant, but it has grown too hardy to kill. Seymour, in
desperation, runs into its open jaws with a machete planning to kill it from
the inside, but he is quickly eaten. Patrick, Crystal, Ronette, and Chiffon
search for Seymour. Not finding him, Patrick tells the girls to take the
cuttings.
Crystal, Ronette,
and Chiffon relate that, following these events, other plants appeared across
America, tricking innocent people into feeding them blood in exchange for fame
and fortune. Out of the fog, Audrey II, bigger than ever, appears with opened
new flowers revealing the faces of Seymour, Audrey, Mushnik and Orin, who beg
that, no matter how persuasive the plants may be, they must not be fed
("Finale Ultimo: Don't Feed the Plants"). Audrey II slithers towards
the audience threateningly (In the original Off-Broadway production, plant
tendrils fell all over the audience, as if each audience member were to be
pulled into the plant, while in the Broadway production, a monstrously huge
Audrey II was projected out over the fifth row and the balcony seats, as if it
would eat the audience members).
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