CMU School of Drama


Friday, April 29, 2022

LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS Announces 40th Anniversary Celebrations

www.broadwayworld.com: The Off-Broadway revival of Alan Menken & Howard Ashman's LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS will paint the town green in honor of the musical's ruby red 40th anniversary. Beginning Thursday, April 28, and throughout the month of May, there will be various events, contests, special performances, and activations to celebrate the beloved, award-winning show's incredible legacy. The original Off-Broadway production at the Orpheum Theater began performances on May 6, 1982 and opened on May 20, 1982.

3 comments:

Andrew Morris said...


One of the first musicals I ever remember watching it reading was Little Shop of Horrors by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman. It’s crazy to think how fast time flies because now the Off-Broadway musical is turning 40 years old this year. The story at its heart is a Greek moral tragedy in which a young and fallible hero seeks to improve his life by exploiting a higher power. In typical, Greek fashion, the angry Gods don't just punish the hero, but extend their wrath to everyone the hero touches, including those he loves. Little Shop of Horrors is a love story, but also a warning of what happens if you do anything to get what you want. I think that it has the perfect balance of comedic value and interesting dramatic structure. The article is very interesting because it talks about the variety of ways that this 40 year anniversary is gonna be celebrated around the city. The beautiful sculpture downtown designed by Spanish Architect Santiago Calatrava, the Oculus, will turn green and will have a performance from the cast. Another aspect of the celebration that interests me the most are Little shop of Horror bouquets being sold at flower shops all around the city. Hopefully no one purchases any suspicious plants that start talking.

Katie Sabel said...

I love this idea for a celebration. It's cool to see how they got lots of different communities in both NYC and online involved through in-person events like the block party and the high school shows, and also the NPR show appearance. Personally, I had seen Little Shop before, but I had no idea they had a show running off-broadway. It's interesting to see so many big names on it, too. Apparently Jonathan Groff had won an award for his role their prior, as had Christian Borle. On the show's official website, it was also exciting so see how much they celebrate their whole team. As you scroll down for more info, you see the headshots and credits for big names like Christian Borle, but also Eric Wright and Teddy Yudain- two puppeteers. They likewise feature their understudies and covers, which I thought was a nice touch. I'm curious to see how long the show will run in the future as well.

Sophie Howard said...

This is so exciting!!! I think that this show is super important as a return to live theatre. This community needs something more unifying than big Broadway shows. The Off-Broadway revival of Alan Menken & Howard Ashman's LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS will paint the town green in honor of the musical's ruby red 40th anniversary. Beginning Thursday, April 28, and throughout the month of May, there will be various events, contests, special performances, and activations to celebrate the beloved, award-winning show's incredible legacy. The original Off-Broadway production at the Orpheum Theater began performances on May 6, 1982 and opened on May 20, 1982. Shining a light on the incredible legacy of the musical, local-area schools who mounted Little Shop productions this spring will perform "Skid Row" post-show at select performances at The Westside Theatre. Sleepy Hollow High School will perform on-stage following the 2pm matinee on Sunday, May 1st and Ossining High School will perform on Thursday, May 4 following the 8pm show. More schools will be announced shortly.