TheaterMania: I have always had an affinity for Little Shop of Horrors. Maybe it's Alan Menken and Howard Ashman's score. Maybe it's because my birthday is on the 21st day of September. Whatever the reason, I've never attended as many productions of Little Shop as I did in the last year and a half
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While I do differ in opinions to the author of this article we share many thoughts as well. Little Shop of Horrors is such a malleable piece that thrives on chaos and creativity. Yes, there is merit in the traditional. For example, the current off-broadway revival. To see the show in the fashion that Alan Menken and Howard Ashman had back when it opened in 1982. To stick to that vision. However, unlike this reviewer, I truly do find so much more fun in the innovative. Probably one of my favorite reimaginings of the show would have to be Pasadena Playhouse’s production. The way that they made the piece reflective of today and more grounded in reality is touching in a way that the piece has never been. “Tragedy of the absurdity”, is how I would describe it. The way that such absurdity befalls MJ Rodriguez’s Audrey but also reflects if not literally, symbolically the experience of a trans woman of color.
The article about the enduring popularity of Little Shop of Horrors is a great reminder of why this show has been a fan favorite for so long. One of the key reasons for its success is its entertaining and engaging storyline, which is both hilarious and heartwarming. The show's mix of comedy and horror elements, along with its catchy and memorable songs, keeps audiences engaged and entertained throughout the performance.
Another reason why Little Shop of Horrors has remained so popular is the relatable and well-developed characters. The characters in the show are complex, multi-dimensional and easy to root for, making the audience emotionally invested in the story. The show also provides a commentary on societal issues such as ambition, greed, and power dynamics that are still relevant today.
I am particularly excited that my high school is currently working on a production of Little Shop of Horrors. I believe that this show will be a great opportunity for the students to showcase their talents and learn about the hard work and dedication that goes into putting on a successful production. I am looking forward to see how our school will put their own spin on the show and make it their own.
It was really interesting to read about all of the different productions of Little Shop of Horrors. Each had their own unique strengths and weaknesses, some more so than others. It's fun to see all of the little unique changes that each production makes, for example giving Audrey II a female voice, or the French view of the American story. For me personally, Little Shop of Horrors will always hold a special place in my heart, as it was one of the first shows that I worked on. In my senior year of high school, myself and another student put on a version of it entirely by ourselves. I handled everything behind the scenes, while she took care of the performance end of things. Looking back, it definitely sucked. But it was incredible to see something I worked so hard on come to life, and I'll always remember this show for that.
The first interaction I had with Little Shop of Horrors was the movie adaptation. I didn't know it at the time, but turns out I really don't like movie adaptations of horror musicals. It was the most recent revival that allowed me to take a new approach to Little Shop and be able to fully enjoy the show. As a huge fan of Menken and Ashman I do have to throw some credit their way for sure. I’ve yet to be able to see a production live so hearing about the different productions this person attended was very interesting! I’m thrilled they enjoyed the NYC off-broadway revival, since that was the production that renewed my interest in the musical. However it is always interesting to hear about shows in the round, and how that affects the storytelling. The DP student in me wants to see the’ issues’ then sit down and figure out how such things might be avoided when in the round.
I have never had the opportunity to see Little Shop of Horrors but I’ve always really wanted to. However, no matter the show, I imagine seeing Jeremy Jordan and Tammy Blanchard would be a tear-jerking experience. With such a tech-heavy show, I can imagine how it lost some of its magic in the round. Theatre in the round offers a much more intimate experience for the audience to connect with the actors, but it puts more restraint on the tech of the show. I would have never thought that Little Shop of Horrors would be done as an opera, but leave it to the French I guess. I would have loved to see this production. The 60’s inspired scenery and neon accents are such a fresh take on the show. The choice to put Audrey in a pink mod-inspired costume would definitely complete the newly imagined aesthetic of the show.
I don’t really know a lot about Little Shop of Horrors - I’ve never seen it but I’ve heard of it. I read this article to learn more about the show and it was interesting to hear about the differences between different productions. The plant puppet in La Petite Boutique des Horreurs looks really cool - and I’d love to see the different technical applications for the puppet and some of the other scenes in the show. I’m sure that the show presents some challenges with the puppetry. I think I missed the Little Shop Productions in the high schools in my area by a year (it was Spongebob the Musical and Matilda mostly when I was in high school that were popular) but I’d love to see a production of it at some point.The show is obviously very popular for a reason and I think I’m going to do a little bit more research into this shown now to learn more about the show and all of its technical challenges.
Although I've never seen the little shop of horrors before, it was really cool to read about the different adaptations of the piece that have been brought to the table. I have never seen a full production, but I remember a few small snippets of the show being done in my High School chorus before. I always design lights for these choir shows, and before I would begin to make cues for these lights, I would always listen to recording of whatever song they would be singing, and watch maybe a video or two to get an idea for what the vibe of the piece might be, especially because there not re before the actual show ( I would be lucky if I even got a dress rehearsal to see the pieces). Especially with little shop of horrors, there were always so many different adaptations of the show out there, and the pieces I saw online were never usually even close to the piece that I would end up creating.
I thought that this article was pretty interesting but I don’t know if I can agree with the author. I was supposed to do a little shop of horrors 2020 and that got canceled obviously. But it has been a show that I keep revisiting and I have done a few times since 2020. I can agree that it’s a fan favorite The story is not too complex it has a love story within it that the audience wants to root for. It has a heroine who is very likable and a little nerdy. I will say I don’t think the author really gets their point across in the article. The title says that it’s going to be about how this is a very white well like show, but they only talk about that at the very end after they’ve summarized every time they’ve seen the show. I think that this is a little strange and didn’t make this article as enjoyable for me.
Little Shop of Horrors was one of the first musicals I ever saw and it has stuck with me through my entire theatrical career. Just the fact that there is a talking, people eating monster plant on stage is more than enough to make this musical rememberable. I enjoyed how this article depicts how much a show can be changed based on the crew and actors' personal interpretation of the characters and the world around them. It is a very adaptive show and leaves room for design creativity in terms of how the plant looks and the set. Additionally, watching the plant grow on stage also implements this surreal effect of time and an abundance of stage tricks that keeps the audience intrigued no matter how many times you see it. Despite knowing that the plant is going to get bigger and eat people, fans such as myself still watch it repeatedly because of how it is executed differently each time and the "magic" effect it showcases to the audience.
Although the article itself does not go much in-depth about why the show “Little Shop of Horrors” is such a beloved piece in a lot of people’s opinion, I want to take the time to recognize that this specific author was not necessarily a fan of different adaptations of the show; recognizing their unique aspects, but not finding them as charming as the original design choices/presentations of the show. With that being said, the reason I like “Little Shop of Horrors” so much is because of the show's ability to portray horror on-stage in a comedic and artistic way. Little Shop was my high-school’s spring musical my senior year, and it was such an interesting show to get to be on the technical side of, and watch the scenery, costumes, and props come together. The show’s turn-table was a platform on a bunch of wheels fastened to the stage, and Audrey II was a huge two-person puppet that got wheeled onto the turn-table between scenes, which was a really interesting process to watch in-between costume changes. The show was also my first main-stage costume-related shows, fulfilling the role of Assistant Costume Designer and Wardrobe Supervisor, and it gave me a lot of insight into the costume alteration process, changing room drafting/cleaning process, and how to manage a lot of clothing, actors, and quick changes.
I love Little Shop, and always have. I think it thrives in its simplicity - very few characters which are effortlessly loveable, and very few settings, but so much development and nuance within them. I saw the off-Broadway revival right after it opened, and it was stunning. I know that the original vision for the show was to have that intimacy of a small theater, and I’m so pleased that they never moved to Broadway to preserve that integrity. This intimacy is also aided by a very small but talented cast, which to me, makes this particular story feel like it’s being more organically told. I think there’s an interesting dichotomy between the humbleness of the settings for Little Shop and the technical complexity required for the puppet. We all know that Audrey II makes or breaks the show. The score is perfect and I think very unique in its range - we get totally different styles between “Meek Shall Inherit” and “Mushnik and Son” and “Feed Me”. Menken and Ashman almost never miss. I think Little Shop is a fan favorite as well because of how memorable it is, in terms of iconography, music, characters, etc. Audrey II is cemented in theatre history, as well as “Suddenly Seymour.”
I have a bizarre connection to Little Shop of Horrors. Little Shop was the first show that I saw at my high school. I was a brownie girl scout, and our whole troop was invited to the show. So I got my ticket and had no idea what I was getting into. I was both terrified by the idea of a carnivorous plant and a masochistic dentist but also in love with the music. It was one of the first shows I saw, shaping the way I saw theatre, so I was thrilled when I discovered we would do the show again in my sophomore year! However, as the cast list came out, my director/teacher left the school and took the hope of doing Little Shop of Horrors with her. Despite not getting to work on the show, it maintains its spot in my heart, as I love (or hate) all the characters.
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