1960
The source
Roger Corman shoots The Little Shop of Horrors, a low-budget black comedy film, in a matter of days.
Original FilmA low budget horror comedy that inspired the musical.
Prologue
Curtain Up on Skid Row
No. 1
Introduction
A meek florist, a hungry plant and a shop on Skid Row.
The story
A plant with an appetite
Seymour Krelborn works at Mushnik’s failing flower shop on Skid Row. He finds a strange plant, names it Audrey II after the coworker he secretly loves, and business booms. Then he learns what it eats.
- A horror-comedy rock musical
- Based on Roger Corman’s 1960 film
- Score in the style of early rock and roll and Motown
The people
Who’s who on Skid Row
Seven people and a very large plant.
- Seymour: the shy florist’s assistant who raises the plant
- Audrey: his coworker, the woman he secretly loves
- Mr. Mushnik: owner of the struggling shop
- Orin Scrivello: Audrey’s sadistic dentist boyfriend
- Crystal, Ronnette and Chiffon: the trio who narrate in song
- Audrey II: the plant that feeds on human blood
No. 2
History & Background
From a quick B-movie to a five-year Off-Broadway run, a film and revivals that keep coming.
Book & lyrics: Howard Ashman · Music: Alan Menken
1960 – 2022
1982
WPA Theatre
Howard Ashman (book, lyrics, direction) and Alan Menken (music) open the musical Off-Off-Broadway in May.
Off Broadway MusicalThe musical became a surprise hit, gaining popularity for its dark humor and catchy music.
1982
The Orpheum
On July 27 the show transfers to the Orpheum Theatre in the East Village, Off-Broadway.
Off Broadway TransferThe move to a bigger downtown house gave the show room to grow into a long-running hit.
1983
Awards
Wins best musical from the New York Drama Critics’ Circle, the Drama Desk and the Outer Critics Circle.
Critical AcclaimMajor New York critics’ awards confirmed the show as one of the best musicals of the season.
1986
The film
Frank Oz directs the movie musical with Rick Moranis as Seymour and Ellen Greene reprising Audrey.
Movie AdaptationThe successful musical was adapted into a movie with a bigger budget, famous cast, and a rewritten ending.
1987
Curtain down
The Orpheum run closes on November 1 after five years and 2,209 performances.
Long Run EndsAt closing it was one of the longest-running musicals in Off-Broadway history.
2003
Broadway
The first Broadway production opens at the Virginia Theatre.
Broadway FlopThe show moved to Broadway with a much larger production but struggled to recreate its original success.
2019
Revival
An Off-Broadway revival opens at the Westside Theatre with Jonathan Groff as Seymour.
Off Broadway RevivalThe musical returned to a smaller theater, embracing its original charm and finding renewed success.
2022
My visit
I saw the revival Off-Broadway at the Westside Theatre in New York, with Skylar Astin as Seymour.
Seeing It LiveThe revival is still running today, with a rotating line of stars taking over as Seymour.
No. 3
The Reviews Are In
Off-Broadway in 1982, the 1986 film, and Broadway in 2003: what critics and audiences thought, and whether it paid off.
Opening night
What the critics wroteRaves
“The revival isn’t Broadway-slick, and that’s to its advantage.”
Melissa Rose Bernardo · New York Stage Review · October 17, 2019“A model show for Off Broadway”
Edith Oliver · The New Yorker · Sept. 20, 1982Mixed
“On Broadway, the pumped-up ‘Little Shop’ has sacrificed a lot of its lovableness.”
Peter Marks · The Washington Post · Oct. 2, 2003“Little Shop of Horrors isn’t uniformly entertaining, nor is its score always entirely audible; the musical dubbing is at times very awkward.”
Janet Maslin · The New York Times · Dec. 19, 1986Pans
“The show’s inherent heart and plaintive charms have been eviscerated.”
Matthew Murray · Talkin’ Broadway · Oct. 2, 2003“Everything seems bloated and relentless.”
Howard Kissel · New York Daily News · Oct. 2003Hit or flop?
Run length, money and audiences
1982 · Off-Broadway
The Orpheum Theatre
FlopIn betweenHit
- Run
- July 1982 to November 1987, about five years
- Shows
- 2,209 performances
- Money
- The highest-grossing production in Off-Broadway history when it closed
- Audiences
- Kept it running long enough to become the third-longest-running musical Off-Broadway
2003 · Broadway
The Virginia Theatre
FlopIn betweenHit
- Run
- October 2, 2003 to August 22, 2004, under a year
- Shows
- 40 previews and 372 performances
- Money
- Grossed about $20.6 million but closed without paying back its $10 million investment
- Audiences
- The theater was about 70% full on average
No. 4
Songs & Themes
Three songs. Three themes. One deadly story.
Click a song to explore
Now showing
The Finale
House lights down. One last reel.
The partnership went on to write The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin for Disney.
A fixture of high school, college and community theater for four decades.
Revived in 2019 at the Westside Theatre, with Jonathan Groff as Seymour.
Be careful what you wish for
Seymour wants three things: Audrey, a way off Skid Row, and to be somebody. Audrey II can give him all three, as long as he keeps it fed, and each wish is paid for by someone else. Under the songs and the jokes, it is a story about a deal with the devil, set in a flower shop.
An appetite that never stops
Seymour trades his conscience for fame and fortune, and the plant’s price keeps rising. Written at the start of the 1980s, the show pokes at greed, celebrity and the urge to sell out. In the finale the cast turns to the audience and sings the warning straight at them: don’t feed the plants.
A big plant in a little room
Seven actors, one set and a small band. It was written for Off-Broadway and needs nothing more.
Audrey II is played by four puppets of increasing size. In a small house the last one fills the stage and leans over the front row.
Crystal, Ronnette and Chiffon sing straight out to the seats, so the audience ends up on Skid Row with everyone else.
Book & lyrics by Howard Ashman · Music by Alan Menken