Meek flower shop assistant Seymour pines for Audrey, purchasing an exotic plant she adores named Audrey II to show his devotion. However, this bloodthirsty plant’s diet of human flesh and blood brings new business opportunities for Mushnik’s Flower Shop, which had previously struggled financially.
Little Shop of Horrors first made its debut as a low-budget Roger Corman B-movie before going on to become a cult classic musical. Boasting music composed by Alan Menken (The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin), Little Shop quickly rose through Broadway and Hollywood sci-fi ranks.
Audrey II, a giant carnivorous plant resembling a Venus flytrap and an avocado with teeth, is the star of Little Shop of Horrors. Eating human flesh for sustenance to increase growth serves as the main antagonist in both movies – in 1960, “Audrey Jr.” and the musical being called Audrey II, respectively. Audrey is from outer space with an agenda to take over the world while serving as a singer/dancer!
Seymour Krelborn is a young man from Skid Row who works at a flower shop owned by Mushnik. Though poor, Seymour has a big heart and falls for Audrey Fulquard; for just one dollar more, he buys Audrey II from a Chinese plant dealer.
Seymour quickly sees his plant flourish under his care, naming it after his former flame and making her famous all around town. Though successful for Mushnik and Seymour in terms of business, the plant harbors a dark side, growing more significant with every drop of blood it absorbs; however, it attempts to warn Mushnik, but he continues to ignore any warnings it provides about potential risks.
At some point, the plant becomes so massive that it overruns Seymour’s shop and takes over entirely. As its hunger for sustenance increases to unimaginable proportions, humans begin being devoured one after the other until Audrey arrives to feed it. Still, it is too late, and he dies instead. Meanwhile, this unstoppable force continues ravaging cities while devouring more people.
No one knows exactly how the plant got to Earth, though speculation suggests that it came via an alien spaceship that obscured a solar eclipse. No matter its entry path, however, its sinister presence remains as it manipulates pheromones for personal gain.
Martin P. Robinson has been performing as Audrey II since 1981 for Henson Productions, first on Sesame Street (as Telly Monster/Snuffleupagus), then later adapting this role for Little Shop of Horrors.
Seymour, an endearing and innocent orphan working as a florist’s assistant at Mushnik’s Florists on Skid Row in 1950s America, discovers an exotic plant. He buys it and names it Audrey II; it quickly attracts customers who had previously gone elsewhere. One night, during a move with Audrey II, however, he accidentally pricks himself, and the blood ends up falling into its mouth; eventually, he realizes the plant thrives off human blood, growing larger each time it gets fed by Seymour!
Audrey II initially lacks sentience or sapience and behaves much like any ordinary plant. Still, once fed enough blood, Audrey II becomes self-aware enough to demand more by hypnotizing Seymour into giving more blood than is available. This leads to Seymour becoming anemic and carelessly throwing rocks at liquor bottles out of frustration, hitting one which falls onto railroad tracks where an empty liquor bottle gets hit by a train; Seymour disposes of this body by feeding Audrey II with another blood meal.
Audrey II has a funky R&B-sounding voice and an unsavory disposition, often targeting Seymour as an easy target. However, Audrey II can hypnotize anyone and force them into doing its bidding, killing off those who refuse its orders.
Howard Ashman’s lyrics in Little Shop of Horrors provide a humorous take on “science fiction, B-movies, musical comedy and the Faust legend.” It opened Off-Broadway in 1982 under Alan Menken’s direction, with music composed by Menken and lyrics written by Ashman.
Martin P. Robinson was chosen to portray the plant in this musical; a veteran of Henson Studios since 1981 as a performer on Sesame Street (Playing Telly Monster and Snuffleupagus), designing, building, and performing an Audrey II puppet designed by himself (also created, produced, and served during its original Broadway run and revival in 2003), performing alongside Brian Henson, Mak Wilson Robert Tygner and Sue Dacre (other principal puppeteers who portrayed it).
Frank Oz’s 1986 rock horror-comedy film Little Shop of Horrors stars Audrey II as its primary antagonist, promising fame and fortune if its demands for food can be fulfilled by Seymour, Seymour’s down-and-out floral assistant. When Seymour runs out of blood for feeding it through his fingertips, he turns to give it his blood instead. But as Audrey II becomes even hungrier and louder, Seymour realizes he must take drastic measures against this carnivorous plant!
The plant then revealed that it could talk, telling Seymour that blood was its preferred food source. Though Seymour initially hesitated to kill Audrey, the plant threatened to consume him and Mushnik instead, thus convincing Audrey to help feed it in exchange for her cooperation. She agreed and helped provide it once each week until it died alone.
Mushnik then calls Seymour back into the shop to look after Audrey Two, who appears sickly (“Grow for Me”). When Audrey Two demands more blood from Seymour, Mushnik warns him if he doesn’t feed it through his fingers, then and there. Otherwise, Seymour will starve and die – at this point, Twoey (pronounced two-ee) takes over as its new name.
Audrey II begins demanding more and more human blood and threatens to consume Seymour and Mushnik before eventually taking over the world. After Seymour refuses to provide for Audrey II’s consumption, the plant becomes distraught and devours him before tricking Audrey into getting too close and eating her.
The film has multiple plants with names similar to Twoey, such as Orin (a Venus flytrap-like monster) and Keeble (a cactus). Twoey has also been used for other fictional plants like in Dragonfable online game and Undertale Indie videogame; in Ireland, however, it was initially applied to one family of O Tuathaigh who were high kings during ancient times; its root word Tuatha = ruler in Irish.
Seymour Krelborn, an unemployed florist at Mushnik flower shop, becomes besotted by Audrey, a lovely blonde who appreciates tacky fashion. Soon after that, three street urchins arrive, lamenting their lot in life and urban decay (“Skid Row (Downtown).” Soon after, a mysterious plant that combines Venus flytraps and butterworts appears, demanding blood from Seymour and Audrey alike (“Grow For Me”). Once exposed as its source, they want Seymour to feed Audrey so they can remain together forever (“Somewhere That’s Green”). Audrey then pleads with Seymour to feed Audrey so that their relationship remains “Somewhere That’s Green.”
LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS first premiered Off-Broadway in 1982 with book and music by Grammy and Oscar winner Howard Ashman (The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast) and Tony and Academy Award winner Alan Menken (Newsies, Aladdin). Since then, it has become a worldwide phenomenon, delighting audiences around the globe and leaving audiences laughing, crying, and gasping with laughter!
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