Is the sixty-three year old tale The Little Shop of Horrors a tragedy, a comedy, tragi-comedy, a farce? Yes!
But there are at least three versions of the story– a 1960 movie, 1982 musical, a 1986 revised movie musical with two endings.
All three versions have the same principal actors, the innocent, bumbling Seymour Krelborn; the sweet, victimized girl he works with, Audrey; their irritable, materialistic boss, Mr. Mushnik; and the voracious exotic plant that consumes them all–Audrey II.
In the ’60 original, Audrey Jr. hypnotizes Seymour into doing his bidding . . . . The cops discover that the plant has been eating people and they chase Seymour through the streets of Skid Row. He comes back to Mushnick’s shop and tries to kill Audrey Jr. once and for all, but fails, and is himself eaten. https://widescreenworld.blogspot.com/2015/10/little-shop-of-horrors-1960-vs-1986-and.html
In the original stage musical of 1982, not only does Audrey II also kill Seymour, Audrey and Mushnick, it spreads all over the country, enticing other people the same way it enticed Seymour with promises of fame and fortune. (https://widescreenworld.blogspot.com/2015/10/little-shop-of-horrors-1960-vs-1986-and.html). The final number “Don’t Feed the Plants” suggests a world wide takeover is in progress. Yet the music tends to carry the story back toward comedy.
However, in the musical filmed in 1986, the grim ending of the previous versions was re-designed for the popular whim that Seymour and Audrey should fulfill their dreams and live happily ever after in suburbia. The director, Frank Oz, originally conceived the ending as gleefully hinting of plant takeover, and was bitterly disappointed with the ultimate product.
What about the latest rendition, just finishing a run in the Cincinnati suburb of Finneytown? This version offers more of the sinister take-over of Audrey, but her offspring appear as the familiar main characters sporting the flowery coronas around their heads. Everyone seems delighted with the absurd invasion of Audrey’s descendants.
However, the absurdist excitement is almost overwhelmed by the soul-grabbing solos of the leads, Audrey (Anya Revelle), singing “Somewhere That’s Green” and Seymour (Marcus Miller) singing “Suddenly Seymour,” who give the musical a romantic updraft. We are pulling for these two down-and-outers so much that their ingestion by Audrey II feels too tragic to be redeemed by sunny little flower buds around their heads at the end.
Does the booming-voiced (Brennen Volz) monster Audrey II become a warning against materialism and the passion for fame? Do we hear a message amidst the merriment of Little Shop of Horrors?
The finale, which retains the warning “Don’t Feed the Plants,” retains its glee, but no dire warnings. It’s a horror musical with a thin filling of caution. Even the sadistic dentist (Brady Volz) returns looking less threatening.
We noticed exceptional stage managing of props and set, organized by Jason George, and exceptional drama enhanced by spotlights under the steady hand of Karah George. Their under-appreciated skill behind the scenes make a grand musical so much grander.
So what is it- a tragedy, comedy, farce, some maniacal concoction of all three? Every performance brings a different taste of the botanical marvel, and sometimes your mood determines what you see in Audrey II.
“Life is a tragedy for those who feel, and a comedy for those who think.”―