At #25 on our countdown is a musical that truly is getting us in the mood of Halloween today. You can consider this show as a horror comedy. We are about to take you to a downtown florist shop. We meet a nerdy hapless worker there that who raises a plant which turns out to be a MAD KILLING PLANT that eats human blood and flesh. Welcome to the….. Little Shop of Horrors. Based on a 1960 black comedy film, the musical features a beloved score by Alan Menken and lyrics from a book by the late Howard Ashman.

From the 2003 NBC telecast, Tony nominees Hunter Foster as “Seymour”, Kerry Butler as “Audrey”, that monstrous eating plant himself “ Audrey II”, and The Urchins themselves of that year’s ON Broadway debut production performing a medley of the show’s title song and the beautiful SUDDENLY SEYMOUR.

The show originally began its life OFF-OFF BROADWAY performing at the Workshop of the Players Art Theatre in the Spring of 1982. It was a smash hit that was moved to OFF BROADWAY playing the Orpheum Theatre a few months later where it ran for 5 years and 2,209 performances. A plan for the show for an ON BROADWAY transfer was initially made for the original 1982 production but Ashman decided to keep it where it belongs. Under the direction of Howard Ashman himself, the cast consisted of…

Lee Wilkof as “Seymour”,

Ellen Greene in her signature role as “Audrey”,

Franc Luz as “Orin Scrivello, DDS” and others.

and

Ron Taylor as the voice of the man-eating plant himself “Audrey II”

The original production received numerous New York Theater Awards including the Drama Desk for OUTSTANDING NEW MUSICAL and the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for BEST MUSICAL.

Following the success of the show’s New York Premiere, it made its way to London’s West End and Australia becoming a hit there.

LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS did not officially make its ON Broadway Debut until 2003. Following an out-of-town tryout in Florida that spring, the production made its way into the Virginia Theatre (now the August Wilson Theatre) where it ran for a complete total of 412 performances. Under the direction of Jerry Zaks and a newly worked puppet from The Jim Henson Company, this cast consisted of….

Hunter Foster (later Joey Fatone) as “Seymour”,

Tony nominee Kerry Butler (later Jessica Snow Wilson) as “Audrey”,

Tony nominee Douglas Sills (later Robert Evan) as “Orin Scrivello, DDS”,

and

Michael Leon Wooley as the voice of “Audrey II”.

The production was nominated for only 1 Tony Award category in 2004 for BEST LEADING ACTOR IN A MUSICAL (for Hunter Foster) but lost the category.

In addition, LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS was most recently performed as a week long concert production for New York City Center Encores in 2015 as part of their Off-Series season. Under the direction of Dick Scanlan, this cast featured….

Oscar nominee Jake Gyllenhaal as “Seymour”,

Ellen Greene reprising her iconic role as “Audrey”,

Saturday Night Live favorite Taran Killam as “Orin Scrivello, DDS”,

and

Eddie Cooper as “Audrey II”.

The current revival of Little Shop of Horrors is back in the Big Apple with a critically acclaimed production OFF BROADWAY playing the Westside Theatre on 43rd Street. With a triumphant debut in the Fall of 2019, the show would be put on halt in March 2020 (like most NY Theater shows) due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was halted for 18 months before reopening last month in September 2021 where it continues to play to packed houses every night. Under the direction of Michael Mayer, this cast is led by…..

Tony nominee Jonathan Groff (later Gideon Glick and currently Jeremy Jordan) as “Seymour”,

Emmy winner and Tony nominee Tammy Blanchard as “Audrey”,

Tony winner Christian Borle as “Orin Scrivello, DDS”,

and

Kingsley Leggs (later and currently Aaron Arnell Harrington) as “Audrey II”.

This current revival was nominated for various Awards including the Drama Desk (winning 2 for OUTSTANDING MUSICAL REVIVAL and OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTOR IN A MUSICAL (for Christian Borle), a Lucille Lortel Awards (winning 1 for OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTOR IN A MUSICAL (for Christian Borle), the Drama League Award (winning the top honor for OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL – ON OR OFF BROADWAY), and being an honoree for all 5 of its categories at the Outer Critics Circle Award (including OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL). The cast album would also be nominated for a Grammy Award for BEST MUSICAL THEATRE ALBUM earlier this year.

Along with its success on stage, the show was an iconic cult-film classic in 1986 from Warner Bros. Pictures. Under the direction of Frank Oz, the cast consisted of…

Rick Moranis as “Seymour”,

Ellen Greene reprising her stage role as “Audrey”,

Steve Martin as “Orin Scrivello, DDS”,

and

Levi Stubbs as the voice of “Audrey II”.

The film was nominated for 2 Academy Awards for Best Visual Effects and Best Original Song (for one of the new songs Menken and Ashman wrote specifically for the film entitled MEAN GREEN MOTHER FROM OUTER SPACE). It lost both the categories.

FUN FACT: The new film song MEAN GREEN made history as the first Oscar-nominated song to contain profanity in the lyrics and thus had to be slightly censored for the telecast.

Doesn’t this musical make you feel SCARED SILLY?!!

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