107 Fun Facts About Little Shop of Horrors

Who composed the music for the Little Shop of Horrors musical?

Alan Menken wrote the score, his first major hit; with the same lyricist he went on to write The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin for Disney.

Who wrote the lyrics and book of the musical, and directed the original production?

Howard Ashman wrote the book and lyrics and staged the show himself; he died in March 1991, months before Beauty and the Beast opened with a dedication to the man "who gave a mermaid her voice and a beast his soul".

Before Little Shop of Horrors, the same songwriters' first musical together adapted a novel by which author?

Kurt Vonnegut's God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater was the pair's first show, and it lasted only a few weeks off-Broadway; their second went on to run for five years.

Why did the original Little Shop of Horrors production never move to Broadway?

Its author wanted it kept off-Broadway: offered a transfer, he said the show was perfect where it was, so it stayed downtown for five years and did not play Broadway until 2003.

Which Second Avenue theatre in Manhattan housed Little Shop of Horrors for its original five-year run?

The Orpheum Theatre took the show in July 1982, after a month's tryout at an off-off-Broadway house, and kept it until November 1987; it was later home to Stomp for 29 years.

In the stage musical, what does Mr. Mushnik offer Seymour to keep him and the plant at the shop?

To adopt him is Mushnik's scheme: having watched the plant draw crowds and overheard Seymour being urged to leave, he offers himself as a father so that both will stay.

How does Seymour discover what makes the plant grow?

He pricks his finger and it drinks: a rose thorn draws blood, the wilting plant opens up for the drops, and Seymour realises what it has been hungry for all along.

The musical is loosely based on a 1960 low-budget film directed by whom?

Roger Corman produced and directed the 1960 original but shot only its interiors himself: the outdoor scenes were left to his screenwriter, working as second-unit director.

Roughly what did the 1960 film cost to make?

$28,000 is the commonly cited budget; the director shot the film in a hurry on leftover sets, using them before they were struck.

The interior scenes of the 1960 Little Shop of Horrors were shot in how many days?

2 days in late December 1959 covered every interior: the director ran more than one camera at once on a standing set, catching whole scenes in single takes.

Which future star plays a pain-loving patient in the 1960 Little Shop of Horrors?

Jack Nicholson, with only a few films behind him, plays Wilbur Force, who demands to be treated without anaesthetic and walks out delighted with the result.

The musical calls the plant Audrey II, but what is it named in the 1960 Little Shop of Horrors?

Audrey Junior is Seymour's bashful tribute to his co-worker Audrey Fulquard, who is delighted to find that a plant has been named after her.

Under what working title was the 1960 Little Shop of Horrors made?

The Passionate People Eater was the title on the script, whose writer kept things in the family: he took small parts himself and cast his father and his grandmother, who plays Seymour's mother.

In the 1960 Little Shop of Horrors, where does Seymour say he got the seeds for his plant?

From a Japanese gardener over on Central Avenue, Seymour says; just fired, he is talking up the odd plant he grew from them in the hope of winning his job back.

On its October 1960 release, the film was paired on a double bill with which other Filmgroup title?

Last Woman on Earth, another Filmgroup cheapie from the same director, shared the original double bill; the film later reached a wider audience as the second feature under Mario Bava's Black Sunday.

Which of these is one of the three street-urchin narrators in the musical?

Chiffon, Crystal and Ronnette take their names from 1960s girl groups; the musical invented the trio, in place of two teenage girls in the 1960 film, to comment on the action like a Greek chorus.

In which song does Audrey dream of a tract house, frozen dinners and plastic on the furniture?

"Somewhere That's Green" is Audrey's fantasy of suburban bliss with Seymour; it is reprised as she dies and asks him to feed her to the plant so they can be together.

In which Little Shop of Horrors duet do Audrey and her shy co-worker finally admit their feelings?

"Suddenly, Seymour" follows Audrey's confession that she feels guilty about Orin's disappearance because she had wished for it; Seymour answers that she deserves better.

What is the profession of Audrey's sadistic boyfriend, Orin Scrivello?

Dentist is his trade, celebrated in the number "Dentist!", in which Orin boasts that his mother steered him into a job where he could be paid to inflict pain.

How does Orin die in the musical?

He suffocates on laughing gas: Seymour arrives meaning to shoot him but loses his nerve, and when Orin's nitrous-oxide mask jams, Seymour simply stands by and lets him die.

In the stage musical, how does Seymour lure Mr. Mushnik into the plant?

He says the takings are inside: Mushnik, who suspects him over Orin's disappearance and wants him to talk to the police, climbs into the open jaws to look for the money.

In the musical's finale, the plant is revealed to be planning what?

World conquest is the plan: a salesman from World Botanical Enterprises wants to sell cuttings to florists across America, and the finale warns the audience not to feed the plants.

Who directed the 1986 Little Shop of Horrors?

Frank Oz, the Muppet performer fresh from directing The Muppets Take Manhattan, first turned the job down, then said yes once he saw how to open the stage show up for the screen.

Who plays Seymour Krelborn in the 1986 Little Shop of Horrors?

Rick Moranis, known from SCTV and Ghostbusters, was the producer's first choice for Seymour, and in the released film his florist survives, which the stage Seymour never does.

Who plays Orin Scrivello in the 1986 Little Shop of Horrors?

Steve Martin plays only Orin, Audrey's leather-jacketed boyfriend; on stage the same actor also takes a run of bit parts, a track Broadway's playbill billed as "everyone else".

Which Motown lead singer voiced Audrey II in the 1986 Little Shop of Horrors?

Levi Stubbs, lead singer of the Four Tops, recorded the plant's songs before filming began, and the puppeteers then rehearsed the giant puppet until its mouth matched his voice.

Which comedian plays the masochistic patient Arthur Denton in the 1986 Little Shop of Horrors?

Bill Murray plays Arthur Denton, the patient who delights in pain, a part the stage musical had dropped and the film brought back from the 1960 original.

Which comedian plays radio DJ Wink Wilkinson in the 1986 Little Shop of Horrors?

John Candy plays the motor-mouthed radio host whose on-air interview about the strange plant makes Seymour a local celebrity.

Which actress played Audrey both in the original 1982 production and in the 1986 Little Shop of Horrors film?

Ellen Greene created Audrey off-Broadway and in London, yet the film's producer wanted a bigger name; the director insisted on a screen test, and it won her the part.

Which pop star did the producer of the 1986 Little Shop of Horrors want to play Audrey?

Cyndi Lauper was the star name the producer wanted, but the director held out for the actress who had created Audrey on stage and won the argument with a screen test.

Which director was first attached to a film of Little Shop of Horrors, planned in 3D?

Martin Scorsese was lined up in 1983, with Steven Spielberg also on board, for a $3 million 3D "filmusical"; the film finally made three years later was flat and cost about eight times as much.

At which studio was the entire 1986 Little Shop of Horrors shot?

Pinewood Studios, England, hosted the whole shoot, so the film's run-down New York street is a fantasy set built on the giant 007 Stage in Buckinghamshire.

Which song, new for the 1986 Little Shop of Horrors, earned an Oscar nomination?

"Mean Green Mother from Outer Space" was added for the film by the show's own songwriters, and the plant's breakneck number then proved the hardest scene of the whole shoot to get on camera.

Which future Moonstruck actor plays Mr. Mushnik in the 1986 Little Shop of Horrors?

Vincent Gardenia, soon Oscar-nominated for Moonstruck, gives Mushnik a different end from the stage one: he pulls a gun on Seymour, offers silence in exchange for the plant, then backs into its reach.

The 1986 Little Shop film shot its plant at a reduced frame rate, so what did actors beside it do?

Lip-sync in slow motion was required of the cast, because the puppet scenes were filmed at a reduced frame rate and played back at normal speed, which made the plant's movements look fluid.

Lyle Conway, who built Audrey II for the 1986 Little Shop of Horrors, had earlier made creatures for whom?

Jim Henson employed him on The Muppet Show and The Dark Crystal; for this film he built the plant in ever larger versions, the biggest needing dozens of puppeteers to perform.

Why was the original ending of the 1986 Little Shop of Horrors replaced?

Test audiences reacted badly once the plant ate the two leads: only 13 per cent said they would recommend the film, so the cast was called back to shoot a happier ending.

What happened to the 1998 DVD of the 1986 Little Shop of Horrors soon after its release?

Recalled from shops within days: its extras included rough workprint footage of the cut original ending, which the film's producer had not been asked to approve.

What was the 1986 film's production budget?

$25 million was the budget, a large sum for a musical in 1986, much of it spent on the giant Audrey II puppets; the film built its following slowly on home video.

Which record mogul produced the 1986 Little Shop of Horrors through his own film company?

David Geffen had co-produced the original off-Broadway hit, so the record mogul carried it to the screen himself through The Geffen Company, with Warner Bros. distributing.

In the 1986 Little Shop of Horrors, Seymour says the strange plant first appeared during what event?

A solar eclipse, a total one, is when the plant turned up, Seymour explains in "Da-Doo"; the stranger who hears the tale promptly buys $100 worth of roses.

Which actress played one of the girl-group narrators in the 1986 Little Shop of Horrors?

Tisha Campbell sang alongside Tichina Arnold, her future co-star in the sitcom Martin; she could not return for the reshot ending, so a body double fills in for her in the last scene.

Which Urinetown star earned a Tony nomination as Seymour in the 2003 Broadway Little Shop of Horrors?

Hunter Foster was the lone holdover when the cast of the show's Florida tryout was replaced on the way to Broadway, and he kept the role until June 2004.

Which film star played Seymour in a 2015 City Center concert staging opposite the original Audrey?

Jake Gyllenhaal sang Seymour in a staging that did without the usual puppet: the full-grown plant was played by an actor in a giant furry green coat.

Who played Seymour when Little Shop of Horrors returned off-Broadway at the Westside Theatre in 2019?

Jonathan Groff opened the 2019 production opposite Tammy Blanchard; a long line of star Seymours has followed him, and it has now outlasted the original five-year run.

Which producer brought Little Shop of Horrors to London's West End in 1983?

Cameron Mackintosh, already a co-producer of the New York run, opened the show at the Comedy Theatre, where the original Audrey crossed the Atlantic to repeat her role.

The puppeteer who built and operated the original stage Audrey II also plays which Sesame Street character?

Mr. Snuffleupagus has been performed by Martin P. Robinson since 1981; a year later he designed, built and worked the stage plant, and he came back to rebuild it for Broadway in 2003.

The writer of Little Shop of Horrors said it satirises B movies, musical comedy and which legend?

Faust is the legend he named: Seymour keeps the plant fed in exchange for fame and Audrey's love, a bargain with the devil that ends by costing him both.

Little Shop, a 1991 spin-off of Little Shop of Horrors, took what form?

A children's cartoon called Little Shop ran for one season in 1991, toning the horror right down to a boy and his talking plant for Saturday-morning television.

Who originated the role of Seymour in the 1982 production?

Lee Wilkof created Seymour off-Broadway in 1982 and came back two decades later as the boss, playing Mr. Mushnik in the show's 2003 Florida tryout under his wife's direction.

Which former NSYNC member played Seymour in the closing cast of the 2003-04 Broadway run?

Joey Fatone was the last Seymour of a Broadway run that ended within a year, a fraction of the five years the show had lasted in a small off-Broadway theatre.

Which veteran director took over the first Broadway production of Little Shop of Horrors and replaced almost every actor?

Jerry Zaks, a four-time Tony winner, replaced the tryout's director Connie Grappo and recast every role but Seymour before the show reached the Virginia Theatre.

Who directed the 2019 off-Broadway revival at the Westside Theatre?

Michael Mayer, a Tony winner for Spring Awakening, staged the revival; the pandemic shut it in March 2020, but it reopened in September 2021 with most of its original team.

Who played Audrey in the 2007 West End revival that transferred from the Menier Chocolate Factory?

Sheridan Smith, until then known mainly for TV sitcoms, played Audrey from the Menier's 2006 opening through the West End transfer and was nominated for an Olivier Award.

Who plays Seymour in the 1960 film The Little Shop of Horrors?

Jonathan Haze got the lead only after Dick Miller, fresh from starring in A Bucket of Blood, turned it down as too similar and took a small part as a customer who eats flowers.

Which Four Seasons member adapted and produced the musical's songs for the 1986 Little Shop of Horrors film?

Bob Gaudio, who wrote most of the Four Seasons' hits, was by then a soundtrack producer: he had made Neil Diamond's The Jazz Singer album before adapting these songs for the screen.

Who plays the marketing executive Patrick Martin in the theatrical release of the 1986 Little Shop of Horrors film?

Jim Belushi played Patrick Martin in the reshot happy ending; Paul Dooley had filmed the part for the original ending but was unavailable when the new scenes were shot.

What did the leads of Little Shop of Horrors (1986) put in their mouths to hide their breath on a cold set?

Ice cubes chilled the actors' mouths so no vapour showed, because the vast stage used for their love duet was too big to heat properly.

The songwriters of Little Shop of Horrors won an Oscar for which song from Disney's The Little Mermaid?

Under the Sea beat their own Kiss the Girl to the award, three years after their man-eating plant's big number had gone home empty-handed.

In the scrapped ending of Little Shop of Horrors (1986), giant plants climb which New York landmark?

The Statue of Liberty is swarmed while the US Army fights back, in a finale built entirely from tabletop miniatures with no stop-motion.

The director of the 1986 film Little Shop of Horrors was also the longtime performer of which Muppet?

Miss Piggy's performer staffed the film with fellow puppeteers from his earlier projects, and the plant at its largest needed about 60 of them.

Little Shop of Horrors (1986) became the first title recalled for its content on which home video format?

DVD copies from 1998 carried the unfinished original ending in black and white, and the furious producer had them pulled from shelves within days.

The singer who voices Audrey II in the 1986 film Little Shop of Horrors was the lead vocalist of which group?

The Four Tops' frontman turned down several solo offers out of loyalty to his bandmates, yet agreed to sing alone as a man-eating plant.

In the 1986 film Little Shop of Horrors, Mushnik's failing flower shop sits in which run-down New York neighborhood?

Skid Row was built entirely indoors, elevated railway and all, because the director felt real streets would break the film's fantasy mood.

The street set of Little Shop of Horrors (1986) was built on a vast soundstage named after which film franchise?

James Bond gives the 007 Stage its name: it was conceived to house a supertanker interior for The Spy Who Loved Me.

In the 1991 cartoon spin-off of Little Shop of Horrors, the talking plant performs its songs in which style?

Rap replaced the stage show's soul growl in the Fox Kids series, which made the plant a friendly, well-meaning sidekick to a 13-year-old Seymour.

Which Marvel star was in talks to play Audrey in a Little Shop of Horrors remake that was later cancelled?

Scarlett Johansson was lined up beside Taron Egerton as Seymour and fellow Avenger Chris Evans as her abusive boyfriend before the studio dropped the project.

The original Audrey of Little Shop of Horrors later played the agoraphobic aunt Vivian in which ABC series?

Pushing Daisies arrived 25 years after she created Audrey on stage, a part she kept for the London run and the film.

In the 1986 film Little Shop of Horrors, Audrey's abusive boyfriend Orin Scrivello roars around town on what?

A motorcycle carries him into his big number, and the streets rushing past behind it are the only miniatures left in the theatrical cut.

In Little Shop of Horrors, what is Seymour's family background before he comes to work at Mushnik's flower shop?

He is an orphan in the musical, whereas the 1960 film gave him a hypochondriac parent played by the screenwriter's own grandmother.

In the stage musical Little Shop of Horrors, what does the mortally wounded Audrey ask Seymour to do with her body?

Give it to the plant, she asks, so that she and Seymour can always be together; he reluctantly obeys before facing the creature himself.

Besides its song, the 1986 film Little Shop of Horrors earned an Oscar nomination in which other category?

Visual Effects recognised a plant performed live on set, with almost no blue screen or optical trickery in its scenes.

Which British character actress plays the bullied nurse of Orin Scrivello in the 1986 film Little Shop of Horrors?

Miriam Margolyes later achieved international prominence as Professor Sprout in the Harry Potter films, a fitting name after a film about a plant.

Which This Is Spinal Tap star cameos as the first customer to notice the plant in Little Shop of Horrors (1986)?

Christopher Guest plays the passer-by whose curiosity about the window display stops Mushnik from closing the shop for good.

Which future Everybody Hates Chris star plays Crystal, one of the singing trio, in Little Shop of Horrors (1986)?

Tichina Arnold was 17 when the film opened, and years later reunited with another of its singing trio on the sitcom Martin.

In the musical Little Shop of Horrors, which magazine is coming to the flower shop to interview Seymour?

Life is the deadline Seymour sets himself: once the magazine has its interview, he resolves, the plant must die.

Which European film festival screened the low-budget 1960 film The Little Shop of Horrors out of competition?

Cannes asked for a print after one of the cast mailed the festival the film's strong trade-paper reviews.

The 1960 film The Little Shop of Horrors was shot on sets left standing from which earlier horror comedy?

A Bucket of Blood lent more than its sets: the score by cellist Fred Katz was originally written for it too.

Detectives Fink and Stoolie in the 1960 film The Little Shop of Horrors are a spoof of which TV police drama?

Dragnet's Joe Friday and Frank Smith became Joe Fink and Frank Stoolie, and the film even opens like an episode of the series.

In the 1960 film The Little Shop of Horrors, what power does the plant use to send Seymour out hunting for food?

Hypnosis overrides Seymour just after he decides to stop obeying, and he wanders the night streets to find the plant another victim.

In the 1960 film The Little Shop of Horrors, what kills the drunk whom Seymour accidentally knocks out with a rock?

A train runs him over, a stunt faked by having the locomotive back away from the actor and then printing the shot in reverse.

The writer of The Little Shop of Horrors (1960) says he drafted a script called Gluttony, about which kind of killer?

A chef who cooked his customers was an early idea, but the censorship code of the day ruled it out, so the eating was handed to a plant.

Who wrote the 1960 film The Little Shop of Horrors and also supplied the voice of its hungry plant?

Charles B. Griffith also appears as a robber and a screaming patient, and was paid just $800 for the whole job.

Which actor turned down the role of Seymour in The Little Shop of Horrors (1960), taking the small part of Burson Fouch?

Dick Miller had just played the lead in the film whose sets were being reused, and later became a familiar face in Gremlins and The Terminator.

Which future film star, then a waitress, did the director say helped plot The Little Shop of Horrors (1960)?

Sally Kellerman, by the director's account, refereed as he and the writer traded ideas, a decade before her Oscar-nominated turn in M*A*S*H.

Which actor played Patrick Martin in the original ending of Little Shop of Horrors (1986) before reshoots replaced him?

Paul Dooley was unavailable when the happier ending was shot, so the part was recast and his scenes resurfaced only in the restored cut.

Which High School Musical star took over as Seymour in the long-running off-Broadway Little Shop of Horrors in 2023?

Corbin Bleu joined opposite Constance Wu's Audrey, part of a parade of screen stars that helped the production outrun the original's record.

Which RuPaul's Drag Race winner played Audrey in the long-running off-Broadway Little Shop of Horrors in 2024?

Jinkx Monsoon followed a Broadway debut in Chicago with the role, joining a list of guest Audreys that also includes Evan Rachel Wood and Sarah Hyland.

Which original star of Rent played Seymour on the 2004 US national tour of Little Shop of Horrors?

Anthony Rapp led the tour that followed the Broadway run, which criss-crossed the country for nearly two years before closing in Columbus, Ohio.

Which two-time Tony winner played Orin Scrivello when Little Shop of Horrors returned off-Broadway in 2019?

Christian Borle also plays the show's other bit parts, a quick-change turn that won him both Lucille Lortel and Drama Desk awards.

Which Hairspray original played Audrey when Little Shop of Horrors finally reached Broadway?

Kerry Butler came straight from playing Penny Pingleton, replacing the Audrey of the Florida tryout after a new director recast almost everyone.

What lurks unnoticed in the newlyweds' front yard in the final shot of the 1986 film Little Shop of Horrors?

A smiling plant bud undercuts the happy ending that replaced the original, in which the plants win and nobody survives.

In which Little Shop of Horrors song do agents, lawyers and salesmen swarm Seymour with offers of fame and fortune?

The Meek Shall Inherit was mostly cut from the film, dream sequence and all, though the full version survives on the soundtrack album.

The plant in the 1960 film The Little Shop of Horrors is a cross between a Venus flytrap and which carnivorous plant?

Butterwort is half its parentage in the original, where Seymour raises it from seeds; the stage plant instead turns up fully formed.

In the 1986 film Little Shop of Horrors, what weapon does Seymour draw on Orin Scrivello but fail to use?

A revolver proves useless twice over: Seymour cannot fire it here, and in a deleted shot its bullets later bounce harmlessly off the plant.

Which future Emmy winner voiced Audrey II in the Florida tryout that preceded Little Shop of Horrors on Broadway?

Billy Porter lost the part when the tryout cast was replaced before Broadway, but was later attached to voice the plant in a planned film remake.

Which Glee star played Audrey II on stage in a 2019 Pasadena Playhouse production of Little Shop of Horrors?

Amber Riley became the carnivorous plant in a cast led by George Salazar as Seymour and Michaela Jaé Rodriguez as Audrey.

Little Shop of Horrors' official character notes call Audrey II a cross between a Venus flytrap and which fruit?

An avocado, say the licensing notes, topped by a huge pod that turns shark-like when it opens to snap at food.

In which Little Shop of Horrors song does Audrey II promise to make all of Seymour's dreams come true?

Feed Me (Git It) is the plant's sales pitch, and in the film Seymour only gives in after watching Audrey's boyfriend mistreat her in the street.

Which song does Audrey II sing in Little Shop of Horrors as Mr. Mushnik climbs into its jaws?

Suppertime was filmed with two plants: a smaller one on a scaled-down set for the solo, and a full-size one built to swallow Mushnik's legs.

How does Seymour finally destroy Audrey II in the theatrical ending of the 1986 film Little Shop of Horrors?

He electrocutes it with a live cable from the wreckage of the shop, in one of the few plant scenes that needed optical work.

How does Audrey II lure Audrey to the flower shop at night in the 1986 film Little Shop of Horrors?

It telephones her while Seymour is out fetching it meat; on stage she simply wanders in and is asked to water it.

In stage productions of Little Shop of Horrors, where does the puppeteer who works the full-grown Audrey II's mouth sit?

Inside the plant, moving its mouth in time with a singer offstage; on the smaller version the performer's legs, in leaf shoes, double as tendrils.

In the stage finale of Little Shop of Horrors, what do Audrey II's newly opened flowers reveal?

Its victims' faces plead with the audience from inside the blooms, a nod to the 1960 film, where the flowers expose Seymour as the killer.

In the stage musical Little Shop of Horrors, Seymour charges into Audrey II's open jaws armed with what?

A machete is his last resort after shooting, cutting and poisoning the plant all fail, and it simply swallows him.

In Little Shop of Horrors, which pieces of Audrey II does executive Patrick Martin want to sell across America?

Leaf cuttings in every florist's would let the plant multiply nationwide, which is when Seymour finally grasps what it has been after.

Which stage director, then a part-time puppet designer, was first asked to design Audrey II for Little Shop of Horrors?

Julie Taymor sketched a screen of flower-like mouths, then recommended the Sesame Street puppeteer who built the plant; she later staged The Lion King.