Inside Little Shop of Horrors: Fun Facts and Frightful Origins
- Treasure Coast Almanac
- Oct 16
- 2 min read
Little Shop of Horrors, the outrageous sci-fi musical comedy by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, is wowing audiences Off-Broadway. With its catchy pop/rock score, Little Shop follows Seymour, a hapless flower shop clerk who stumbles upon a mysterious plant. He names it “Audrey II” after the girl he loves—but as the plant grows, so does its appetite…for human blood! Seymour suddenly finds himself juggling romance, fame, and a man-eating plant with a mind of its own.
The story of a man-eating plant dates back to 1894 when author H.G. Wells wrote a short story titled The Flowering of the Strange Orchid. John Collier later adapted the story and added a darkly comedic element to the tale, and Arthur C. Clarke offered his own science-fiction take. Both of these later versions inspired Roger Corman’s 1960 B-movie film The Passionate People Eater, which was later renamed and released as The Little Shop of Horrors.
The film starred Jack Nicholson in one of his earliest roles – he had made his film debut in Corman’s film, The Cry Baby Killer. With a budget of just $30,000, Corman’s film was critically acclaimed. Jack Nicholson recalled, “the audience laughed so hard I could barely hear the dialogue. I got all embarrassed because I'd never really had such a positive response before."
Two decades later, Ashman and Menken turned that quirky film into a stage musical. Premiering in 1982 at the WPA Theatre before moving to the Orpheum, Little Shop was a smash, running for five years and scooping up multiple awards.
Hollywood came calling in 1986, with Frank Oz directing a starry movie version featuring Rick Moranis and Ellen Greene as Seymour and Audrey. Though it was successful during the 1986 holiday season, the film became a true sensation on home video the following year.
Now, decades later, Little Shop of Horrors is still thriving. The Off-Broadway revival at the Westside Theatre has entered its sixth year—proving that a great story, a killer score, and one very hungry plant never go out of style.
Don’t Feed the Plant—Feed Your Curiosity! Little Shop of Horrors Awaits
At Riverside Theatre starting October 16, 2025 through November 9, 2025
Choose a Matinee or Evening Performance: For showtimes, dates and tickets visit www.riversidetheatre.com