Little Shop of Horrors (1982), a musical comedy by Howard Ashman (book, lyrics), Alan Menken (music). [ Orpheum Theatre, 2,209 perf.] The nerdy clerk Seymour (Lee Wilkof) brings a small plant into Mushnik's florist shop where he works and names it Audrey II, after the girl (Ellen Greene) he loves. The singing plant, which demands human blood, begins to grow and grow, preferably feeding on bits of Seymour's rival for Audrey's affections and eventually on Mushnik, Audrey, and Seymour himself. It seems the plant has hopes to take over the world. Notable songs: Somewhere That's Green; Feed Me; Suddenly Seymour. Based on a low‐budget 1960 film of the same name, this delightful, small‐scale spoof enjoyed worldwide success. Audrey II was a huge puppet manipulated by a puppeteer; its voice came from an actor off stage. The small musical remains very popular with all kinds of theatre groups across the country and was revived on Broadway in 2003.

The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. Copyright © 2004 by Oxford University Press, Inc. All rights reserved.