Day Twenty- Eight: Little Shop of Horrors
Happy 2013! Today's post is a musical that features either a character that's so bad/cruel/evil you love them OR has a musical character you love to hate. That certain character is Orin Scrivello D.D.S. from Little Shop of Horrors. I think I love Orin because he's just so funny and comedic, you often forget he's a villain!
So, the show starts with this big booming voice (similar to God's) warning the audience of a "deadly threat to its very existence." Through the three "urchins" (who end up narrating the story in their own style), they introduce the main characters: Seymour, a poor young man who's also an orphan on Skid Row; Audrey, a pretty blonde with tacky outfits dating a sadist dentist; Mushnik, their boss at Mushnik's Skid Row Florists.
Seymour comes across this strange and peculiar plant that looked "like a venus fly-trap." (He obtained it while shopping in the flower district and after the "total eclipse of the sun," it appeared). The plant is named Audrey II due to Seymour's undying love for the actual Audrey. The plant unknowingly begins to wither away, causing Seymour to be in distress. After he pricked his finger on a rose thorn, he notices the plant opens its mouth when the finger is moved near it. Seymour now understands the plant lives off of blood and begins feeding it blood, causing it to grow exponentially.
The plant, when placed near the store window, attracts all sorts of business and revenue for the store. Audrey's sadistic boyfriend, a dentist named Orin Scrivello (D.D.S). He wears leather, rides a motorcycle and enjoys his job due to him gaining pleasure for causing people pain. Orin comes to the store to pick Audrey up for their date, where Orin talks to Seymour about taking the plant and leaving Skid Row.
Mushnik, overhearing this, realizes that his business' success is from the plant (and Seymour, who originally had brought in the plant in). He knows that Seymour's an orphan, so he talks him into becoming his legal son (purposely to keep him in his sights). Seymour accepts it, despite him being constantly yelled at by Mushnik.
Meanwhile, Seymour is growing weak from him feeding his own blood to the plant. When he stops feeding it, the plant becomes animated- to the point where it could talk- and demands to be fed. Seymour makes another 'deal with the devil'; if Seymour keeps feeding the plant, the plant will grant all of Seymour's desires, which include dating Audrey. Seymour originally refuses, but after watching Orin abuse Audrey, he is manipulated again to go along with the plan.
Seymour heads to Orin's dentistry for a late-night appointment, planning on killing him with a revolver. However, Seymour doesn't have the nerve and chickens out shooting him. Orin, meanwhile, has been getting high on nitrous oxide but realizes he cannot take the gas mask off and asphyxiates while Seymour watches. After confirming he's dead, Seymour chops up Orin's body to give to the hungry plant, which grows.
The flower shop is still booming with business, with Seymour and Audrey struggling to keep up. Audrey admits to feeling guilty about Orin's death because she had secretly wished it and that she deserved to date a guy like him. The two tell of their feelings for one another; Seymour vows to always be there for Audrey. The couple talk about creating a new life together; meanwhile, Seymour feels as though Audrey loves him only for his money and that if they left, he would lose it all and she wouldn't love him anymore.
The police are investigating Orin's death (they don't have much evidence), and Mushnik confronts Seymour about his suspicions. Mushnik then realizes (from the evidence found at the shop and a motive, which was Seymour's new girlfriend) that Seymour was the one who killed Orin. Audrey II tells Seymour he will lose everything if he turned himself in.
Seymour tells Mushnik he put the days' receipts inside the plant for safekeeping. Mushnik climbs into the plant's open mouth but is devoured by Audrey II. Seymour now runs the flower shop and is surrounded by reporters, salesman, agents, and lawyers promising him fame and fortune. Seymour realizes that it's only a matter of time before Audrey II will have to eat again. He considers killing the plant, but fears he will lose Audrey's love if he does, so he decides not to.
Seymour tries to work on a speech for his lecture tour when Audrey II demands for more food. Seymour's about to kill it when Audrey comes into the shop, asking about Mushnik's trip to visit his sister. Seymour discovers that Audrey would still love him even if he didn't have the plant. He decides that the plant will die after the LIFE magazine interview the next day. Audrey, frightened by Seymour's rantings, leaves the shop.
Audrey isn't able to sleep due to Seymour's odd behavior and goes to the shop. There, she finds the plant begging her for water. She approaches to water it, not realizing it feeds on blood. Audrey gets pulled into the plant's mouth and the plant begins its feeding. Seymour arrives and attacks the plant in order to try and save Audrey. He pulls her out, but she is mortally wounded. She asks that when she dies ("which would be very shortly"), she would be fed to the plant so the two can always be together. She dies in his arms, and Seymour follows her request.
The next day, some salesman (Patrick Martin from the World Botanical Enterprises) comes by the shop, asking to take small samples of Audrey II so he can grow and sell them to every household in America. Seymour now realizes the plant's evil plan; world domination. He tries to kill the plant by shooting, cutting and poisoning it, but the plant has grown too strong. In a last attempt, Seymour runs directly at it with a machete, only to be eaten by the plant.
The three "urchins" (Crystal, Chiffon and Ronnette) end the show by warning the audience to not "feed the plant."
The song highlighting my dentist is the song "Dentist", which is Orin explaining what he does.
So, the show starts with this big booming voice (similar to God's) warning the audience of a "deadly threat to its very existence." Through the three "urchins" (who end up narrating the story in their own style), they introduce the main characters: Seymour, a poor young man who's also an orphan on Skid Row; Audrey, a pretty blonde with tacky outfits dating a sadist dentist; Mushnik, their boss at Mushnik's Skid Row Florists.
Seymour comes across this strange and peculiar plant that looked "like a venus fly-trap." (He obtained it while shopping in the flower district and after the "total eclipse of the sun," it appeared). The plant is named Audrey II due to Seymour's undying love for the actual Audrey. The plant unknowingly begins to wither away, causing Seymour to be in distress. After he pricked his finger on a rose thorn, he notices the plant opens its mouth when the finger is moved near it. Seymour now understands the plant lives off of blood and begins feeding it blood, causing it to grow exponentially.
The plant, when placed near the store window, attracts all sorts of business and revenue for the store. Audrey's sadistic boyfriend, a dentist named Orin Scrivello (D.D.S). He wears leather, rides a motorcycle and enjoys his job due to him gaining pleasure for causing people pain. Orin comes to the store to pick Audrey up for their date, where Orin talks to Seymour about taking the plant and leaving Skid Row.
Mushnik, overhearing this, realizes that his business' success is from the plant (and Seymour, who originally had brought in the plant in). He knows that Seymour's an orphan, so he talks him into becoming his legal son (purposely to keep him in his sights). Seymour accepts it, despite him being constantly yelled at by Mushnik.
Meanwhile, Seymour is growing weak from him feeding his own blood to the plant. When he stops feeding it, the plant becomes animated- to the point where it could talk- and demands to be fed. Seymour makes another 'deal with the devil'; if Seymour keeps feeding the plant, the plant will grant all of Seymour's desires, which include dating Audrey. Seymour originally refuses, but after watching Orin abuse Audrey, he is manipulated again to go along with the plan.
Seymour heads to Orin's dentistry for a late-night appointment, planning on killing him with a revolver. However, Seymour doesn't have the nerve and chickens out shooting him. Orin, meanwhile, has been getting high on nitrous oxide but realizes he cannot take the gas mask off and asphyxiates while Seymour watches. After confirming he's dead, Seymour chops up Orin's body to give to the hungry plant, which grows.
The flower shop is still booming with business, with Seymour and Audrey struggling to keep up. Audrey admits to feeling guilty about Orin's death because she had secretly wished it and that she deserved to date a guy like him. The two tell of their feelings for one another; Seymour vows to always be there for Audrey. The couple talk about creating a new life together; meanwhile, Seymour feels as though Audrey loves him only for his money and that if they left, he would lose it all and she wouldn't love him anymore.
The police are investigating Orin's death (they don't have much evidence), and Mushnik confronts Seymour about his suspicions. Mushnik then realizes (from the evidence found at the shop and a motive, which was Seymour's new girlfriend) that Seymour was the one who killed Orin. Audrey II tells Seymour he will lose everything if he turned himself in.
Seymour tells Mushnik he put the days' receipts inside the plant for safekeeping. Mushnik climbs into the plant's open mouth but is devoured by Audrey II. Seymour now runs the flower shop and is surrounded by reporters, salesman, agents, and lawyers promising him fame and fortune. Seymour realizes that it's only a matter of time before Audrey II will have to eat again. He considers killing the plant, but fears he will lose Audrey's love if he does, so he decides not to.
Seymour tries to work on a speech for his lecture tour when Audrey II demands for more food. Seymour's about to kill it when Audrey comes into the shop, asking about Mushnik's trip to visit his sister. Seymour discovers that Audrey would still love him even if he didn't have the plant. He decides that the plant will die after the LIFE magazine interview the next day. Audrey, frightened by Seymour's rantings, leaves the shop.
Audrey isn't able to sleep due to Seymour's odd behavior and goes to the shop. There, she finds the plant begging her for water. She approaches to water it, not realizing it feeds on blood. Audrey gets pulled into the plant's mouth and the plant begins its feeding. Seymour arrives and attacks the plant in order to try and save Audrey. He pulls her out, but she is mortally wounded. She asks that when she dies ("which would be very shortly"), she would be fed to the plant so the two can always be together. She dies in his arms, and Seymour follows her request.
The next day, some salesman (Patrick Martin from the World Botanical Enterprises) comes by the shop, asking to take small samples of Audrey II so he can grow and sell them to every household in America. Seymour now realizes the plant's evil plan; world domination. He tries to kill the plant by shooting, cutting and poisoning it, but the plant has grown too strong. In a last attempt, Seymour runs directly at it with a machete, only to be eaten by the plant.
The three "urchins" (Crystal, Chiffon and Ronnette) end the show by warning the audience to not "feed the plant."
The song highlighting my dentist is the song "Dentist", which is Orin explaining what he does.
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