THEATRICAL THROWBACK THURSDAY: Suddenly Seymour! LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS Returns

This week's column salutes tonight's special concert event showcasing the New York return of a fan-favorite cult musical.

Suddenly Seymour

Talking plants. Singing dentists. Duetting florists. The many odd ingredients that converge so seamlessly to make LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS so brazenly idiosyncratic and so enormously enjoyable are also the features that make it one of the most beloved cult musicals of all-time. Having clocked one of the longest runs for any Off-Broadway musical in history in its original iteration, the Howard Ashman/Alan Menken musical collaboration began under the most humble of circumstances when it first premiered in an uber downtown milieu back in 1982. Originally premiering Off-Off-Broadway at the Workshop Of The Players' Art aka the WPA Theatre, where it played for a month-long run, the production was an instant hit and soon moved to its Off-Broadway home at the Orpheum Theatre in July of 1982. Embraced by audiences and critics alike, the tale of Seymour, a lowly clerk at a struggling flower shop, and his sweet and unexpected romance with an abused skid row over-the-hill bombshell named Audrey tugged at heartstrings and delighted the ear thanks to the endearing story with all of its B-movie trappings and the plucky, pop-infused score amply evoking the sounds of the 1950s and 1960s. Oh, yeah - and there is a jive-talking Venus flytrap from outer space who can croon a mean tune or two, too (actually several).

Running 5 years Off-Broadway, the original production received the triple-crown of theatre awards in its original iteration, taking home the Drama Desk Award for Best Musical in addition to the Outer Critics Circle Award and Drama Critics Circle Award. Of course, a 1986 feature film brought the musical back to its cinematic roots - having been inspired by the 1960 Roger Corman horror/sci-fi film of the same name - and introduced the indelible performance given by leading lady Ellen Greene to an international audience. Now, Greene returns to the role for a special concert event as part of the Encores! Off-Center series at City Center, starring opposite a major movie star in his mainstage musical debut, Jake Gyllenhaal. Will this new production inspire a full-scale revival? Time will tell, but for fans of LITTLE SHOP, we all know we can return to the original cast album and largely fidelitous movie musical to experience somewhere that's green.

Now, go back to 1987 and see Ellen Greene on THE TONIGHT SHOW.

Also, revisit Greene's first major reprise of the role in HEY, MR. PRODUCER!

As a special bonus, go back to 1982 and see Lee Wilkof and Ellen Greene perform a cut song from the show.

So, what is your absolute favorite element of LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS? Furthermore, what is the standout song from the earworm-packed score in your estimation? With a show this fun, a score this strong and a fan-base this devoted, it seems that the time for a LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS revival could be right around the corner, bringing the scrappy little show all the way from skid row to Broadway.

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