The Making of Audrey II: Little Shop of Horrors [Behind the Scenes]

How do you make a man-eating plant sing? A look at the wild origins, puppetry magic, and Broadway evolution of Little Shop of Horrors’ Audrey II.

My Introduction to Little Shop of Horrors

My introduction to Little Shop of Horrors came when my dad insisted we sit down and watch the 1986 movie directed by the great and powerful Frank Oz. With Rick Moranis and Ellen Greene leading the cast—and familiar faces like Steve Martin, Christopher Guest, Jim Belushi, Miriam Margolyes, and John Candy—this film was stacked. I was just a kid and terrified at the idea of a plant from outer space that eats people (again, very young). But from the moment the movie started, I was mesmerized.

My dad had recently shared his love of The Rocky Horror Picture Show with me, and at that age, I thought it was awful. Let’s just say his track record with campy musicals wasn’t great in my book. But the moment Tisha Campbell, Michelle Weeks, and Tichina Arnold appeared onscreen as The Urchins in their matching polka-dot dresses, I was hooked. I watched that movie so many times that I could probably still recite the whole thing from start to finish.

The Origins of Little Shop of Horrors

For a long time, I thought Seymour was written specifically for Rick Moranis. After all, he was perfect for the role! But Little Shop of Horrors had already been around for decades. It all started in the late 1950s when Roger Corman produced a campy, low-budget monster movie about a man-eating plant from outer space. With less than a week of filming, there were no high hopes for its legacy. Corman was more interested in seeing how quickly he could churn out a final product than in creating something timeless. Did he think his little B-movie, which featured an unknown Jack Nicholson, would go on to inspire an off-Broadway musical, a hit movie, and countless revivals? Absolutely not. But that’s exactly what happened.

A Musical Evolution

Corman originally wanted to make a movie about cannibalism (can you imagine a future stage musical about cannibalism?! Oh wait, Swept Away…). But the idea wasn’t well received, so he tweaked it—people weren’t eating people, a plant was. Problem solved! After its initial release, the movie became a staple on late-night television, where it caught the attention of two young fans: Howard Ashman and Martin P. Robinson. (Ashman and his songwriting partner Alan Menken would later become an instrumental part of Disney’s animation resurgence, beginning with The Little Mermaid. Meanwhile, Robinson helped bring puppets, like the giant Mr. Snuffleupagus, to life on Sesame Street.) Years later, when these two creative forces combined, the stage musical version of Little Shop of Horrors was born. (Fun fact: Before Robinson got involved, Julie Taymor of The Lion King was in discussion to design Audrey II!)

Bringing Audrey II to Life

Creating the musical was the easy part—bringing its star to life was another story. No, I’m not talking about Seymour; I’m talking about the plant. Audrey II had to appear in four stages of growth, each fully anthropomorphic and operated by a puppeteer (or, in some cases, by an on-stage actor). Martin P. Robinson’s work in making that happen was nothing short of remarkable (and incredibly time-consuming!).

If you’re as fascinated by the magic behind Little Shop of Horrors as I am, check out the Wait in the Wings video below to see how Audrey II first came to life for the original off-Broadway production.

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