Probably Skid Row, which is one of my all-time favorite intro songs. Although I do love Mean Green Mother in the movie for its spectacle. It's still one of the most impressive pieces of puppetry ever put on film.
Somewhere That's Green. It's the prototypical "I Want" song that became a trademark of so many of the films of the Disney Renaissance and even inspried Charlie Adler's performance of the character Cow in the animated series "Cow and Chicken".
Something else about the Somewhere that's Green song is that she references a bunch of sitcoms and media like Better Homes and gardens, Howdy Doody, Donna Reed etc. So, I see it as really sad because the place she's talking about doesn't exist. she's only seen it in pictures. Skid Row is the reality for all of them, and she - in the play - never makes it out. It's sadder and quite innocent
It's also sad from a social-mobility perspective. Her grand dream in life is to graduate from poverty into the lower-middle class. She isn't even aiming higher than that.
Just learned a few years ago that 'December Bride' is another reference.. . I just took it at face value (a woman who finds love/marriage later in life), but apparently it was also a 1950s sitcom that I'd somehow never seen or even heard of (it pulled respectable Nielsen numbers in it's time, and banked over 150 eps, so I'm guessing it either hasn't aged well or else some ownership red tape has kept it out of syndication)..
I watched a high school adaptation of Little Shop and was disturbed to hear everyone was constantly laughing at Audrey's character, even when she was dying, like these kids don't get it?!
Ah that does happen with bad direction on the show. I've seen it too. Audrey actually takes a really incredible actress to achieve because for those unfamiliar with the show they have to buy into the "Ditz" stereotype they are shown then realise how judgemental they have been. I've seen two high school versions and one touring. I'm afraid it's badly done on the school circuit.
My high school’s musical theatre class did LSOH last November and I didn’t hear anybody laughing at Audrey (though I didn’t go to an actual showing, they let me come to a dress rehearsal of the show) Her character wasn’t really played for laughs and for the most part was just plain Audrey. A slightly ditzy girl with a that grew up in an abusive environment and ended up in a toxic relationship who just wants to get out of the city and live a peaceful, though stereotypical and bland, life. Though dark humor can be enjoyable in some scenarios, I find it kind of sad that her character gets played up for laughs in some productions. I think Audrey’s character is misunderstood as she can easily be written off as a dumb blonde, but she’s so much more. Blondes are people too :(
@@unicorninvader8783 My school did it last February. We had a lot of discussions about how to make sure the audience took her character seriously. Her actress was super good which helped!
Fun fact because this is my faaaavorite Broadway insider story: Ellen Greene actually wasn’t the first choice to play Audrey. Faith Prince (best known for her turn as Adelaide in the 1992 revival of Guys and Dolls) was originally cast in the role, but had to leave the production due to a contract she couldn’t get out of. Faith came back from said contract, only to see the show making all sorts of headlines - specifically praising Ellen’s breakout performance as Audrey. People were nervous that she would be upset or angry about this missed opportunity, but she simply said that it wasn’t her time, and Ellen was more than deserving of the role. And when asked how she was able to handle herself with such grace, she would reply, “After all, my name is Faith.” Faith ended up being the first replacement for Audrey, and of course went on to play a role with a very similar personality and range a few years later. And in the most perfect full circle moment, Ellen played Adelaide in the 2009 Hollywood Bowl production of Guys and Dolls! (Also, Howard idealizing Little Shop as the “Dames at Sea of horror movies”…. absolutely GENIUS.)
I agree with you about Audrey’s character being aspirational. I’m a trans woman and growing up, I understood how Audrey felt romanticizing the idea of being a housewife in a white suburb. I personally never wanted that for myself, but the desperation that goes into just wanting to be somewhere that makes her feel safe where she can be herself is something that I deeply relate to, and only gets more depressing for me the more the years go by and I see what the reality of the world I live in actually is. Coincidentally, I bought tickets to watch this on Broadway next month and I can’t wait to finally see this play live and bawl my eyes out at Suddenly Seymour and Somewhere that’s Green. Thank you for making this video. I have complicated feelings about LSOH that makes it easier to explain to people why I like it so much now that you put it in words.
This is such an insightful analysis, and I enjoyed the whole video. I also think it’s valuable to mention that Little Shop of Horrors is infused with an unmistakable Jewish aesthetic. Seymore and Mr. Mushnik are clearly meant to represent Jewish character traits, and the dialogue is filled with Yiddish terms and Jewish inflections. This is unsurprising when we consider the fact that Menken and Ashman are both Jewish. This has been an ongoing theme in Menken’s career. On at least one occasion, he said that “Poor Unfortunate Souls” felt very Jewish. He also wrote an oratorio called “King David” with lyrics by Tim Rice.
Absolutely! The movie's producer and director, David Geffen and Frank Oz, were also Jewish. Seymour and Audrey were played by Jewish actors in both the original stage production and the film (Ellen Green, Lee Minkoff, Rick Moranis), and when Frank Oz was (fairly insanely) considering replacing Ellen Greene for the movie Barbra Streisand was offered the role. The musical's themes of social exclusion, exploitation and the conflict between authenticity and belonging - as well as the caustic, dark sense of humour - are things it shares with a lot of other work by Jewish artists. So, although you really can't mention everything in a short video, it feels like a bit of a gap to discuss Little Shop and race, without mentioning its Jewish creators and subtext.
A couple weeks ago I watched all the big documentaries on Disney+, including Howard. I already knew a lot about Howard Ashman’s life but I’d never paid attention to the timeline of events until that movie, which made me realize how relatively fast the Little Shop to his final Disney work timeline was. Then I watched Little Shop of Horrors for the first time in a good while and honestly? I cried because in the scope of it all it takes on a whole other level of meta depth.
I felt this watching Howard four months back. I genuinely think he couldn't have helped Disney without doing Little Shop of Horrors first because Somewhere that's green became the mother to all future I want songs. Like Marlene says, the renaissance is Ashman. Everything we celebrate about modern Disney is his ideas realised a new. Menken for sure too, though as others have mentioned he is stuck on repeat because he didn't have as much philosophy backing his ideas. Ashman is an institution all of his own. I wish he was always talked about next to Sondheim and Fosse
I've seen that mentioned too and I agree it makes more sense, but it seems like that's filling in the blanks of what was ultimately a light-hearted joke that I don't think was meant to be a serious statement about her goals. Alan Menken references it as "Somewhere That's Wet" ew.com/article/2015/01/22/alan-menken-disney-songs/
@@DreamsoundsVideo Alan Menken was misquoting himself and Ashman. The original nickname for Part of Your World was indeed “Somewhere That’s Dry”, according to the book in the box set The Music Behind the Magic, released in 1994. (See page 23, where it discusses the “I want” songs.)
I LOVE the directors cut of the 1980s movie. It's one of the best examples of puppetry and practical effects in filmmaking, and it breaks my heart that test audiences didn't like it. I understand why, I just wish more people could appreciate the last 30 minutes of the original cut because they are just so beautiful.
@@Eloraurora dude my mom and I picked up our copy at a thrift store and we didn't realize it was the directors cut... that scene was about the moment we knew we were in for a surprise 😅
You're really making me see how Little Shop and Little Mermaid were kind of the one-two punch of my childhood. I saw both at around the same time, they were both really big deals for me and to this day they're both two of my favorite films. Hearing Audrey and Ariel's I Want songs played next to each other really got to me.
Little Shop is one of my favorite musicals, before I even know Ashman and Menkin worked on it. After I learned that I was like... yep. Makes sense. Also, that explains why it's so undeniably queer. Beautiful stuff. So lovely to see a trans woman playing Audrey.
Same thing happened to me. I saw Aladdin when it came out and had to buy the CD. That's the first time I heard about Alan Menken, then a few years later I saw Little Shop of Horrors again and saw that he did the music for that. Well of course he did.
My school is putting on a production of Little Shop of Horrors and one of my friends and I are in charge of building the different Audrey 2s, and this video was super fun to watch with the context of us putting the show on :]
Thank you for talking about whitewashing in theatre! It's everywhere shows can get re-mounted, including in opera, where I come from, too. Even in 2023, it's still not really talked about enough, in my view. There are still people who remain content to say, "well this person was the best voice we had locally available for the part!", and try to use that as an excuse to whitewash.
What are you talking about? Hamilton black washed everything and no one cares lol. Let go of this leftist nonsense, it’s poisonous to the mind and society.
I wish I could find the article again (it wasn't the one you referenced by Casey Plett) but -- I only got around to watching LSoH because of reading someone's headcanon that Audrey and Seymour were both trans (this was also before Ms. Rodriguez' performance) and it was such a compelling take that I ended up diving in. The way that Audrey's aspirations are for nothing more than "mediocrity" really *really* hits hard as a trans woman who's been stuck in poverty for much of my life... I can absolutely relate to the out-of-reach fantasy of having basic needs met in a safe home. (Of course I say this just as you get to referencing Candy Darling's journals... echoes though the decades, as so little seems to change for us. 😩)
This vid makes me want to hear more about your other favorite theatre musicals. I know your main focus is Disney, but the way you dissected this show and connected it to your identity made me want to hear more of that
If you haven't seen Galavant, you should watch that show. It's a very fresh television show with Menken at the helm of the score. It's something quite unique.
One of your best, and that's saying a lot. It's hard to pick a favorite song from Little Shop, but if I had to pick one I'd have to say "Skid Row (Downtown)" for the way it sets the stage in a way few other opening numbers do. As you say in the video, characters get their own introductions and musical motifs, but it also serves in part as its own "I want" song with both Seymour and Audrey -- and the entire cast -- saying that all they want is "to get outta here." They don't know what they'd do to achieve that goal, except for "a hell of a lot." The entire rest of the show is an answer to the question, "Well, what do they mean by 'a hell of a lot'?" And, for my money, to Ashman's point that the actors should play their parts simply and earnestly, the best part of the show is during "The Meek Shall Inherit," when Seymour -- enraged and disgusted with himself to the point of finally realizing that "the vegetable must be destroyed -- pulls back once he remembers that it's only because of the plant that he got the real Audrey's attention and love in the first place: "But then, there's Audrey / Lovely Audrey / If life were tawdry and impoverished as before / She might not like me, she might not want me / Without my plant, she might not love me anymore." Lyrically, musically and emotionally, it's perhaps the best moment in the show... aside from all the others!
Using little shop as a creative base for Disney’s renaissance was brilliant. It’s a simple format. Boy wants girl, girl wants boy and dream life, conflict, resolve. The use of the chorus in Hercules, Ariel’s part of your world, it all spawns from little shop.
Little Shop Of Horrors is my favorite musical. My mom let me watch it at a very young age but I’m glad she did. It helped me form an appreciation for musicals as an art form. Edit: I saw Little Shop Of Horrors live only once done by a small theater. The cast was all white and I have to say the impact of many lines and scenes was lost because of it. This is a show that really should not be done with all white actors.
I was so happy to see this video uploaded ^^ I started watching your videos when I first saw your take on Ashman's Little Mermaid and because of that became interested in Little Shop. It's really my favourite musical, one of my favourite movies and got me through a really hard lockdown winter, so thank you so so much for that 🩷
I saw the Little Shop of Horrors movie because I had a bit of a crush on Rick Moranis, but I fell in love with the music. It's the reason I saw The Little Mermaid in the theater (I was in my mid-20s at the time, so I otherwise might not have bothered). I immediately caught the similarity in the phrasing of "Somewhere That's Green" and "Part of Your World," and I pointed it out to anyone who'd listen! Fun times, and I still watch LSOH often.
Great job on the Video. I love Little Shop and you did it justice. And I totally get that part about Audrey and the trans community. I’m not trans, but I’m intersex and present and identify as female. That dream of husband and children becomes a lot more complicated since I can’t have biological children and to most men knowing the ins and out of my condition is a deal breaker. And honestly I put off relationships for a long time because like Audrey I felt underserving of one. Little Shop will always be near and dear to me
I recently saw the movie with the ending where Audrey2 takes over. I didn't know there were multiple endings, but I'm really glad I saw this one first. It was unexpected and interesting.
Absolutely my favorite movie musical. It was directed by the man who opened up his heart and gave the world Fozzie Bear, Bert, and Yoda after all. But the thing I like most about this movie, it's parody of parody. The original film was not stodgy 50's, unintentionally so bad it's good MST3K fodder, but rather something openly mocking things that were. Of course, it had a very 50's-60's original Mad Magazine before it was a magazine type humor about it. I actually saw the musical movie first and was slightly confused by the original because I was a kid at the time. I love how the 80's movie doesn't so much mock the 50's movie so much as it mocks 50's tropes in an 80's nostalgia filter that's part ironic, part affectionate. Plus, Steve Martin steals the damn show. Still think the weirdest thing this inspired was having the voice of the plant monster voice Mother Brain in the Captain N series.
This video essay is fucking brilliant, and I loved every second of it! Little Shop of Horrors is quickly becoming one of my all time favorite musicals, and hearing all about the people and thought process behind it, as well as the various interesting interpretations the text can be given, only made me love it more. You did an incredible job, and I loved your heavy use of quotes from various people involved in the creation process, because it really brought the story you're telling here to life. You just earned a subscriber who will probably go watch all your other stuff now! Thank you so much for making this, I absolutely loved it!
Yes, it was up yesterday for about an hour until someone let me know that there was some dialogue missing. I took it down, fixed it, and re-uploaded it. Sorry about that, the missing line was important enough that I'd rather fix it so the video y'all see is the video I intended to put out. Unfortunately, the algorithm is not that forgiving, so if anyone wants to help out, commenting and sharing are super! I made a new thumbnail to hopefully help with the algorithm, but we'll see.
@@DreamsoundsVideoOh okay, I just noticed it was uploaded yesterday and then all of a sudden it was re-uploaded. Anyways I just want to say that I enjoy your video content and video essays on the channel especially when dealing with LGBTQIA+, Inclusivity and Awareness, so I appreciate the hard work you put into them DreamSounds. Also hope you get to "❤" my comments.
I was in a performance back in highschool and the best part was having a reason to listen to the soundtrack all the time this musical is really my top tier favorite
I remember begrudgingly goin' to see the Little Mermaid in the theater when I was nine. I was probably the only kid in the room who got really excited finding out that the music was by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman: I turned to my friend and tried to explain him they wrote a great musical called Little Shop of Horrors (I'm italian, and the movie wasn't well known here, but I had a copy on tape). It turned out to be a wonderful experience, mostly because of the soundtrack. LSOH was and still is my favorite musical of all time, nothing comes close.
I think something you over looked (and maybe you have to be Jewish to actually notice it) is how Jewish the whole thing. It is much more clear in the original movie, which is literally like a Yiddish comedy just in English. Also the cast was almost entirely Jewish in the first movie. In the musical movie both main actors are Jewish (Ellen Greene and Rick Moranis) and of course both Ashman and Manken are. Unfortunately as is often the case in Hollywood they had to Jew-wash things to be more palatable (or at least that's what executives thought).
I am so glad I became a patron- little shop is my favorite musical. Every time I see it (except the movie version) I cry. I keep wondering if the happy ending is the better ending. On the one hand, it means nothing. There is no moral to the story. Maybe "Do whatever it takes to get ahead, and it will all work out in the end?" This applies equally to Little Mermaid. The original ending is powerful and meaningful, but most people did not like it when Oz made it for the movie. So which is better? Even when I was seven years old, I thought the ending of these two were kinda crap. But if Seymore and Ariel died they never could have made money for big studios and we might not be able to talk about them today. Is the better ending the one that changes your spirit and makes you a deeper person or is it the one that everybody wants to own?
For me, I think the happy ending works better in the movie as it was filmed. The problem is that the movie changed so much from the show, especially Seymour's character. The movie reduced his culpability so much that his death hardly feels earned - yet his death is also far more cruel than before. He doesn't even get the slightly redemptive self-sacrifice from the show. I think the original ending could have worked on film, but it would have required a darker Seymour who "deserved" to be tortured and eaten by Audrey. And even then, I doubt the movie would have ever been as popular as the one that was released.
In the play, each death was only sorta kinda like killing. Surely I can kill Orin the dentist, and whaddya know, he's killed himself. I could have saved him but merely choose not to. Mr Mushnick was going to turn me in. So surely I need to kill him. That doesn't count. But these pseudo technicalities lead to a situation he couldn't control. That's the real moral. Making a deal with the devil never ends well, even if it sounds easy at first. But in the movie Orin dies quickly with little chance for intervention. Mushnick was eaten with no help or participation from Seymour. They killed the whole Faustian Bargain narrative. At that point, it almost doesn't matter if they live. Seymour was essentially a spectator. And again, the story means nothing.
I got to see this in the original off-Broadway theater on Laguardia Ave. NYC. right across from the Shakespeare Theater and where Blue Man Group took up residence afterwards. Saw that too... But at the end of the Play, the plant eats everyone and the last numbers they appear as buds on his vines singing the last song. (Just their faces along the arms of the plant. They became part of him!) And at the last moment... Vines dropped down from the ceiling of rhe theater on top of the audience JUMP Scaring them before it all ends. 😂 It was SO good! Must have been the late 80's early 90's.
I’ve only seen the movie and despite not being a massive fan of musicals, It’s one of my favourites. I didn’t realise Audrey dies at the end of the stage version. That’s heartbreaking but, also, maybe the better ending? This was an excellent video, thank you for making it.
I’d love for you to write more on translating shows from one language to another. Also, can you please talk about shows that are made in other countries besides the US? I’m always wanting to learn more.
THANK YOU for mentioning the Pasadena Playhouse production !! I'd wanted to go see it so badly when it was still playing, but could not, as I sadly could not get time off work. Still, it has a deep personal significance to me tied into a trans reading of the musical. I can't listen to George Salazar and Mj Rodriguez's version of Suddenly Seymour without shedding a tear.
We went over Little Shop in my Theatre class last semester. It was awesome, and the best part of the class. Well besides the people, like half the people in there didn't want to be there and half did. The veteran theatre kid seniors, wannabe theatre kid freshmen, and the kids who wanted absolutely nothing to do with the class at all had this strange sense of community. Involving Shrek. Everyone in there wanted to watch Shrek instead of Little Shop, but when we actually did watch Shrek we never finished it because of the slur in the first 5 minutes. And I made my first real friend in that class. And half of the class went to see a production of it live.
Great video!!! Love love love this musical, even if I've only seen the movie. The aside about race-aware casting was very interesting. Reminds me of how my old high school used to do a musical every year, and during the casting call for Hairspray they put out a notice that, for obvious reasons, this production would be their first ever play without race-blind casting. It just makes more sense for some stories!
So glad this video popped up for me. Watched the little shop movie as a kid and didn't get it at all, although I loved the dentist song. Definitely need to give it another watch now. The trans reading of the characters is so interesting, and how casting trans people in these roles can bring out these layers of meaning. I've heard/read quite a lot about queer readings of Disney movies and musicals, but trans readings of musicals is something I've not heard enough about, so thanks for bringing that to this video! Gonna be on the look out for more now Also I'm relistening to the soundtrack and I can't stop hearing the parallels with little mermaid and beauty and the beast. Excellent video, thank you!!!
Fun Fact When Alan Menken wanted to bring Beauty and the Beast to Broadway Belle played by the amazing Susan Egan she told me that she wanted to do the show so much because of Howard and Alans work on Little Shop she loved the music and the themes so that's what inspired to try out for Belle ofc she nails it. just a little tidbit she told me that The Musical was a driving factor for her to try out to belle then later Megra. She was an honored guest at our Colleges production of Little Shop a couple of years back she saw both versions of the show where we keep the Og ending for the night crowd and the sorta happy ending for the matinees such a fun show. Im co directing a production of Beauty and the Beast for the holiday season and when our belle audntioned she sang Mean Green Mother we sent her out 5 min i think the first thing i said I don't care i want her as belle. gaston beast idc she was so good
So happy to see your commentary on Little Shop! The roots the bloomed up into Disney (puns intended) are so wonderful to see your take on, with the rest of your channel as context :D Also love seeing a queer reading, this will definitely be on my mind for the next rewatch!
I saw Little Shop of Horrors when I was 10. I loved the music. It was so memorable I could remember all of it, even months after leaving the theater. I never cared about musicals until then. I was obsessed. Then, a few years later I saw Aladdin and, for the second time in my life, I was obsessed with a musical I had no idea that Alan Menken wrote the music for both of them.
Great video. I've seen the Ashman documentary, and I'm a big Disney fan, but you taught me a lot of things I didn't know -- which is rare. I saw that you're stopping your channel, but I do hope you'll post the occasional video in the future. Again, thanks for this great video.
An excellent video. However, I wonder about the issue of whitewashing LSoH. You say that if companies do not have the racial makeup to do the show, they should do another show. Unfortunately, it is not always that simple. Some factors to consider: pressure from funders/community groups to do the show (instead of another show) which, if ignored, can cost people their livelihoods; the issue of available singers and their vocal ranges, because sometimes actors just can't sing the role(s) or they are just not suited to the role(s). Anyway, while I agree with your point as a whole, I think you ignore some factors by simply suggesting producers should 'just do another show'. It just does not always work out so neatly, I'm afraid. But again, I agree completely with you on principle. I understand, however, that you can't include all the caveats in your video. But a simple question, 'why not just do another show?', is too simplistic.
Yes! This is such a complicated issue! I agree that, to put it bluntly, the Great White Way has already had enough “White”, despite it retconning itself to the Great *Bright* Way. But as someone from the Pacific Northwest, I know it’s often not a question of intentional whitewashing. The situation has changed some since my youth, but I’m sure a lot of smaller theatres have limited options when it comes to the available talent pool. And while it’s easy to say “just do a different show”, that effectively makes some good and important theatrical works unavailable to some theatres, and more importantly their audiences. The majority of theatregoers can’t just flit off to New York or somewhere with a diverse theatre scene, and it doesn’t seem fair that those people should be denied these shows. I’ve heard people argue that it’s actually MORE fair for white people to be denied roles and shows due to skin colour, just as minority communities have been for so long, and I see the validity of that argument (though my opinion is of secondary importance, as a cis white woman), but I can’t help thinking that feels like punishing young white theatregoers for the sins of their elders. I suppose what it comes down to is the question of if it would be better for, say, a young person of colour to experience Little Shop with a whitewashed urchin chorus, or not experience it at all. I don’t claim to have the answer, but I think it’s a question worth at least considering
Amazing video that always makes me think of musicals in a new light. Little Shop is probably my favorite musicals. Also please sing more in the future you have a lovely voice!!
Love this video! I had never listened to LSOH until my high school’s musical theatre class did a production of it last fall and now I’m obsessed with it. I never really thought much about Audrey’s character until listening to the musical and doing some thinking. Though she has that ditzy, stereotypical blonde girl sense about her, she’s really so much more and her character gets frequently misread and it makes me sad. (also off topic but Dentist is the best song don’t @ me 🪥✨🕺💃🕺💃)
My high school did little shop for their fall musical last year, unfortunately, there are not any people of color in our program (barely any people to begin with) I sadly wasn't in it and didn't see it but I heard it was great. My gf played Seymour and she rocked it (if you're curious, we r in a queer relationship. I'm nb, shes demigirl) after it finishing its run in our school, I regard not going to see it, not only bc of her but bc of loving the movie version. Now I'm in the drama club and I'm quite loving acting. Theater is so fun :)
Loved the video, very informative. That said, I do wanna point something out as someone who works in professional theatre abroad. Sometimes casting certain ethnicities is harder in other countries that are not the US (where you can find talent from every single ethnicity). In this case, not every country has black talent available for local professional productions. In many countries, that is not possible to do so, hence you have to cast the talent available that fit the role vocally, age wise,. etc. Also, racism, while it is a thing that happens everywhere, it's not as prominent as in the US, so changing ethnicities is not always considered offensive in other parts of the world and is not really an issue. I really liked your video just wanted to point some things out as someone who works in musical theatre and knows how hard casting certain characters is and just because certain ethnicities aren't the same, it doesn't mean it comes from a place of racism or anything like that.
I saw Little Shop done at a high school when I was 9 and it terrified me. I admire its artistry and how tight a show it is, but I still get the heebie jeebies in greenhouses, and to this day I can’t bring myself to watch the last third of the movie.
Once, when I was with a bunch of friends from my Trans support group, we were watching this and I said that line "feed me Seymour" in my deepest bass and got the best double take from the young daughter of one of them!
This was amazing xx thanks you for the time and care you took with the research xxx I would love to collaborate on a song with you if you would do me the honour xxxx
I'm still watching and just realized there's a new upload! I think I'm the 100th commenter! I'm glad you're still able to do youtube and wish you the best! Edit: You're gonna make me listen to rosewater now!
What's your favorite Little Shop song?🎶
'Suppertime' in the movie, for the staging. 'Suddenly Seymour' for the show as a whole, because I'm a softy.
Dentist! just because its so infinitely quotable.
Suddenly seymour is a good song 🥰🥰🥰
Probably Skid Row, which is one of my all-time favorite intro songs. Although I do love Mean Green Mother in the movie for its spectacle. It's still one of the most impressive pieces of puppetry ever put on film.
Somewhere That's Green. It's the prototypical "I Want" song that became a trademark of so many of the films of the Disney Renaissance and even inspried Charlie Adler's performance of the character Cow in the animated series "Cow and Chicken".
Something else about the Somewhere that's Green song is that she references a bunch of sitcoms and media like Better Homes and gardens, Howdy Doody, Donna Reed etc. So, I see it as really sad because the place she's talking about doesn't exist. she's only seen it in pictures. Skid Row is the reality for all of them, and she - in the play - never makes it out. It's sadder and quite innocent
It's also sad from a social-mobility perspective. Her grand dream in life is to graduate from poverty into the lower-middle class. She isn't even aiming higher than that.
Just learned a few years ago that 'December Bride' is another reference.. . I just took it at face value (a woman who finds love/marriage later in life), but apparently it was also a 1950s sitcom that I'd somehow never seen or even heard of (it pulled respectable Nielsen numbers in it's time, and banked over 150 eps, so I'm guessing it either hasn't aged well or else some ownership red tape has kept it out of syndication)..
Audrey’s innocence is quite gut-wrenching. She’s been through Hell but still her worldview is so innocent and childlike.
Never thought about that. Amazing point.
I’m an easy gal. I see something Howard Ashman-related, I click. And also crying myself into a corner.
Samee
I watched a high school adaptation of Little Shop and was disturbed to hear everyone was constantly laughing at Audrey's character, even when she was dying, like these kids don't get it?!
And the girl playing her played it like a joke. Sure, it can come off darkly humorous, but it's not that funny.
I mean high schoolers are evil, so I'm not that shocked. /hj lol.
Ah that does happen with bad direction on the show. I've seen it too. Audrey actually takes a really incredible actress to achieve because for those unfamiliar with the show they have to buy into the "Ditz" stereotype they are shown then realise how judgemental they have been.
I've seen two high school versions and one touring. I'm afraid it's badly done on the school circuit.
My high school’s musical theatre class did LSOH last November and I didn’t hear anybody laughing at Audrey (though I didn’t go to an actual showing, they let me come to a dress rehearsal of the show) Her character wasn’t really played for laughs and for the most part was just plain Audrey. A slightly ditzy girl with a that grew up in an abusive environment and ended up in a toxic relationship who just wants to get out of the city and live a peaceful, though stereotypical and bland, life. Though dark humor can be enjoyable in some scenarios, I find it kind of sad that her character gets played up for laughs in some productions. I think Audrey’s character is misunderstood as she can easily be written off as a dumb blonde, but she’s so much more. Blondes are people too :(
@@unicorninvader8783 My school did it last February. We had a lot of discussions about how to make sure the audience took her character seriously. Her actress was super good which helped!
Fun fact because this is my faaaavorite Broadway insider story:
Ellen Greene actually wasn’t the first choice to play Audrey. Faith Prince (best known for her turn as Adelaide in the 1992 revival of Guys and Dolls) was originally cast in the role, but had to leave the production due to a contract she couldn’t get out of.
Faith came back from said contract, only to see the show making all sorts of headlines - specifically praising Ellen’s breakout performance as Audrey. People were nervous that she would be upset or angry about this missed opportunity, but she simply said that it wasn’t her time, and Ellen was more than deserving of the role. And when asked how she was able to handle herself with such grace, she would reply, “After all, my name is Faith.”
Faith ended up being the first replacement for Audrey, and of course went on to play a role with a very similar personality and range a few years later. And in the most perfect full circle moment, Ellen played Adelaide in the 2009 Hollywood Bowl production of Guys and Dolls!
(Also, Howard idealizing Little Shop as the “Dames at Sea of horror movies”…. absolutely GENIUS.)
Not to mention Ellen reprised the role again with Jake Gyllenhall as Seymour (which was a surprisingly good choice).
@@jessica23claire Yes!! I almost forgot about that!
I agree with you about Audrey’s character being aspirational. I’m a trans woman and growing up, I understood how Audrey felt romanticizing the idea of being a housewife in a white suburb. I personally never wanted that for myself, but the desperation that goes into just wanting to be somewhere that makes her feel safe where she can be herself is something that I deeply relate to, and only gets more depressing for me the more the years go by and I see what the reality of the world I live in actually is.
Coincidentally, I bought tickets to watch this on Broadway next month and I can’t wait to finally see this play live and bawl my eyes out at Suddenly Seymour and Somewhere that’s Green.
Thank you for making this video. I have complicated feelings about LSOH that makes it easier to explain to people why I like it so much now that you put it in words.
Trans woman MJ Rodriguez played Audrey in the Pacedena Playhouse production! There is a video of her Suddenly Seymour
@@booksandbigideas8720 it's SO GOOD!!!
This is such an insightful analysis, and I enjoyed the whole video. I also think it’s valuable to mention that Little Shop of Horrors is infused with an unmistakable Jewish aesthetic. Seymore and Mr. Mushnik are clearly meant to represent Jewish character traits, and the dialogue is filled with Yiddish terms and Jewish inflections. This is unsurprising when we consider the fact that Menken and Ashman are both Jewish. This has been an ongoing theme in Menken’s career. On at least one occasion, he said that “Poor Unfortunate Souls” felt very Jewish. He also wrote an oratorio called “King David” with lyrics by Tim Rice.
Love that, thanks for sharing!
Absolutely! The movie's producer and director, David Geffen and Frank Oz, were also Jewish. Seymour and Audrey were played by Jewish actors in both the original stage production and the film (Ellen Green, Lee Minkoff, Rick Moranis), and when Frank Oz was (fairly insanely) considering replacing Ellen Greene for the movie Barbra Streisand was offered the role. The musical's themes of social exclusion, exploitation and the conflict between authenticity and belonging - as well as the caustic, dark sense of humour - are things it shares with a lot of other work by Jewish artists. So, although you really can't mention everything in a short video, it feels like a bit of a gap to discuss Little Shop and race, without mentioning its Jewish creators and subtext.
A couple weeks ago I watched all the big documentaries on Disney+, including Howard. I already knew a lot about Howard Ashman’s life but I’d never paid attention to the timeline of events until that movie, which made me realize how relatively fast the Little Shop to his final Disney work timeline was. Then I watched Little Shop of Horrors for the first time in a good while and honestly? I cried because in the scope of it all it takes on a whole other level of meta depth.
I felt this watching Howard four months back. I genuinely think he couldn't have helped Disney without doing Little Shop of Horrors first because Somewhere that's green became the mother to all future I want songs. Like Marlene says, the renaissance is Ashman. Everything we celebrate about modern Disney is his ideas realised a new. Menken for sure too, though as others have mentioned he is stuck on repeat because he didn't have as much philosophy backing his ideas. Ashman is an institution all of his own. I wish he was always talked about next to Sondheim and Fosse
I read elsewhere that they called it "Somewhere That's Dry," which makes more sense, as dry land is where she wants to be.
I've seen that mentioned too and I agree it makes more sense, but it seems like that's filling in the blanks of what was ultimately a light-hearted joke that I don't think was meant to be a serious statement about her goals. Alan Menken references it as "Somewhere That's Wet" ew.com/article/2015/01/22/alan-menken-disney-songs/
@@DreamsoundsVideo Alan Menken was misquoting himself and Ashman. The original nickname for Part of Your World was indeed “Somewhere That’s Dry”, according to the book in the box set The Music Behind the Magic, released in 1994. (See page 23, where it discusses the “I want” songs.)
Little shop walked so Disney renaissance could run
I LOVE the directors cut of the 1980s movie. It's one of the best examples of puppetry and practical effects in filmmaking, and it breaks my heart that test audiences didn't like it. I understand why, I just wish more people could appreciate the last 30 minutes of the original cut because they are just so beautiful.
Subsequent to the events you have just witnessed...
@@Eloraurora dude my mom and I picked up our copy at a thrift store and we didn't realize it was the directors cut... that scene was about the moment we knew we were in for a surprise 😅
You're really making me see how Little Shop and Little Mermaid were kind of the one-two punch of my childhood. I saw both at around the same time, they were both really big deals for me and to this day they're both two of my favorite films. Hearing Audrey and Ariel's I Want songs played next to each other really got to me.
Little Shop is one of my favorite musicals, before I even know Ashman and Menkin worked on it. After I learned that I was like... yep. Makes sense. Also, that explains why it's so undeniably queer.
Beautiful stuff. So lovely to see a trans woman playing Audrey.
Same thing happened to me. I saw Aladdin when it came out and had to buy the CD. That's the first time I heard about Alan Menken, then a few years later I saw Little Shop of Horrors again and saw that he did the music for that. Well of course he did.
My school is putting on a production of Little Shop of Horrors and one of my friends and I are in charge of building the different Audrey 2s, and this video was super fun to watch with the context of us putting the show on :]
Thank you for talking about whitewashing in theatre! It's everywhere shows can get re-mounted, including in opera, where I come from, too. Even in 2023, it's still not really talked about enough, in my view. There are still people who remain content to say, "well this person was the best voice we had locally available for the part!", and try to use that as an excuse to whitewash.
What are you talking about? Hamilton black washed everything and no one cares lol. Let go of this leftist nonsense, it’s poisonous to the mind and society.
I wish I could find the article again (it wasn't the one you referenced by Casey Plett) but -- I only got around to watching LSoH because of reading someone's headcanon that Audrey and Seymour were both trans (this was also before Ms. Rodriguez' performance) and it was such a compelling take that I ended up diving in.
The way that Audrey's aspirations are for nothing more than "mediocrity" really *really* hits hard as a trans woman who's been stuck in poverty for much of my life... I can absolutely relate to the out-of-reach fantasy of having basic needs met in a safe home. (Of course I say this just as you get to referencing Candy Darling's journals... echoes though the decades, as so little seems to change for us. 😩)
This vid makes me want to hear more about your other favorite theatre musicals. I know your main focus is Disney, but the way you dissected this show and connected it to your identity made me want to hear more of that
The sad thing is, since Ashman left us, Menken has pretty much been repeating himself.
If you haven't seen Galavant, you should watch that show. It's a very fresh television show with Menken at the helm of the score. It's something quite unique.
Huh? You clearly never saw Tangled and Enchanted. They're nothing like anything else he ever did.
One of your best, and that's saying a lot. It's hard to pick a favorite song from Little Shop, but if I had to pick one I'd have to say "Skid Row (Downtown)" for the way it sets the stage in a way few other opening numbers do. As you say in the video, characters get their own introductions and musical motifs, but it also serves in part as its own "I want" song with both Seymour and Audrey -- and the entire cast -- saying that all they want is "to get outta here." They don't know what they'd do to achieve that goal, except for "a hell of a lot." The entire rest of the show is an answer to the question, "Well, what do they mean by 'a hell of a lot'?" And, for my money, to Ashman's point that the actors should play their parts simply and earnestly, the best part of the show is during "The Meek Shall Inherit," when Seymour -- enraged and disgusted with himself to the point of finally realizing that "the vegetable must be destroyed -- pulls back once he remembers that it's only because of the plant that he got the real Audrey's attention and love in the first place: "But then, there's Audrey / Lovely Audrey / If life were tawdry and impoverished as before / She might not like me, she might not want me / Without my plant, she might not love me anymore." Lyrically, musically and emotionally, it's perhaps the best moment in the show... aside from all the others!
Using little shop as a creative base for Disney’s renaissance was brilliant. It’s a simple format. Boy wants girl, girl wants boy and dream life, conflict, resolve. The use of the chorus in Hercules, Ariel’s part of your world, it all spawns from little shop.
Little Shop Of Horrors is my favorite musical. My mom let me watch it at a very young age but I’m glad she did. It helped me form an appreciation for musicals as an art form.
Edit: I saw Little Shop Of Horrors live only once done by a small theater. The cast was all white and I have to say the impact of many lines and scenes was lost because of it. This is a show that really should not be done with all white actors.
i've been going through a rough time, and this video showing more media by ashman that have a connection to my youth has been healing. thank you
Part of your world is now known as somewhere that's wet and nothing else
Lmao that's hilarious I'm obsessed
why am i only now realizing how similar the little mermaid's "part of your world" sounds to "somewhere that's green"?
I was so happy to see this video uploaded ^^ I started watching your videos when I first saw your take on Ashman's Little Mermaid and because of that became interested in Little Shop. It's really my favourite musical, one of my favourite movies and got me through a really hard lockdown winter, so thank you so so much for that 🩷
I saw the Little Shop of Horrors movie because I had a bit of a crush on Rick Moranis, but I fell in love with the music. It's the reason I saw The Little Mermaid in the theater (I was in my mid-20s at the time, so I otherwise might not have bothered). I immediately caught the similarity in the phrasing of "Somewhere That's Green" and "Part of Your World," and I pointed it out to anyone who'd listen! Fun times, and I still watch LSOH often.
I was recently the plant puppeteer in Little Shop. Such a fun experience, but I was sweating like a pig in that thing!
my father and i love and adore Little Shop of Horrors so much, thank you for making a video about something i hold so near and dear to my heart.
About 2 weeks ago I just finished playing Seymour in a production of Little Shop. I absolutely loved it and thought this was extremely interesting
Great job on the Video. I love Little Shop and you did it justice. And I totally get that part about Audrey and the trans community. I’m not trans, but I’m intersex and present and identify as female. That dream of husband and children becomes a lot more complicated since I can’t have biological children and to most men knowing the ins and out of my condition is a deal breaker. And honestly I put off relationships for a long time because like Audrey I felt underserving of one. Little Shop will always be near and dear to me
I recently saw the movie with the ending where Audrey2 takes over. I didn't know there were multiple endings, but I'm really glad I saw this one first. It was unexpected and interesting.
This was beautiful! I love little shop of horrors! 💗
Thank you for this, it honestly moved me to tears.
Absolutely my favorite movie musical. It was directed by the man who opened up his heart and gave the world Fozzie Bear, Bert, and Yoda after all. But the thing I like most about this movie, it's parody of parody. The original film was not stodgy 50's, unintentionally so bad it's good MST3K fodder, but rather something openly mocking things that were. Of course, it had a very 50's-60's original Mad Magazine before it was a magazine type humor about it. I actually saw the musical movie first and was slightly confused by the original because I was a kid at the time. I love how the 80's movie doesn't so much mock the 50's movie so much as it mocks 50's tropes in an 80's nostalgia filter that's part ironic, part affectionate. Plus, Steve Martin steals the damn show. Still think the weirdest thing this inspired was having the voice of the plant monster voice Mother Brain in the Captain N series.
2 things:
1. Amazing Video
2. Your singing voice is sooooo pretty! I need a full version of that skidrow bit
This video essay is fucking brilliant, and I loved every second of it! Little Shop of Horrors is quickly becoming one of my all time favorite musicals, and hearing all about the people and thought process behind it, as well as the various interesting interpretations the text can be given, only made me love it more. You did an incredible job, and I loved your heavy use of quotes from various people involved in the creation process, because it really brought the story you're telling here to life.
You just earned a subscriber who will probably go watch all your other stuff now! Thank you so much for making this, I absolutely loved it!
Wasn’t this video previously uploaded a day or two ago?
It was uploaded early for patrons.
Yes, it was up yesterday for about an hour until someone let me know that there was some dialogue missing. I took it down, fixed it, and re-uploaded it. Sorry about that, the missing line was important enough that I'd rather fix it so the video y'all see is the video I intended to put out.
Unfortunately, the algorithm is not that forgiving, so if anyone wants to help out, commenting and sharing are super! I made a new thumbnail to hopefully help with the algorithm, but we'll see.
@@DreamsoundsVideoOh okay, I just noticed it was uploaded yesterday and then all of a sudden it was re-uploaded.
Anyways I just want to say that I enjoy your video content and video essays on the channel especially when dealing with LGBTQIA+, Inclusivity and Awareness, so I appreciate the hard work you put into them DreamSounds.
Also hope you get to "❤" my comments.
@@DreamsoundsVideo here’s your bump comment 👍 good luck with the algorithm
I was hoping you'd mention the Pasadena playhouse production. Even though I was expecting it I still teared up hearing it
The chorus is a nice nod to Motown and groups like The Supremes
Great video! Little Shop holds a soft spot in my heart. Don’t feed the plant!
As awesome, technical and expensive the climax was for the original cut...
THIS story needed a happy ending.
I was in a performance back in highschool and the best part was having a reason to listen to the soundtrack all the time this musical is really my top tier favorite
I am part of many fandoms,
One that’s about something that changed history(Little Shop)
And one that’s changing history (Osc)
Both are amazing
I remember begrudgingly goin' to see the Little Mermaid in the theater when I was nine. I was probably the only kid in the room who got really excited finding out that the music was by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman: I turned to my friend and tried to explain him they wrote a great musical called Little Shop of Horrors (I'm italian, and the movie wasn't well known here, but I had a copy on tape). It turned out to be a wonderful experience, mostly because of the soundtrack. LSOH was and still is my favorite musical of all time, nothing comes close.
Great video. I love Little Shop of Horrors!
I think something you over looked (and maybe you have to be Jewish to actually notice it) is how Jewish the whole thing. It is much more clear in the original movie, which is literally like a Yiddish comedy just in English. Also the cast was almost entirely Jewish in the first movie. In the musical movie both main actors are Jewish (Ellen Greene and Rick Moranis) and of course both Ashman and Manken are. Unfortunately as is often the case in Hollywood they had to Jew-wash things to be more palatable (or at least that's what executives thought).
what a fabulous piece...and Gaston?????? how did I miss this?
My favorite song is the prologue, I remember we sang that in my elementary at choir and that’s really how I feel in love with singing and music💗
I am so glad I became a patron- little shop is my favorite musical. Every time I see it (except the movie version) I cry. I keep wondering if the happy ending is the better ending. On the one hand, it means nothing. There is no moral to the story. Maybe "Do whatever it takes to get ahead, and it will all work out in the end?" This applies equally to Little Mermaid. The original ending is powerful and meaningful, but most people did not like it when Oz made it for the movie. So which is better? Even when I was seven years old, I thought the ending of these two were kinda crap. But if Seymore and Ariel died they never could have made money for big studios and we might not be able to talk about them today. Is the better ending the one that changes your spirit and makes you a deeper person or is it the one that everybody wants to own?
For me, I think the happy ending works better in the movie as it was filmed. The problem is that the movie changed so much from the show, especially Seymour's character. The movie reduced his culpability so much that his death hardly feels earned - yet his death is also far more cruel than before. He doesn't even get the slightly redemptive self-sacrifice from the show.
I think the original ending could have worked on film, but it would have required a darker Seymour who "deserved" to be tortured and eaten by Audrey. And even then, I doubt the movie would have ever been as popular as the one that was released.
In the play, each death was only sorta kinda like killing. Surely I can kill Orin the dentist, and whaddya know, he's killed himself. I could have saved him but merely choose not to. Mr Mushnick was going to turn me in. So surely I need to kill him. That doesn't count. But these pseudo technicalities lead to a situation he couldn't control. That's the real moral. Making a deal with the devil never ends well, even if it sounds easy at first. But in the movie Orin dies quickly with little chance for intervention. Mushnick was eaten with no help or participation from Seymour. They killed the whole Faustian Bargain narrative. At that point, it almost doesn't matter if they live. Seymour was essentially a spectator. And again, the story means nothing.
This musical is mixed in with my Disney playlist
Beautiful singing, and beautiful study of a key duo's inspiration influence.
Liking and commenting because this essay is too good to not get views.
omgggg THANK YOU! For making room to discuss transness and Audrey. I had never heard anyone talk about this.
I got to see this in the original off-Broadway theater on Laguardia Ave. NYC. right across from the Shakespeare Theater and where Blue Man Group took up residence afterwards. Saw that too... But at the end of the Play, the plant eats everyone and the last numbers they appear as buds on his vines singing the last song. (Just their faces along the arms of the plant. They became part of him!) And at the last moment... Vines dropped down from the ceiling of rhe theater on top of the audience JUMP Scaring them before it all ends. 😂 It was SO good! Must have been the late 80's early 90's.
LOVE this video. Would really really appreciate captions!
I’ve only seen the movie and despite not being a massive fan of musicals, It’s one of my favourites. I didn’t realise Audrey dies at the end of the stage version. That’s heartbreaking but, also, maybe the better ending? This was an excellent video, thank you for making it.
I’d love for you to write more on translating shows from one language to another. Also, can you please talk about shows that are made in other countries besides the US? I’m always wanting to learn more.
There's another video in the works that goes more into translation and specifically a Disney show that's been playing in Germany for a while!
@@DreamsoundsVideo Tarzan?
@@DreamsoundsVideo I'd also love to hear any thoughts you might have on Tanz der Vampire!!
Only you can tie Little shop to Disney and make it interesting, Marlene! ❤
I saw this video yesterday and I figured I should comment for algorithm. Awesome vid, I need to watch Little Shop at some point!
Loved your singing and guitar of Skid row!!
17:11 I can't stop replaying this. . . . Help! 😟
never seen little shop of horror, only know about it from pop culture references.
but this defiantly made me think.
THANK YOU for mentioning the Pasadena Playhouse production !! I'd wanted to go see it so badly when it was still playing, but could not, as I sadly could not get time off work. Still, it has a deep personal significance to me tied into a trans reading of the musical. I can't listen to George Salazar and Mj Rodriguez's version of Suddenly Seymour without shedding a tear.
Great video. And I love the shot you gave for the outro/Patreon credits. You have a lovely sense of style.
We went over Little Shop in my Theatre class last semester. It was awesome, and the best part of the class. Well besides the people, like half the people in there didn't want to be there and half did. The veteran theatre kid seniors, wannabe theatre kid freshmen, and the kids who wanted absolutely nothing to do with the class at all had this strange sense of community. Involving Shrek. Everyone in there wanted to watch Shrek instead of Little Shop, but when we actually did watch Shrek we never finished it because of the slur in the first 5 minutes. And I made my first real friend in that class.
And half of the class went to see a production of it live.
Great video!!! Love love love this musical, even if I've only seen the movie. The aside about race-aware casting was very interesting. Reminds me of how my old high school used to do a musical every year, and during the casting call for Hairspray they put out a notice that, for obvious reasons, this production would be their first ever play without race-blind casting. It just makes more sense for some stories!
So glad this video popped up for me. Watched the little shop movie as a kid and didn't get it at all, although I loved the dentist song. Definitely need to give it another watch now.
The trans reading of the characters is so interesting, and how casting trans people in these roles can bring out these layers of meaning. I've heard/read quite a lot about queer readings of Disney movies and musicals, but trans readings of musicals is something I've not heard enough about, so thanks for bringing that to this video! Gonna be on the look out for more now
Also I'm relistening to the soundtrack and I can't stop hearing the parallels with little mermaid and beauty and the beast. Excellent video, thank you!!!
Fun Fact When Alan Menken wanted to bring Beauty and the Beast to Broadway Belle played by the amazing Susan Egan she told me that she wanted to do the show so much because of Howard and Alans work on Little Shop she loved the music and the themes so that's what inspired to try out for Belle ofc she nails it. just a little tidbit she told me that The Musical was a driving factor for her to try out to belle then later Megra. She was an honored guest at our Colleges production of Little Shop a couple of years back she saw both versions of the show where we keep the Og ending for the night crowd and the sorta happy ending for the matinees such a fun show. Im co directing a production of Beauty and the Beast for the holiday season and when our belle audntioned she sang Mean Green Mother we sent her out 5 min i think the first thing i said I don't care i want her as belle. gaston beast idc she was so good
Well folks we did it…our fav musical changed the biggest animation company known to man 😌
Damn. The rough trade shit makes sense. Both Gaston and the dentist only wanted their "love interest" so they can dominate them.
this is such a wonderful video, oh my gosh.
There was one broadway production of little shop in 2003, but it was the only one
Another great video! I love how deeply you research what you talk about. Brava!
So happy to see your commentary on Little Shop! The roots the bloomed up into Disney (puns intended) are so wonderful to see your take on, with the rest of your channel as context :D Also love seeing a queer reading, this will definitely be on my mind for the next rewatch!
I saw Little Shop of Horrors when I was 10. I loved the music. It was so memorable I could remember all of it, even months after leaving the theater. I never cared about musicals until then. I was obsessed. Then, a few years later I saw Aladdin and, for the second time in my life, I was obsessed with a musical I had no idea that Alan Menken wrote the music for both of them.
You have such a beautiful singing voice ily 😍
Excellent video!
Great video. I've seen the Ashman documentary, and I'm a big Disney fan, but you taught me a lot of things I didn't know -- which is rare. I saw that you're stopping your channel, but I do hope you'll post the occasional video in the future. Again, thanks for this great video.
An excellent video. However, I wonder about the issue of whitewashing LSoH. You say that if companies do not have the racial makeup to do the show, they should do another show. Unfortunately, it is not always that simple. Some factors to consider: pressure from funders/community groups to do the show (instead of another show) which, if ignored, can cost people their livelihoods; the issue of available singers and their vocal ranges, because sometimes actors just can't sing the role(s) or they are just not suited to the role(s).
Anyway, while I agree with your point as a whole, I think you ignore some factors by simply suggesting producers should 'just do another show'. It just does not always work out so neatly, I'm afraid. But again, I agree completely with you on principle. I understand, however, that you can't include all the caveats in your video. But a simple question, 'why not just do another show?', is too simplistic.
Yes! This is such a complicated issue! I agree that, to put it bluntly, the Great White Way has already had enough “White”, despite it retconning itself to the Great *Bright* Way. But as someone from the Pacific Northwest, I know it’s often not a question of intentional whitewashing. The situation has changed some since my youth, but I’m sure a lot of smaller theatres have limited options when it comes to the available talent pool. And while it’s easy to say “just do a different show”, that effectively makes some good and important theatrical works unavailable to some theatres, and more importantly their audiences. The majority of theatregoers can’t just flit off to New York or somewhere with a diverse theatre scene, and it doesn’t seem fair that those people should be denied these shows. I’ve heard people argue that it’s actually MORE fair for white people to be denied roles and shows due to skin colour, just as minority communities have been for so long, and I see the validity of that argument (though my opinion is of secondary importance, as a cis white woman), but I can’t help thinking that feels like punishing young white theatregoers for the sins of their elders. I suppose what it comes down to is the question of if it would be better for, say, a young person of colour to experience Little Shop with a whitewashed urchin chorus, or not experience it at all. I don’t claim to have the answer, but I think it’s a question worth at least considering
Amazing video that always makes me think of musicals in a new light. Little Shop is probably my favorite musicals. Also please sing more in the future you have a lovely voice!!
I could see disney doing a kid friendly Animated version of little shop of horrors
Ive never seen the movie but this made me want to watch it tonight
Your videos always have such beautiful endings. I love how inspired you are by other human beings and life in general
I went to see Little Shop last week as it was a local production. It was really fun and unique.
Love this video! I had never listened to LSOH until my high school’s musical theatre class did a production of it last fall and now I’m obsessed with it. I never really thought much about Audrey’s character until listening to the musical and doing some thinking. Though she has that ditzy, stereotypical blonde girl sense about her, she’s really so much more and her character gets frequently misread and it makes me sad. (also off topic but Dentist is the best song don’t @ me 🪥✨🕺💃🕺💃)
My high school did little shop for their fall musical last year, unfortunately, there are not any people of color in our program (barely any people to begin with) I sadly wasn't in it and didn't see it but I heard it was great. My gf played Seymour and she rocked it (if you're curious, we r in a queer relationship. I'm nb, shes demigirl) after it finishing its run in our school, I regard not going to see it, not only bc of her but bc of loving the movie version. Now I'm in the drama club and I'm quite loving acting. Theater is so fun :)
Loved the video, very informative. That said, I do wanna point something out as someone who works in professional theatre abroad. Sometimes casting certain ethnicities is harder in other countries that are not the US (where you can find talent from every single ethnicity). In this case, not every country has black talent available for local professional productions. In many countries, that is not possible to do so, hence you have to cast the talent available that fit the role vocally, age wise,. etc. Also, racism, while it is a thing that happens everywhere, it's not as prominent as in the US, so changing ethnicities is not always considered offensive in other parts of the world and is not really an issue. I really liked your video just wanted to point some things out as someone who works in musical theatre and knows how hard casting certain characters is and just because certain ethnicities aren't the same, it doesn't mean it comes from a place of racism or anything like that.
this musical has been one of my most favorite musicals ever and this was great
I saw Little Shop done at a high school when I was 9 and it terrified me. I admire its artistry and how tight a show it is, but I still get the heebie jeebies in greenhouses, and to this day I can’t bring myself to watch the last third of the movie.
What will it be like if "Smile" wasn't a flop, but a blockbuster hit since day 1? That would've been magnificent if that was the case.
My favorit song is don`t feed the planets.
The RUclips Algorithm is our Audrey II lol
Like 5 minutes after I upload a video it just says "feed me, Marlene" so I have to start working on the next one
Once, when I was with a bunch of friends from my Trans support group, we were watching this and I said that line "feed me Seymour" in my deepest bass and got the best double take from the young daughter of one of them!
I’ve barely heard of this movie, super interesting video, I’ll watch the film tonight. Have a lovely day Marlene💜
This was amazing xx thanks you for the time and care you took with the research xxx I would love to collaborate on a song with you if you would do me the honour xxxx
Wonderful video as usual- and your singing is beautiful!
this is awesome! immediate subscribe
Ahhh it's been a while since I've seen one of your videos. Your content is a joy
Superb as always!
I'm still watching and just realized there's a new upload! I think I'm the 100th commenter! I'm glad you're still able to do youtube and wish you the best!
Edit: You're gonna make me listen to rosewater now!
I highly recommend listening to Rosewater! Maybe I'll make a video more about it someday, it is really interesting
awesome reupload. gotta make sure to give you the interaction :)