(Editor’s note: Columns often contain opinion, and those belong to the author.)
You know something has become a big part of pop culture such that whenever you get hangry (that mix of hungry anger worthy of a Snickers) that you tend to quote from it.
One example looms large: “Feed me, Seymour!”
The little plant from outer space in “Little Shop of Horrors” becomes a gigantic plant who eventually yells that signature phrase.
Audrey II, a gigantic Venus flytrap-like alien plant, feeds on human blood and more and appears in the 1980s movie musical which was based on the Broadway musical. The Broadway musical was, in turn, based on a 1950s B-movie. The 80s film will be briefly planted at the Miller on Sunday, Oct. 12 at 2 p.m.
In the ‘80s film, the floral shop janitor and floral assistant Seymour Krelborn, naming the carnivorous plant after a beloved co-worker, raises it from a young plant after discovering it near a Chinese flower shop during a total eclipse of the sun. (That isn’t fishy at all, is it?) Seymour has a dead-end job with a boss, the obtuse Mr. Mushnik, who has helped him out a good bit but does not respect him and belittles him. In short, Mr. Mushnik is a bully.
Also, Seymour works with a floral assistant Audrey, a thin blonde with a New York dialect and, at times, flashy wardrobe. She may not always seem to be the brightest bulb, but she definitely handles aesthetics well. For a funeral arrangement Seymour dropped the ball on, Audrey quickly uses some glitter and spray glue on some lilies with some ribbon to make a nice arrangement.
Also, she has a definite 50s or 60s “boomer dream” of a little suburban house “somewhere that’s green” and sings an entire number about it. Her longing for more and the sweet way she sings the number makes the audience align with her. However, more contemporary jaded viewers may see the dream she had as unattainable – particularly in today’s housing market. Yet many musicals are meant to convey an ideal time and approach – even ones with dark humor, albeit perhaps not quite as dark as “Sweeney Todd.”
Next, Audrey may not seem to be the brightest in her choice of staying with an abusive boyfriend. Yet this can be very complicated psychologically and socially. I have observed people doing this in reality – staying with somebody who hurts them despite being begged not to. And it is not a direct reflection on their intelligence. For example, many studies have been done on Stockholm syndrome in which victims have positive feelings toward their abusers. This complicated scenario adds another layer to this dark comedic movie musical. The audience does empathize with Audrey and that sometimes borders on pity. The pity later affects the audience’s feelings toward what Seymour wants to do against the boyfriend (with lots of prompting from Audrey II).
Speaking of Seymour, I could relate to Seymour through the years as both a low-paid teacher and a geek in general and even in some jobs.
Wearing glasses my entire life and sometimes being more passive and only learning to be more assertive, I could also relate to the general geekiness of Seymour and how he is bullied in many areas of his life. (In fact, his last name Krelborn has become a synonym for a geek, and it was even used in the early 2000’s and beyond. For example, the show “Malcolm in the Middle” had Malcolm’s gifted class called a bunch of Krelborns, for example (only they used the B movie character spelling, Krelboyne, according to a couple of sources). Just knowing all of this makes me feel even more like a Krelborn.)
The actor who portrays Seymour in this film, Rick Moranis, has really been type-casted as the typical glasses-wearing geek. This dates back to his nerdy, clingy accountant role in “Ghostbusters”. And it continues on through “Parenthood” (overachieving geeky yuppie father), through “Spaceballs” (Dark Helmet but with a geek beneath the mask), and through ‘Honey, I Shrunk the Kids!” (geeky inventor) and sequels. (He left acting but is supposed to reprise his Dark Helmet role in the upcoming “Spaceballs 2”.) However, looking back at the comedy show with the ensemble cast, SCTV, Moranis acted in, he could often parody other celebrities and play many versatile parts. And what he becomes within “Little Shop of Horrors” is not just your typical milquetoast. Suddenly, Seymour has a character arc (no further spoilers).
The antagonist in the film is dentist Orin Scrivello (played by Steve Martin), at once terrified and entertained me with his sadistic, funny song which I have seen referred to as either “Be a Dentist!” or just “Dentist!” Being the kind of kid who screamed at needles and cried not to go to the dentist or doctor, I could truly relate to the kids and adults terrified by Scrivello. However, Martin’s campy, over-the-top Elvis impersonator-esque performance definitely makes one chuckle at the mayhem. (Martin, in Greaser gear, goes for less of an early Elvis tribute than an obvious parody. He may have even virtually channeled Jerry Lee Lewis with over-the-top gyrations while he performed.) Martin makes one laugh many times yet also be afraid for and fear for Audrey, his girlfriend and Seymore’s love interest, as he abuses her. Scrivello appears scary like a horror franchise character when he rages but, like that type of character, later embellishes his movements in silly ways. Martin coaxes us to laugh at his dental sadism in his over-the-top solo (but never, of course, at the later abuse).
Next, the Motown girl group sound Alan Menken gave to the Greek chorus-like urban residents who help tell the story appealed to me. One standout from the girl group in the film (perhaps itself a reference to “Dream Girls”) is Tisha Campbell, who later starred in FOX’s show “Martin” in the 90s. (She is a talented comedic actress, but I also wish I had seen her in more musicals.) The sound of her and her colleagues’ singing appealed to one who liked all forms of music from classical to contemporary. Using that sound, “Skid Row (Downtown)” is just one such number that tells you more about the urban setting and culture than some novels do. It also introduces the audience to all the principal players in a unique way.
By the way, this film version was directed by Frank Oz who many will remember from his years with Jim Henson Studios and Muppet projects. However, he became a director of contemporary films as did Jim Henson. (Going into Oz’s biography would take at least a page or more, so I suggest web-searching him for more information.)
Within the film, the way homeless people and workers jump into the song as the camera goes around downtown is reminiscent of the way Muppets would pop up during a number. This style definitely appears to be Oz-ian. The bits where a slobbish fellow in a two-bit apartment says, “The food is slop” and where a homeless guy says, “By subway” or all quick cuts that, again, remind one of how minor Muppet characters would appear among the principal players.
Speaking of minor or bit parts (perhaps bordering on a cameo), Bill Murray plays a masochistic submissive whose reactions to pain at the dentist add even more dark comedy to an already dark film. Anyway, I saw the film originally when I was quite young, so I do not think I understood just how twisted the minor character was. When I saw it as an adult, I understood. Some of the laughs were of the shocked, guffawing variety.
Speaking of that Motown sound again, Levi Stubbs, lead singer of the Four Tops, lent his deep, soulful voice to Audrey II. Without his range and humor, the plant may not have been as memorable. He made Audrey II to be a big Mama Jama with just his voice – large, powerful, and impressive. -Not to mention intimidating and scary at times. The plant, starting as a little suckling infant sprout of sorts with a taste for human blood, grows to speak and demand more.
According to several sources, Lyle Conway, a veteran Muppet creator and puppeteer with many shows and films to his name, worked with Frank Oz to create the film version of Audrey II. (Favorites of mine such as “The Muppet Show”, “The Dark Crystal”, and “Return to Oz” all had his signature puppet creation work within them.)
Months of design aesthetics (from everything from what one source called a Ukrainian egg to examinations of plants in floral shops and botanical gardens) went into the plant puppet’s creation. (To me, Audrey II looks like a giant watermelon mixed with exotic tropical plants and a Venus fly trap. But the start of his digestive system looks like something straight out of a Universal horror movie. When he opens his mouth, he’s more like the creature from the gothic garden instead of the Creature from the Black Lagoon but in full psychedelic color.)
One source stated Oz wanted a soft Audrey where Conway wanted a more horrific one. They compromised. And their expertise in puppetry from hydraulics to remote controls and more helped bring the plant to life. In fact, Conway came up with the idea of making the puppets movements appear more fluid by having the actors move slower and later speeding up the film. His special effects work (along with Bran Ferren and Martin Gutteridge according to FilmAffinity.com) was nominated for an Academy Award in the best visual effects category but did not win. His creation can still be quite scary and humorous at the same time.
Speaking of this comedic creature feature, pray there isn’t a total eclipse the day Little Shop plays and for the love of all that is holy do not stop by any florist shops on the way downtown to the Miller to see it on Oct. 12.
South Carolina author, former teacher and veteran journalist Ron Baxley, Jr. is a social media manager working on a Southern television series. His latest novel, “O.Z. Diggs the Fifth Estate” is available in regional comics shops, bookstores, and gift shops. Reach him at ronbaxleyjr.com.
