Little Shop of Horrors

The world’s most ravenous plant has returned to its acclaimed, sold-out run at the Westside Theatre! Winner of the 2020 Drama League, Outer Critics Circle and Drama Desk Awards for BEST MUSICAL REVIVAL OF THE YEAR, LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS is “wildly exuberant” (The Hollywood Reporter), and a New York Times Critic’s Pick.

This smash-hit production stars Tony winner Matt Doyle (Company) and Joy Woods is Audrey beginning May 2. Together they bring succulent life to a show that has made millions of theatergoers laugh, scream, and give up gardening for good. Get tickets now and enjoy a taste of what we’ve all been craving: live theatre!

Go home to Skid Row! Little Shop of Horrors has taken root at the Westside Theatre for its latest acclaimed Off-Broadway run. Get Little Shop of Horrors tickets on TodayTix.

Based on a 1960 black comedy film, the Little Shop of Horrors musical centers on a hapless flower shop worker, Seymour, and his new exotic plant that happens to feed on blood. The mere presence of the plant in the window quickly brings traffic to the small shop, and the owner, Mushnik, promotes Seymour because of it. Seymour even finally catches the interest of Audrey, his coworker who's been stuck in a relationship with a sadistic dentist, Orin. All, it seems, because of the plant. Surely this Venus flytrap-esque thing will stay in its pot and not cause trouble as long as Seymour pricks his finger every now and then, right?

Soon the plant grows out of hand and grows insatiable, and Seymour's tasked with committing some heinous acts to satisfy its bloodthirst. Though he's horrified at the thought, he's not ready to give up the fame and love that Audrey II, which he's dubbed the plant, has given him.

Little Shop of Horrors is a rare musical, in that its Off-Broadway productions are perhaps more famous than its Broadway run, so it's no wonder that the show has blossomed at its latest Off-Broadway home since 2019. The world premiere of Little Shop of Horrors off-Broadway was in 1982, and librettist/lyricist Howard Ashman even declined to transfer the production to Broadway. The musical eventually made it there in 2003, receiving various awards nominations, but Little Shop of Horrors has remained most famous as an Off-Broadway staple, and a favorite of community theatres and schools. The musical also received its own film adaptation in 1986, which has become a cult classic.

Go somewhere that's green and get tickets to Little Shop of Horrors in New York on TodayTix.

What to Watch For

• It takes three actors to bring Audrey II to life: One provides the booming voice of Audrey II, and two act as puppeteers behind the scenes. Just like the actors the audience sees, even the puppeteers have understudies, too.
• Four different Audrey II puppets are used in the show as the plant gets progressively bigger. The smallest can fit on a table, and the largest takes up most of the Westside Theatre's stage!
• In the show's official script, Audrey II's character is described as "an anthropomorphic cross between a Venus flytrap and an avocado." Talk about something that's green!
• A "skid row" is a term for any impoverished neighborhood and gives Little Shop of Horrors's Skid Row its name. There is a neighborhood unofficially called Skid Row in Los Angeles, where the original 1960 film is set.
• The musical had its first Off-Broadway run at the Orpheum Theatre from 1982-1987. At the time of closing, it was the third-longest-running Off-Broadway show in history. It's been beat out by plenty of shows since then — including Stomp, which has enjoyed nearly 30 years at the Orpheum so far — but remains an iconic show in Off-Broadway history.