little shop of horrors - michaelina lee miller

Little Shop of HorrorsScript Analysis

This analysis was taken directly from a reading ofthe script with no input from directors/designers

Pg. # Set Electrics/FX Sound/Projections Costumes Props Notes

8

Voice of the Plant provided by actor on offstage microphone, actor must have clear

visual access to the puppets onstage.

Seymour - mid-twenties, perhaps

balding a little. Little man. Audrey -

bleached-blond, spiked heels and low-cut black dress. Mr.

Mushnik - New York accent. Orin - tall, dark, handsome

dentist with a black leather jacket.

Egotistical pretty-boy. Crystal, Ronnette,

Chiffon - Street urchins who are participants in the action and a Greek

Chorus outside the action.

Updated: 8/28/2019Little Shop of Horrors Script Analysis

Subject to change SM: Michaelina Miller




11

THE SHOP (Mushnik's Skid Row Florists) large, curved, raised area. Large display

window with a windowseat. Door to the outside. Door to an offstage workroom.

Two counter-height worktables. Stools at both worktables. Peg on a wall for Mushnik's jacket and

scarf. Coat rack. Large clock, rigged to perform B-movie tricks. Playing space

representing the street outside the shop.

Tumbledown stoops. At least two trash cans. Fire

escape with ladder. Screens painted to depict Skid Row

flop-houses and derelict buildings, when closed,

they obscure the shop from view, when open, the shop

and street may be seen.

One worktable with a cash register.

It is suggested that the entire set

be more or less realistic in terms

of its architecture and then made

somewhat more stylized through the imaginitive

use of color.

13

Large placard bearing the words LITTLE SHOP OF

HORRORS hangs suspended in dark, swirling fog

Placard flies outA voice thunders in serious, prophetic

tones






14Screen open to reveal the

shopMushnik sits frozen in

semi-darknessNewspaper (Skid Row

Daily News) at worktable

15

Clock moves slowly from nine o'clock to ten. Hits

eleven as Audrey appears. Clock stops at two.

Move from proligue to scene lighting. Lights come up in the shop

Tic-toc music. Ear-splitting crash from

the workroom. Doorbell as Audrey

enters.

Audrey is sporting a black eye, has a jacket.

Monster-movie magazines. Few flowers

(wilted, faded, and decaying). Half-eaten

sandwich.

16Roses. Several trays of

plants Seymour carries in and drops

18 Trash can downstage leftPan which Audrey uses to

dispose of Seymours plants he dropped

19Lights crossfade

sharply to Seymour in the shop

20 Clock turns

21Clock advances to six.

Open/Closed sign on the shop door.

Clock chimes as it advances to six

Food out of trash can. Flowers in the shop window. Limp roses

22Door chimes as it

opens

Pod #1 - A large but sickly looking plant - unlike ay

ever seen.

24Doorbell as customer

starts out

Huge cobweb on the register. Audrey gives a handful of limp, dead

roses to the customer, wrapped in newspaper.

Monster movie magazine.






25

Mushnik takes off his sweater, puts on coat, hat, and scarf. Audrey

puts on her jacket.

The plant wilts.

26 Lights: SunsetSeymour feeds the plant food and mists the leaves

with water

27

Plant opens its flytrap-like "mouth". Plant closes when Seymours hand

disappears from view. As Seymour lifts is hand to look at his wound, the

plant opens. As Seymour slowly hides his finger,

the plant slowly closes. As Seymour slowly raises his

finger, the plant slowly opens. As Seymour

quickly hides and reveals his finger, the plant

quickly opens and closes.






28 Screens close Blackout. Interview tape sound

Plant vibrates in anticipation as Seymour is

about to feed it. As Seymour extracts a few drops of blood, the pod opens, snapping at the

drops, begging for more. The plant grows and

grows then bows. Transistor radio on the

stoop.

30

Seymour wearing a jacket. He has a

stuffed right jacket arm and rubber hand

to disguise the fact that he is puppeting

the plant.

Pod #2 is almost two feet tall. It is actually a hand puppetted, manipulated

by Seymour, his right arm concealed in the pot.

Small camera

31

The plant gets bored as Seymour tries to get it to watch the number. The

plant gets frisky and bites Seymours left hand.

32

The plant snaps at anything that's handy and begins to bounce and jive

in time to the music.






33Audrey has a chic leopard-print sling

34 Lights grow soft

35

Lights narrow down on the image of Audrey

reaching out and then fade. Lights come up to reveal Seymour.

36

Screens are open. Stage right work table is gone.

Audrey Two is in its place covered by a white drop-

cloth. Ladder Seymour uses to clean to woodwork.

Shop is lit only in silhouette. Lights come

up in the shop as Seymour enters it.

Audrey is wearing a frilly pink apron

Telephone on the stage left worktable. New living

flowers in the window. Audrey Two is covered by

a white drop-cloth. Audrey has a mop.

37

Flip a piece of the stage right wall to reveal a brand-

new, refrigerated display case, bordered with

twinkling lights. Revolving the stage left work table

reveals a shiny new façade, bordered with lights.

The display case is bordered with

twinkling lights. The stage left work table is bordered with lights.

Seymour has bandaids on each of his ten

fingers.

Dust cover over a shiny new cash register. Drop

cloth is whisked off revealing Audrey Two

(now over four feet tall and sporting huge, dangerously spiked

leaves.

38

Display sign reading "Here It is!" Flies in to dangle over

and point to the plant. Seymour folds up the

ladder

Clipboard on the work table. Black-bowed flower arrangement. "Get-well-

soon" flower arrangement

39 Plant mister






40Lights fade in the shop

and come up on the forestage.

Orin is wearing a black leather jacket with a

bleeding tooth and the letters "A.D.A." on the

back

Tin can marked "Tips". Dollar bill.

41Orin wearing a white

dentist's uniform under his jacket.

Inhaler

43Lights in the shop

restore

49

Bucket and sponge. The plant wilts, tilting sharply to one side and remaining

there.Plant opens its snout and speaks. Plant

"nibbles" at the air.

50

Plant opens mouth big. Plants trunk extends, and

its pod rotates to a forward talking position. Plant returns to upright

neutral position.

51

Plant shakes so violently its pot rocks. Plant focuses strongly on

Seymour.






52

Lights focus on Seymour on the

window seat, framed against the fiery red

sunset. Lights restore.

Plant taps one of its root-legs in time to the music.

53Audrey grabs her

sweater.

Plant kicks both of its root legs high. Plant smacks Seymour with a root.

Plant returns to its still position.

54

Screens close partway, open just far enough to

form a "door". A crypt-like trap door opens in the

froestage floor, from which an antique dentist chair

ominously emerges, surrounded by a virtual torture chamber of old-

fashioned dental equipment. Attached to the stage left side of the chair is

a small tray. Attached to the other side, a drill.

Blackout. Shop area must be kept dark and

the forestage lights tightly focused.

Old-fashioned dental equipment.

55

Paper bag which reads "Mushnik's Skid Row

Florists". Gun in the paper bag.






56Drill makes a

threatening buzz.

Large picture of nauseatingly neglected mouth: Diseased gums, rotten teeth. Drill that

makes a threatening buzz.

57

Huge clear plastic bubble over Orins head (gas

mask) with a long tube trailing from the back,

60

Screens still in "door" position. Dentist char

disappears through its trap door.

Blackout. Darkened forestage. Crystal in a

pool of light on the stage right fire escape. Ronnette and Chiffon

appear in a pool of light on stage left

stoop.

61Placard reading "Little Shop of Horrors" flies in. Screens

close.

Lights come up in the shop. Blackout.

Seymour has Orin's uniform bundled on

the floor.

Seymour gingerly lifts a severed hand from a

blood stained bucket and feeds it to the plant. Then

a string of intestines.






62

Screens open. Placard flies out. Sign in the window

now reads "Mushnik and Son". Shiny new work table.

Lights up simultaniously on shop

and stage. Phone D rings.

Audrey Two is now dominating a third of the

playing area. Two new red telephones sit on the

stage left work table (Phones A & B). Two

more telephones on shiny new work table (Phones C

& D).

63

Phone C rings. Phone D rings. Phone C

rings. Phone B rings. Phone A rings.

Large white box.

64 Phone C rings.

66Phone C rings. Phone

B rings.

67Phone C rings. All

four phones ring at once.

Seymour wearing a black leather jacket.

69Seymour removes his

glasses as he sings.

71Little red dots all over the

floor.Flashlight. Paint scraper.

72 Envelope

73 Orin's dentist uniformPlant begins to watch Mushnik. Picture of

Seymours baseball hat.

75The sunset casts long, foreboding shadows.

76 Plant eats Mushnik.






77 Screens close. Lights fade to

blackout. Lights restore.

78Money Bernstein

distributes. Contract.

79

Costume change of actor playing

Berntstein into Mrs. Luce wearing a

business suit with a little fox fur at the

collar, a hat with a veil, and high heels.

80

Mrs. Luce has a purse. Costume change from

Mrs. Luce to Snip, trenchcoated.

Another contract. Wad of money.

81 Another contract.

82

Crystal, Ronnette, and Chiffon wearing

sequined gowns, long gloves, high heels, and elaborately teased and styled Girl-Group wigs






83

Screens closed. Screens open to reveal the shop "late one stormy night". The plant now occupies

most of the shop's playing area in one way or another.

Lights narrow on Seymour. Blackout.

Lighting projection on closed screens.

Another lightning flash.

Thunder. More thunder

Snip hands the three girls a $10 bill each. The plant now occupies most of the shop's playing area in one

way or another. Typewriter. Portrait of

Mushnik with label reading "Our Founder"

84Lightening in the

window. Thunder. Thunder

Dictionary. The plant chants "Food!"

85 Thunder fadesAudrey wearing a yellow rain slicker

Plant resumes neutral upright position. Gun

86 Tik Toc

Audrey wearing a white nightgown and

holding Seymours jacket.

The plant is interested when Seymour pricks his finger. The plant returns

to upright neutral.

87

The plant pans towards Audrey. Plant turns back to Seymour. Plant opens focuses on Audrey. Plant

follows Audrey. Plant nods "yes". Plant sings in Audrey's direction. Plant

rises to full height.

88 Plant grows more

forcefully. Watering can






89

Branch of the plant decends on Audrey,

entangling her, pulling her to and fro. Branch shovels Audrey toward the pod, which opens

wide and chomps on her, then chews.Roast beef. Pod and branches lower

to floor.

90

Lights mirror the mood, the sunset goes nuts. The image is one

of Wagnerian splendor.

The plants mammoth trap opens very slowly.

91Clock on the wall has

moved to nine o'clock.Lights change to

morning.

The pod slowly closes. Five dollar bill. Contract.

Plant rises to full standing position.

92

Drum plays two rim-shots to indicate the sound of gun firing.

Two more rim-shots.

Gun. Container of rat poison. Plant spits out poison. Machete. Pod

slams shut on Seymour. Plant opens a little and

neatly spits the machete out onto the floor.






93 Screens close.

Crystal, Ronnette, and Chiffon wearing white

lab coats decorated with green World

Botanical Enterprises insignias.

Carton with three pots inside.

94Screens open. Clouds of smoke that swirl around

Audrey Two.

Audrey Two has huge and powerful new branches, making it as wide as the shop itself. Four flowers,

in the center of each blood-red bloom, the face

of a dead character.

95

Plant moves down toward the audience,

using its branches like a monsterous botanical

crab, to pull itself along. Plant stops right before the first row. Branches fan out, menacing the

audience. Pod pans the house snapping at it

showing its teeth to one side, then the other. Plant

opens wider than we've ever seen.






96 Blackout.

Vines cascade down at the audience from the

ceiling. The whole theatre is taken over by the plant.

Plants "jaws" come snapping forcefully closed on the last beat of music.



little shop of horrors - michaelina lee miller

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