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hostess-of-horror · 2 years

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Ok, since you're doing character opinion bingo, how's about our friendly neighborhood non-gender specific human flesh consuming plant, Audrey II?

*deep inhale*

@snailstrailz, you have NO idea how happy I am now that I have an opportunity to blab about my favorite musical character!

More Down Below 👇

First off... Audrey II has a very special place in my heart. I am deeply in love with the Broadway musical and both movies (the original 60's film and the 80's iconic film).

Second, fun fact about me: I was the puppeteer for Audrey II in my high school's production of Little Shop of Horrors when I was a Senior! Absolutely loved being the role of a carnivorous monster! I still have one of the props given to me by the head counselor/director after the last performance.

And third... Allow me to obsessively ramble/rant about my precious blood-thirsty blorbo...

So many LSOH/musical fans on Tumblr are going to hate me for this, but I don't give a shit:

The original Broadway ending (everyone dies and Audrey II wins) is a much better ending than the theatrical one (Seymour destroys Audrey II, he and Audrey live happily ever after).

There's this sort of "moral superiority" amongst fans when it comes to the ending, where those who like the happy ending are "correct" and therefore "good people." Those who don't, like me, are nothing but terrible assholes. (Note: this does not apply to all LSOH fans, but it is a pretty popular opinion on Tumblr)

For me, seeing Audrey II successfully take over America and devour everyone in their path is satisfying, especially since I at one point was Audrey II. In a lot of ways, it reminds me of one of my favorite video games, Destroy All Humans. The entire premise of that game is to destroy all humans as an alien from outer space to achieve a higher goal. Sound familiar? I understand that people like happy endings, but sometimes happy endings don't give the overall story a great impact on the audience.

Yeah, yeah, I know there's a difference between the Broadway musical and the movie (the characters who died on stage are still living, while in the movie they don't come back), but my point still stands. Little Shop of Horrors is a horror-comedy, but it's also a tragedy about how desperation can lead to consumption, literally and figuratively, and how such acts of desperation can lead to even bigger problems - bigger than hula hoops!

Sometimes watching how humanity can be brought down to its knees and be completely destroyed brings a better message than just having the hero save the day in the end. Do all the characters deserve such an ending? No, of course not. But as much as we want to see Seymour and Audrey get the life they yearns for, I feel like Seymour's actions aren't exactly "fixable" or "forgivable." What I mean is: Seymour kinda brought all of this onto himself, and ultimately and eventually, Audrey. Even if he did have good intentions ("Hell is paved with good intentions" is a good quote to describe this). Remember, we are talking about an alien Venus flytrap that eats humans, not some run-of-the-mill romance-drama plot.

PLUS: on top of themes of desperation and hunger, it's a commentary on how a lot of Americans yearn for a better future and lifestyle but can't because of mental health/poverty/being trapped/lack of means to improve or provide themselves. Seymour agrees to feed Audrey II because he wants the girl and have a better life for both of them. This can easily be applied with situations like drug dealing, prostitution, con artistry, and other shady ways. Sure, Seymour does become famous and gets the girl, but at what cost? What he did to get to that point harmed everyone around him and eventually became his downfall. Giving Seymour the perfect happy ending kind of downplays that moral lesson.

And not to mention! The original ending where a bunch of Audrey IIs grow and attack all of America is beautifully crafted by the film developers! The artistry! The dedication! The editing! Everything about it is just so well made...

All of that... Just to be shat on and completely re-shot by critics and audience because they wanted a "happy ending."

Imagine having to go through hours, days, and months working on such a brilliant scene for a brilliant movie and then being told that everyone hates what you've worked so hard on.

That, on top of everything I've said here, is why Audrey II is my blorbo.

Thank you for coming to my TED talk.

#character bingo meme #character bingo #audrey ii #Audrey II #Little Shop of Horrors #lsoh #audrey II LSOH #musicals #horror musical

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