Little Shop of Horrors Character breakdowns
The musical is set in 1950s America.
The Story
Seymour, a naive orphan, was taken in and given a job by Mr. Mushnik, the Jewish owner of a run down
Florists in the seedy part of town, Skid Row. Seymour spends his time doing menial tasks, being berated
by Mr Mushnik and dreaming of the shop assistant, Audrey. One day, just after an eclipse of the Sun,
Seymour discovers a strange plant. He buys it, names it Audrey II and by displaying it in the shop
suddenly attracts the customers the shop has been missing. While caring for Audrey II, Seymour
discovers the plant's rather unique appetite for blood (and later flesh!). Audrey is frequently beaten up
by her sadistic dentist boyfriend and in response to the plant’s ever demanding threats, Seymour kills
the dentist and feeds him to the plant. Mushnik pieces together clues about the strange goings on and
the plot thickens. Will Audrey II take over the world or will Seymour and Audrey defeat it?
Cast of Characters
SEYMOUR (Tenor - playing age of mid 20s) Our insecure, naïve, put-upon, florists’ clerk hero. Above all,
he’s a sweet and well-meaning little man. He is not a silly nerd, and therefore, should not be played as
the hero of a Jerry Lewis film. Strong acting and singing.
AUDREY (Mezzo-soprano - similar playing age to Seymour) The bleached-blond, Billie-Dawn-like secret
love of his live. If you took Judy Holiday, Carol Channing, Marilyn Monroe, and Goldie Hawn, removed
their education and feelings of self-worth, dressed them in spiked heels and a short black dress, and
then shook them up in a test tube to extract what’s sweetest and most vulnerable – that’d be Audrey.
Strong acting/comedy and singing.
MR(Baritone)/MRS(Mezzo-Soprano) MUSHNIK (middle aged? Old enough to ‘adopt’ Seymour as his son)
This part can be played by either male or female. Their boss. A failure of an East Side florist. His/Her
accent, if he/she has one, is more that of middle class New York than of Eastern Europe. S/He seldom
smiles but often sweats. Strong character actor (some singing)
ORIN (Baritone -late 20s-early 40s?) A tall, dark, handsome dentist with a black leather jacket and cruel
tendencies. He is not, however, a leftover from the movie version of Grease. Think instead of an
egotistical pretty-boy – all got up like a greaser but thinking alike and insurance salesman and talking like
a radio announcer. Makes a couple of brief, but high impact, appearances. Strong character actor and
singer.
THE PLANT (AUDREY II) Silent/Puppeteer - An anthropomorphic cross between a giant Venus flytrap and
an avocado. It has a huge, nasty-looking pod which gains a shark-like aspect when open and snapping at
food. The creature is played by a series of four increasing large puppets, manipulated by one non-
speaking Puppeteer hidden invisibly inside. The plant grows from a few inches tall, to almost filling the
stage. The role requires someone with physical acting skills to portray character and emotion purely
through movement, and stamina to operate the large, heavy puppet.
VOICE OF THE PLANT (Baritone) – Provided by an actor on an offstage microphone, lip-syncing to the
movements of the puppets. His voice is a cross between Otis Redding, Barry White, and Wolfman Jack.
