From The Movie Snob, a review of the traveling production of the Broadway musical Little Shop of Horrors.

*** SPOILER ALERT *** SPOILER ALERT *** SPOILER ALERT ***

If you haven't seen the 1986 movie version and you like musicals, you should skip this review and get a copy of the movie immediately. My little sister and I both loved the film, starring Rick Moranis, Ellen Greene, and Steve Martin, and I had high hopes for the live production. They were mostly satisfied, but I have to say that the movie strikes me as a more satisfying work. Of course, the plot is basically the same in both: a run-down florist on Skid Row employs a hopeless nerd named Seymour and a good-hearted blonde named Audrey. Unfortunately, Audrey is dating a sadistic dentist, and the shop is on the verge of bankruptcy. The shop is saved when Seymour discovers a very unusual plant, which he names "Audrey II," and customers start flocking to see the thing. Things get weird when Seymour finds that the plant needs human blood to survive, and even weirder when the now-gigantic plant starts talking to him -- and demanding more and more food. In both versions, Seymour is torn between the desire to maintain his newfound celebrity (and budding romance with the human Audrey) and revulsion at what it will take to keep Audrey II alive and drawing the crowds. But I remember him being a significantly more sympathetic character in the movie, as compared to the musical in which he takes a noticeably more active role in finding "plant food." Maybe that's why the musical ends with everybody, including Seymour, getting eaten by Audrey II (who is ultimately revealed to be a space alien bent on world conquest), while the movie ends on a happier note befitting its less sordid hero. Still, the music can't be beat, and the performances were fine, so check out the musical if you get the chance.