Little Shop of Horrors Essay

932 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Analysis of 'Little Shop of Horrors' play

I saw the play Little Shop of Horrors by Howard Ashman on Saturday the 7th of December 2013, at my school Dubai International Academy. It was about how a single but dangerous plant makes and breaks the Mushnik's Skid Row Florists business, and the romantic conflict as well as the traitorous characteristics of Seymour Krelborn. The main themes of the play are horror and comedy. I think that the production of the play was very successful as they had the audience locked into the story and overall, it was a very enjoyable and entertaining experience.
The set of the play Little Shop of Horrors was a complex type of stage. It looked as it if were turntable style, for example, after each major scene which changed the look of the florist’s shop, the turntable would rotate, changing the look and design of the shop and adding, subtracting or changing the look of different props in the shop, like the mysterious plant. This greatly added to the atmosphere of the play, as it showed different stages of the shop’s development. The use of this type of set was surprising as the whole layout of the shop would change very quickly and swiftly, even though the actors were not always on the stage.
The costumes of the actors were around the 1980’s style of clothing, making use of bright neon colors like orange, blue, pink, and lots more. For some of the actors and actresses, their hairstyles date back to the 80’s style. All of this did add to the effect of the set as it improved the authenticity of the scenes.
There were many uses of sound in the play, for example, voice overs, sound effects, music, beats and more. The sounds used made the scene more realistic and made the audience feel like they are there with the characters. Some sounds which wer...

... middle of paper ...

... They played their parts quite differently, they spoke differently, looked different, and their body language was different too. The character cast was appropriate for their parts as they had sounded like they were different people as compared to their first casting.
Not a lot of special effects were used in this play. The only special effect used was the lighting effects. They were used to create more depth into the play. It worked very well as it made the play seem all the more realistic.
I think that the play ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ performed in DIA was very successful as it perfectly incorporated all the elements of drama together and it all worked together well. The elements of drama used in this play was; set, costume, sound, lighting, characters & characterization, units of action, dialogue, pacing & timing, director’s decisions, and special effects.

Show More
Related

  • Analysis Of The Spitfire Grill

    976 Words  | 2 Pages

    It is imperative to understand the significance of the profound effects these elements have on the audience’s response to the play. Without effective and accurate embodiments of the central themes, seeing a play becomes an aimless experience and the meaning of the message is lost. Forgiveness and redemption stand as the central themes of the message in The Spitfire Grill. Actors communicate character development through both nonverbal and verbal cues; their costumes serve as a visual representation of this development by reflecting the personal transformation of each character. In the case of The Spitfire Grill, set design is cut back to allow for the audience’s primary focus to be on the actors and their story. Different from set design, the use of sound and lights in The Spitfire Grill, establishes the mood for the play. In other words, every theatrical element in a play has a purpose; when befittingly manipulated, these elements become the director’s strongest means of expressing central themes, and therefore a means of achieving set objectives. Here again, The Spitfire Grill is no exception. With the support of these theatrical elements, the play’s themes of forgiveness and redemption shine as bright as the moon on

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Play Steel Magnolias

    748 Words  | 2 Pages

    The use of lights throughout the play did not vary often. Throughout most of the play, bright overhead lights portrayed the play’s main set room: a small town beauty salon. The lights created an atmosphere that was not only cheerful, but also warm and inviting. On each side of the stage, warm, more natural lighting was used to make the small outdoor areas more realistic. Lights were also used to convey

    Read More

  • Set in a Failing Floral Shop, the Little Shop of Horrors by Howard Ashman

    643 Words  | 2 Pages

    ... of the floral shop at the beginning of the play, I would have the stage set with very minimal set pieces to emphasize the absence of wealth. I would have a very apparent clock in the opening scene to emphasize the time slowly ticking by. I think that the emphasis should be on the plant and on the characters, not on an elaborate store or set pieces on the stage. The main set piece should be the elaboration of the plant as it grows and thrives. Nothing should take away from this. I think that the absence of unnecessary props will allow the audience members to interpret the underdevelopment of Skid Row and also concentrate on the development of the plot and the character changes, especially in the case of Seymour and Audrey as they begin their relationship, which will cause the ending scene to be all the more dramatic when they both die at the hands of Audrey II.

    Read More

  • The Moon Over Buffalo Play Analysis

    1217 Words  | 3 Pages

    The music and sound effects are in the same pont with what the author nedded to say in that play. In the smok and sword fight on the first act we thought will be a play where every body is confusing and fight each other. The phone ringing all the time and this help the actors to play around in the hury and action come up with rehearsal process. The purposes of the phone is any time we heart that something is going to happen, so we expectin to change the sequence in the play. Ringing the phone open a problem, hanging up the phone close the problem. Opening and shoutting the door of dressing room as a slamming it create for the audience understanding the flow of the show and leaves the flexibility as we see white and black to the performance. Crying with tears make the player dramatic, but afraid of discover which it trying to keep things together laughting and

    Read More

  • YENTL, The Bashevis Singer

    676 Words  | 2 Pages

    A general air of superficiality invades the production. Why? Unless done with reality, the play loses its “tam” (Yiddish for taste), fringes on mockery of the way of life being depicted, and weakens the accomplishment of the author’s purpose.

    Read More

  • The Music Man Play Analysis

    695 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Music Man made interesting use of the technical aspects of theatre. Sound was used appropriately, as music from the monitors did not overpower the voices of the actors. Lights, however, did not leave any sort of impression on me. Hardly any lights were utilized to enhance the mood were present. This caused for less emphasization on spectacle than what would be expected of such a dramatic play. Although, intricate costumes and set made up for the dull lighting techniques.

    Read More

  • Critical Analysis Of Peter And The Starcatcher

    1047 Words  | 3 Pages

    The scenery shows realistic sets in the play. The text is very episodic that show the parts of the events in a story. The conflict shows a rough experience of growing up with adults, who are treating the orphaned boys very abusive and having some troubles on where they belonged. Peter, other boys, and Molly have some kinds of conflicts about being a leader and succeeding the mission where the Lord Astar (Molly’s father) have to send to Molly. The conflict has already resolved when they have completed their mission and kept their group safe. It also affects my overall experience that the conflict between different characters did show different perspectives on how they lead and express their experience of leadership in their mission. The space of the theater was small, but it’s large enough for the actors to perform and for the audience to see. The scenery designer Andrew Breithaupt of this play did show a specific place and time. For example, the beginning shows the ship and what era is it. The scenery is also very real locale in the play, and it’s very appropriate views toward the audience for non-professional and school play. The scenery of this play did show more realistic-moving type, but it did move some parts of the scene that I see in the play. Also, it showed the surprising element of changing the sets than the scene. Costume Designer Amy Zsadanyi-Yale did give the clues about the timeline, personalities of every character in the play. But I believe that the costumes should get focused on connecting the situations in the play. For example, an orphanage that the nameless boy (Peter) and other boys lived should have ragged-looking or something damage into the costumes so it can create an effect on costumes from the scene. The costumes show the conflicts and interpersonal relationships, but I should consider that the social groups in this play should look something different from the orphanage and upper class. Lightning and

    Read More

  • Musical Comedy Murder Of 1940 Case Study

    701 Words  | 2 Pages

    First of all, I’m going to start with musical comedy murder of 1940. Before the play started I was skeptical about watching a play because I thought it was going to be boring. I had a long time not attending to a theatrical play so; I kind of forgot how it felt to be watching a live play. When I arrived to the theater I felted welcome pleasant from the people who welcomed everyone to come inside the theatre. The play turns out to be amazing through the whole play I was laughing, excited it really caught my attention because the actors did a terrific job playing each scene and lines. The setting and lights of the play was plan very well for example; in of the scene actors and actress talked

    Read More

  • A Critique on Purlie

    618 Words  | 2 Pages

    The production had many elements which for the most part formed a coalition to further the plot. The characters, the three part scenery and costumes represented well the period of time these people were going through. As far as the performers entering and exiting the stage, it could have been more organized. There were a few times when the performers exited at the wrong times or it seemed so due to the echo of the music. At certain moments the music was slightly loud and drowned the performers. Many of the songs dragged on, so the pacing could have been more effectively executed. Though the music was off at times, the director's decision to have most of the songs performed center sage was a wise one. Also the implementation of actual white characters that were competent in their roles came as a great surprise to the audience and heightened the realism.

    Read More

  • Seven Guitars, by August Wilson, Directed by Derrick Sanders

    1029 Words  | 3 Pages

    The tragedy Seven Guitars by August Wilson captures the audience with a captivating tragedy with plenty of comedy. With the numerous themes referencing slavery, racism, and death this play keeps the audience intrigued. The amazing scenery by Fred Uebele was created without flaw and developed the play smoothly as well with the music in the play was executed at great times and held the play together through transitions into scenes. Additionally, the acting in the play was above any expectations I had. Characters were performed flawlessly and the actors really complimented their characters. I would recommend this play for anyone whether it was his or her first or last.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Sweeney Todd Play And Movie

    839 Words  | 2 Pages

    The lighting played a major role in setting the tone for both the theatre performance and the movie. In both the film and play, the lighting was dimmed and the non-important elements, such as background elements, were often hidden in the shadows. In the film the murky lighting also hid Todd in the shadows, in order to increase the suspense and further emphasize his intimidating demeanor. In the play,

    Read More

  • The Little Shop Of Horrors Analysis

    750 Words  | 2 Pages

    The “Little Shop of Horrors” was first a film created by Roger Corman, which was distributed as a B-movie in 1960—back when Jack Nicholson was first starting to make a living as a working actor. It slowly gained recognition and fame throughout the years, until acquiring a cult status. The low-budget film from the 1960s came to earn popularity mostly because it was turned into a musical by Alan Menken (music) and Howard Ashman (book and lyrics) that was premiered off-off Broadway. It is also what Brandeis University’s theater club Tympanium Euphorium presented between Nov. 19th to the 22nd at the SCC Theater.

    Read More

  • Symbolism In The Cinderella

    931 Words  | 2 Pages

    When you first enter the theater, you are immediately in awe of the strongest aspect of this production: the set. The stage features a life-sized enchanted forest with “tress” as tall as the ceiling and a lit-up backdrop of a twilight sky. The tress would move around throughout the performance to make way for different scenes. In front of your very eyes, an enchanted forest would turn into the outside of a charming house with a lit porch and a well. The twilight sky would turn to a starlit sky and a soft spotlight simulating moonlight would compliment the faint sound of crickets. Suddenly the house and tress move around and you’re in a town with a little cart selling baguettes, or a lush dining room with Victorian wallpaper, a chandelier, and china displayed on the walls. The world shakes once again and now you’re in, inevitably, a ballroom. A white Victorian gate opens up to become the walls of the ballroom, and a white marble bridge and staircase appear for the outside of the castle. Adults and children alike were in awe of the craftsmanship and technology.

    Read More

  • The Glass Menagerie

    789 Words  | 2 Pages

    Overall this production was very interesting and well performed. It was somewhat enjoyable to the audience, there were times of boringness but the comedy kept the play interesting. The director did a great job of putting everything together and as a result everything was on point. The only thing to say that would better the play is to make the play more interesting to the audience so that the audience does not get tired of watching.

    Read More

  • The Use of Sound in Coppola’s The Conversation

    2672 Words  | 6 Pages

    As an audience we are manipulated from the moment a film begins. In this essay I wish to explore how The Conversation’s use of sound design has directly controlled our perceptions and emotional responses as well as how it can change the meaning of the image. I would also like to discover how the soundtrack guides the audience’s attention with the use of diegetic and nondiegetic sounds.

    Read More

More about Little Shop of Horrors Essay

Open Document