High Tide Theatrical

Every time Kyler J. Sherman-Wilkins returns to Audrey II, he brings a different version of himself to the role.

In our newest blog, Kyler reflects on voicing the plant for the third time, from discovering theatre as a Black queer student in rural high school to returning to Little Shop of Horrors with a deeper understanding of identity, belonging, and what it means to be fully seen.

It is funny, thoughtful, personal, and a beautiful reminder of why stories stay with us.

Read the full blog: hightidesgf.org/feed-me-again-returning-to-audrey-ii-in-little-shop-of-horrors

Today, we recognize Juneteenth.

As we look at the history of Little Shop of Horrors, we also recognize that the show’s sound is deeply connected to Black American musical traditions.

Doo-wop. Rhythm and blues. Soul. Motown. Girl-group harmony. Popular music forms that shaped not only Little Shop, but American musical theatre as a whole.

Juneteenth marks freedom, remembrance, delayed justice, and the ongoing work of honoring Black history beyond a single day.

For us, part of that work is paying attention to the art forms we inherit. The sounds we perform. The stories we stage. The histories that live inside the music.

Today, we pause with gratitude, reflection, and respect for the Black artists, communities, and traditions that have shaped American theatre, music, and storytelling.

Crystal, Ronnette, and Chiffon are some of the most important voices in Little Shop of Horrors.

They are not just background singers. They are narrators, commentators, witnesses, and guides.

In theatre terms, they often function like a Greek chorus, helping frame the story for the audience. They know more than the characters do. They move between humor and warning. They help shape the world of the show.

Their names also point directly to the girl-group era that influenced the musical’s sound: The Crystals, The Ronettes, and The Chiffons.

Through them, Little Shop carries the influence of Black musical traditions, girl-group performance, doo-wop harmony, rhythm and blues, and early Motown-inspired theatrical style.

As we move toward Juneteenth, we are spending time with the history inside the music. Because part of understanding a show is understanding the traditions that made it possible.

One of the reasons Little Shop of Horrors works so well is because it does not sound like a traditional horror story.

The score pulls from early 1960s rock and roll, doo-wop, rhythm and blues, Motown, and girl-group traditions, giving the show its unmistakable sound.

That contrast is part of the brilliance.

A story about a man-eating plant could have been played only for shock or silliness. Instead, the music gives it style, momentum, humor, longing, and emotional depth.

The sound of Little Shop is not just decoration. It is storytelling.

It places us in a world shaped by popular music, street-corner harmony, theatrical narration, and the voices of characters who help us understand the story before the people inside it fully understand themselves.

Before Little Shop of Horrors became a musical theatre favorite, it was a strange little 1960 horror-comedy film directed by Roger Corman.

The original movie was low-budget, odd, darkly funny, and more than a little ridiculous. It had no Broadway polish, no big musical numbers, and no guarantee that anyone would still be talking about it decades later.

But that weirdness became part of its power.

Years later, Howard Ashman and Alan Menken transformed the cult film into a stage musical, keeping its strange, scrappy spirit while giving it a score that made the story feel bigger, sharper, and more unforgettable.

That is part of what makes Little Shop endure. It does not come from prestige. It comes from imagination, camp, horror, comedy, and the belief that even the strangest stories can grow into something iconic.