Music Book Review: Attack of the Monster Musical: A Cultural History of Little Shop of Horrors by Adam Abraham

Attack of the Monster Musical: A Cultural History of Little Shop of Horrors
by Adam Abraham (Music 782.14 Abr)

In light of the recent Lincoln Community Playhouse production (September 23-October 1, 2023) of the musical Little Shop of Horrors (and the library book list that came out in support of it), I was intrigued by this detailed examination of the the development and history of this dark-humored theater staple, and decided to give it a look.

 

While at times a bit dry and academic, I still found Attack of the Monster Musical to be a fun look back at the origins of Little Shop of Horrors, starting with the creation of Roger Corman’s 1960 low-budget b&w horror film, which was the inspiration for the musical over 20 years later. There’s lots of juicy historical tidbits about the different stages of the musical’s development, including the background of creators Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, how the various Audrey II puppets were created, the changes to the story that were required for the filming of the movie version, and the many musicals that were inspired by Little Shop in the years since. This was definitely an enjoyable read, and I learned a lot about Little Shop of Horrors I had not been aware of before. I do wish that there were more illustrations — the book has about a dozen or so black-and-white photos or drawings, but Little Shop is such a visual-oriented show, I would have loved to have seen more pictures in this.

 

This book should absolutely appeal to anyone who is a Little Shop of Horrors fan, but even if you’re just a musicals fan who’s not so familiar with Little Shop, you should appreciate the detailed background info about what it took to create a quirky off-Broadway show.

 

( Wikipedia entry on the Little Shop of Horrors stage musical ) | ( official Adam Abraham web site )

 

See Scott C.’s review of multiple versions of Little Shop of Horrors in the October 2018 Staff Recommendations here on BookGuide!
See the Recommended Reading List for fans of Little Shop of Horrors among the Lincoln Community Playhouse booklists here on BookGuide!

 

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

Have you read or listened to this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

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