If we’re going to reminisce about one of the most offbeat, unique and downright bizarre films in history, Little Shop of Horrors is on the shortlist. To be fair, it was actually two movies, and a plethora of stage productions. Regardless, Little Shop is simply one of the most delightfully weird things Hollywood has ever produced. We have loved both versions of the movie since childhood, and we’re not alone. The cult classic has a massive following. Devoted fans turn up at screenings and stage shows with their children and even grandchildren to share the strange wonder of a plant from space that sings and eats people. If we were going to pick any one singer that fits the same description of charming and bizarre musical, and mildly horrifying beauty with a cult following, we know who we’d name. Lady Gaga is the one. From dresses made of meat and stuffed animals to… well frankly everything she does, Lady Gaga is the sort of counter-culture icon that is perfect for a film or stage production of Little Shop of horrors.
Star Studded History
In the ever so inspired and incredibly odd original, Jack Nicholson played the masochistic dental patient. Little Shop may not be the role most people remember him playing, but it was one of his first credits. Moreover, it established Jack as one of the great Hollywood weirdos of all time. If you’ve never known the joy of watching Jack Nicholson beg a sadistic dentist for more pain, you have managed to miss one of the greatest bizarro funny moments in cult film history. We suggest you take the time to go back and screen the original cult classic that inspired a million cries of “Feed Me, Seymour!” if it’s been a while. For those who’ve never seen it, you need to add this shot in two days on a bet cult classic to your film repertoire. There’s nothing quite like going back to the root of it all to see why people love something so much.
Rick Moranis, Bill Murray & Steve Martin
Most folks are more familiar with the 1986 version of the film starring, among others, Bill Murray, Rick Moranis, and Steve Martin. The remade 80s film used actors who were just starting to come into their own and raised the bar on the cult classic. It was a brilliant move that ultimately paid off. Continuing the trend of moving Little Shop from cult classic to cultural phenomenon was the right choice. Remaking it and casting increasingly popular actors and talent had great success in the 80s, and the latest remake could easily do it again. (No offense to Jack Nicholson, we love him, but he wasn’t very well known when he was in the 1960s Little Shop of Horrors)
Choosing New Blood
When it comes to casting the next generation remake of Little Shop, one of the best moves the WB could make is already a rumor. Casting Lady Gaga as Audrey makes perfect sense. She’s an established musician with millions of teeming fans and a cult-like following. Gaga has the range and strange in spades, both of which are well suited to Little Shop. Yet any fan of the singer knows that there’s a whole lot more to her than a pretty face and a good voice.
Lady Gaga is…
We’d never try to box in all that Lady Gaga is and represents to her fans. We can say that some of the things she’s done and lived through show how well suited she is to the Audrey role. To be in a funny horror classic like Little Shop, you need a great sense of humor and the macabre. Anyone who’s been on SNL as a musical act, host, and sketch played by someone else must have a fantastic sense of self and an even better sense of comedy. We think the Lady would play the cheesy, overdramatic Audrey to the hilt. We can easily see her slinking around in a sexy sweater set belting out, “Suddenly Seymour.”
Simply put, upgrading Audrey with a superstar musical talent like Lady Gaga is a genuinely next-generation upgrade. We are confident that watching Gaga as Audrey, or even Audrey II would be worth waiting in line for tickets. As a blonde vamp, she’s already there, and we know she’d steal the scene every time with her dazzling stage presence.
Darkly Modern Reboots
The irony of the situation is that Lady Gaga could easily step into Audrey’s shoes in a more literal way. No, she hasn’t met a people-eating plant from space (as far as we know), but she is familiar with abusive relationships. In 2014 she told Howard Stern that she was assaulted by a music producer when she was only a teenager. It changed her to the core. We think she can bring some of that depth and seriousness to a modern-era Audrey. It might even be a strangely cathartic experience for her.
If you watch TV or movies at all, you’ll have seen at least one or two rebooted shows. TV in the 2010s, like the world itself, has changed. Children see more violence and sexuality at much earlier ages than they did in the mid to late 1900s. Any good remake has to have a modern audience in mind. Dora the Explorer faced real dangers. Detective Pikachu was voiced by Ryan Reynolds, which says enough even if you never saw a trailer for the movie. There’s no singer who more perfectly matches the dark and light, humor and gore attitude of Little Shop of Horrors. With her blood-soaked Paparazzi outfit on display at her new Haus of Gaga Fashion Exhibition, you can see she’s comfortable around stage blood.
Final Thoughts
We go Gaga over the idea of casting the Lady herself in Little Shop of Horrors. If casting were like fantasy football, we’d be green with envy over Director Greg Berlanti’s potential lineup. Only time will tell if Lady Gaga ends up taking on the part, but we hope she does. No one deserves to become a cult icon (again) more, and we think fans of both the singer and Little Shop will be thrilled over the combination.
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