Ellen Greene can still do a killer Audrey.
In conversation, she seamlessly slips in and out of that singular voice 鈥� a little breathy, a little squeaky, a little lispy, a little New York 鈥� that made her 鈥淟ittle Shop of Horrors鈥� heroine an instant icon. It wasn鈥檛 a register she鈥檇 planned on hitting at the audition. It just came out of her in the moment, and it stuck.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 think about it,鈥� Greene, 75, said in a recent interview with The Associated Press. 鈥淚t was weird, I mean, I don鈥檛 know where half of this stuff came from.鈥�
Back on tour with 鈥楲ittle Shop鈥�
In her long and robust career on the stage and screen, Audrey is perhaps Greene鈥檚 defining role. Her tragicomic shopgirl of skid row belted her way into audiences鈥� hearts off-Broadway in 1982, and then in Frank Oz鈥檚 1986 film opposite Rick Moranis.
The catchy musical about that flesh-eating plant is never too far in the rearview either. Every few years it seems she鈥檚 beckoned for an encore. In 2015, she reprised the role for three sold-out shows, with Jake Gyllenhaal playing Seymour.
Starting this weekend, she’ll be making stops around the country for the next few months for 40th anniversary screenings, from Seattle (Aug. 18) to Atlanta (Nov. 13). Performances of 鈥淪omewhere That鈥檚 Green鈥� have been promised too.
‘Somewhere That鈥檚 Green’
That aching ballad about wanting more, aside from being one of the big showstoppers, holds a special place for Greene. She remembers first listening to it on the unemployment line, waiting to get her check, and quietly singing along.
鈥淚 just knew there was an Audrey inside of me waiting to be born,鈥� Greene said.
She carried that feeling to the audition where composer Alan Menken jumped in to play the piano with lyricist Howard Ashman, already her great friend, looking on. When she finished, everyone was in tears.
Getting the role wasn鈥檛 any sort of immediate windfall either. When they started at the WPA Theatre in New York, she was being paid $50 a week for a month of rehearsals and two months of shows off-Broadway. But it was a hit. One night, Steve Martin, who would later play Audrey鈥檚 abusive dentist boyfriend in the film, even came to see it with Mary Tyler Moore.
On the stage, she performed 鈥淪omewhere That’s Green鈥� sitting on a trash can. For the film, Ashman wrote the number to be staged like the Leslie Caron and Cyd Charisse numbers they both loved, where a character walks into a room and suddenly they鈥檙e in a different outfit for the song.
鈥淵ou would think I would just have been floored and so excited that he gave me this gift,鈥� she said. 鈥淚nstead, I call him up and I鈥檓 crying my eyes out. And I鈥檓 saying, wait for this, 鈥榃here鈥檚 my trash can?鈥欌��
Ashman, she said, just laughed and assured her that they鈥檇 elicit the same response when the camera pans out to reveal she鈥檚 still on skid row. Ironically, this whole exchange happened before she鈥檇 even officially been cast in the movie.
How the audience saved Audrey from dying
The story of how the film was made is long and bumpy. John Landis was originally attached to direct, then, briefly, Martin Scorsese, before it found its way to Oz. Greene鈥檚 participation was never a given, either. Producer David Geffen wanted to get a 鈥渂igger name,鈥� like Cyndi Lauper, on screen.
鈥淚 never thought I would have gotten the film,鈥� Greene said.
But it鈥檚 hard to imagine anyone else turning in a performance as distinctive. Test audiences loved her Audrey so much that they wholly rejected an ending in which she dies.
鈥淚 love that death scene, personally,鈥� Greene said. 鈥淏ut I had an inkling, you see, because Frank directed the Audrey for the screen more heroine-like.鈥�
He鈥檇 taken out lines from the play like 鈥測ou don鈥檛 meet nice boys when you live on skid row,鈥� she said in Audrey-speak. She thinks it set her up a little differently. Then at the end, there鈥檚 the line 鈥渨hen I die, which should be very shortly.鈥� On stage, she said it to the audience. In the film, she says it to Seymour. It’s more intimate and serious.
鈥淔rank thinks it鈥檚 because we didn鈥檛 take a bow, like in the play, but I think it鈥檚 because it鈥檚 just the line is interpreted two different ways. One sets it up that this is silly and I鈥檓 OK, and the other one is it鈥檚 real and it鈥檚 touching,鈥� she said.
Oz ultimately relented and they shot a happier conclusion. Now, Greene just likes that they both exist (the original in a director鈥檚 cut).
Keeping Howard Ashman’s memory alive
Remembering 鈥淟ittle Shop鈥� is also a way to remember Ashman, who died of complications related to AIDS in 1991. Their friendship was one of many laughs, songs and adventures. He even took her on her first trip to Paris.
鈥淲e got into my room and he put on a bubble bath, because he knows I love bubble baths. I got into the bath, he gave me Champagne, he gave me caviar, he put on Piaf,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e had separate rooms, of course, but we were close, so what can you do? And I鈥檓 from the theater, so I鈥檓 not modest.鈥�
He also looked out for her. When they were drawing up contracts for the 鈥淟ittle Shop鈥� stage run, all she could think about was making sure London was in there. Unbeknownst to her, Ashman had also given her a half point of the profit, 鈥渂ecause I created Audrey,鈥� she said.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 how generous and kind he was and how much he loved me,鈥� she said. 鈥淓verybody loves Audrey because we, I, loved her first. And everybody loves 鈥淟ittle Shop鈥� because we put so much love in it 鈥� I am so grateful and very humble because when they love 鈥楲ittle Shop鈥�, they keep it alive, and they keep Howard Ashman alive.鈥�
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