Audrey's appeal

Apples2for10 · Audrey's appeal

I have a hard time seeing what's so appealing about playing Audrey. Obviously, she's an important part of the show, but IMO she's one of the worst female characters in musical theater. She's incredibly weak and her singing doesn't offer a great deal of challenges. Can someone explain to me the appeal of playing Audrey?

SmallTownIngenue

Audrey is one of my dream roles. The appeal for me is that Little Shop is one of my favorite shows, and Audrey is such an interesting role IMO because if you act it right the audience really feels for her and her story and thinks of her as more than a dumb blonde. And I think her singing does offer some challenges, because not only do you have to have a nice light head voice for Somewhere That's Green, you have to be a fierce belter for Suddenly Seymour.

And who doesn't love a good onstage death? Very Happy

elizabethjaneforrest

It's a character role that just happens to be a romantic lead. You usually don't get those two together.

Brad Walker

Well, that all depends on your definition of "weak". I personally don't find her weak at all, sure, she has serious self-confidence issues, but she's also sincere, hopeful, trusting, and forgiving. She's only as weak as the actress who plays her. Plus, as elizabethjaneforrest said, the draw of both Audrey and Seymour is that they're character roles AND romantic leads.

acc921

Weak? Audrey has had a life of constant abuse. She's damaged, not weak. There's a difference. Frankly, Audrey's life kind of sucks and she's hugely insecure. That's why it's a fantastic part, because as others have said, not only is it a romantic lead, but there's actually a lot of depth to the character, as well as a huge opportunity to flaunt any comedic talent the actress should have. I think it's a fantastic role. Audrey is three dimensional, and a lot of female romantic leads in Musical Theater have NO depth whatsoever, they're just there to look pretty and sing soprano. As someone who considers themselves an actress who sings, not vice versa, the fact that Audrey's songs aren't very difficult isn't a problem, because regardless, they are a) beautiful songs and b) there's a ton of material to work with outside the music that is challenging.

Missa

I think a lot of people can relate to having a dream of something that's better and to a point, bigger than themselves.

On that level, I feel a lot can connect to her.

Her songs aren't exactly fantasticly easy to sing either.

If your "thing" is belting & such, then they're not difficult.

She doesn't have the most vocally demanding role in musical theatre,
but someone who has no ability to belt wouldn't be able to pull it off as they should.

And she has to sing some fairly high notes, especally in Don't Feed the Plants. (that is if the director doesn't have her sing down an octave)

Apples2for10	Audrey's appeal I have a hard time seeing what's so appealing about playing Audrey. Obviously, she's an important part of the show, but IMO she's one of the worst female characters in musical theater. She's incredibly weak and her singing doesn't offer a great deal of challenges. Can someone explain to me the appeal of playing Audrey?
SmallTownIngenue	Audrey is one of my dream roles. The appeal for me is that Little Shop is one of my favorite shows, and Audrey is such an interesting role IMO because if you act it right the audience really feels for her and her story and thinks of her as more than a dumb blonde. And I think her singing does offer some challenges, because not only do you have to have a nice light head voice for Somewhere That's Green, you have to be a fierce belter for Suddenly Seymour. And who doesn't love a good onstage death?
elizabethjaneforrest	It's a character role that just happens to be a romantic lead. You usually don't get those two together.
Brad Walker	Well, that all depends on your definition of "weak". I personally don't find her weak at all, sure, she has serious self-confidence issues, but she's also sincere, hopeful, trusting, and forgiving. She's only as weak as the actress who plays her. Plus, as elizabethjaneforrest said, the draw of both Audrey and Seymour is that they're character roles AND romantic leads.
acc921	Weak? Audrey has had a life of constant abuse. She's damaged, not weak. There's a difference. Frankly, Audrey's life kind of sucks and she's hugely insecure. That's why it's a fantastic part, because as others have said, not only is it a romantic lead, but there's actually a lot of depth to the character, as well as a huge opportunity to flaunt any comedic talent the actress should have. I think it's a fantastic role. Audrey is three dimensional, and a lot of female romantic leads in Musical Theater have NO depth whatsoever, they're just there to look pretty and sing soprano. As someone who considers themselves an actress who sings, not vice versa, the fact that Audrey's songs aren't very difficult isn't a problem, because regardless, they are a) beautiful songs and b) there's a ton of material to work with outside the music that is challenging.
Missa	I think a lot of people can relate to having a dream of something that's better and to a point, bigger than themselves. On that level, I feel a lot can connect to her. Her songs aren't exactly fantasticly easy to sing either. If your "thing" is belting & such, then they're not difficult. She doesn't have the most vocally demanding role in musical theatre, but someone who has no ability to belt wouldn't be able to pull it off as they should. And she has to sing some fairly high notes, especally in Don't Feed the Plants. (that is if the director doesn't have her sing down an octave)

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Audrey's appeal