The Dynamic Between Seymour And Audrey II

The dynamic between Seymour and Audrey II

Since I’m ALWAYS thinking about musicals, especially horror-comedy ones, I was thinking about how Seymour interacts with Twoey and came up with something interesting I wanted to share!

So, the plot hinges on Seymour being bullied/persuaded by Audrey II to do its bidding. This got me thinking about how something as simple as who voices the plant could affect the relationship between the two.

The role is, of course, traditionally male. Seeing as the only vaguely parental figure Seymour ever had was Mushnik, who constantly berated and verbally abused him, it makes sense that Seymour would feel inclined to obey the giant baritone monster plant barking orders at him. 

With Twoey having a male voice, Seymour likely operates in a place of fear and submission, feeling like he has to obey because that’s what he’s always done with the authority in his life. He convinces himself he deserves Mushnik’s abuse, and carries that attitude on to Twoey. 

But masculine-sounding Audrey II is not what I wanted to focus on today.

I don’t know if you guys have seen any bootlegs of productions where Twoey was voiced by a woman, but hot damn are those ladies amazing. I brought this up to my drama teacher recently and she questioned how the would affect the dynamic between Twoey and Seymour.

So here’s what I think:

I believe it would be easier for it to manipulate Seymour if it had a more feminine voice. As I mentioned before, Seymour had no parents, and his only caretaker was Mushnik (a man) who contributed a great deal to Seymour’s inferiority complex and fearful nature.

So imagine, if you will, Seymour taking care of this plant, nurturing it in a way he never was. When it speaks to him for the first time, with the voice of an adult, human woman, imagine how this boy would react? This boy who grew up with no parents, riddled with fear and guilt towards the only guardian he has, suddenly having some sort of female authority in his life, promising him everything he wants? Of course he’s going to listen!

With a masculine voice, Twoey taps into Seymour’s fear of letting people down. I think a feminine voice would prey on his eagerness to please. They stem from the same place, of course, but the subtle differences are what I feel define the possible dynamics between Seymour and Audrey II.

Neither is better or worse, they’re just different. They’re differences the audience would pick up on, even subconsciously, and I think it’s a fun dynamic to analyze. 

TLDR; Masculine Twoey manipulates Seymour’s daddy issues, Feminine Twoey manipulates his mommy issues.

Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk