"Rose Garden of Horrors"
by Reanna King miki_no_shoujo@yahoo.com mailto:miki_no_shoujo@yahoo.com
http://www.geocities.com/miki_no_shoujo
based on the film directed by Frank Oz, which was based on the off-Broadway musical "Little Shop of Horrors" by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, which was based on the original film by Roger Corman
NOTES: Wow, it's time for the second installment of Rose Garden of Horrors! I don't really have any production notes to go with this installment. So without further ado, huzzah and alakazam!
ACT I
Scene 2
TOUGA: Well, I guess I'll be going. I have some student council work to take care of. (stands up)
(Everyone seems to be standing up to go when MIKI reaches under his chair and puts what was there on the table)
MIKI: Just a moment, everyone. Take a look at this.
(They all look at what MIKI has placed on the table. It's a small and strange-looking plant, only about four inches tall, potted in a pot with -what else? -a Rose Seal on it. The stem is about a centimeter thick. Halfway up are a few tiny leaves and several long thorns. At the top is a large flower bud that doesn't seem to have opened yet. It looks awfully sickly. CHU CHU jumps off ANTHY'S shoulder to peruse it.)
CHU CHU: Chu? (lifts one of its drooping leaves then acts as if he intends to eat it)
ANTHY: Don't, Chu Chu!
TOUGA: (looks at THE PLANT, then at MIKI) Well? What is it?
MIKI: Don't know. It looks like a rose, but I couldn't find the species in the library. So I named it myself. (blushes slightly) I call it... an Anthy Two.
UTENA: (raises an eyebrow, but smiles slightly) Anthy Two?
MIKI: (looking shyly at ANTHY) You don't mind, do you?
ANTHY: (shakes her head) No, not at all.
TOUGA: It's a cute name, but make sure Saionji doesn't find about what it's called.
WAKABA: (offscreen) UTENA-SAMAAAAAA!! (SHINOHARA WAKABA glomps onto the back of UTENA'S chair)
UTENA: (uneasily, but still smiling) Wakaba!
(WAKABA looks over UTENA'S shoulder at THE PLANT) What's that?
ANTHY: It's an Anthy Two.
WAKABA: Sugoi! I've never seen a flower like that before!
MIKI: No one has.
WAKABA: Where did you get such a totally weird-looking plant?
MIKI: Well...
(The SHADOW PLAY GIRLS appear in front of their wall, where it looks as if a projector is playing MIKI'S flashback like a movie. Of course, all the faces are blacked out, true to an "Utena" flashback)
"DA-DUU" (originally "DA-DOO") (So I'm bad at Romanji. Sue me)
lead vocal: MIKI, SHADOW PLAY GIRLS
SHADOW PLAY GIRLS: (gesturing to the screen, singing backup from the wall) DA-DUU
MIKI VOICE OVER: (spoken) I was taking a stroll downtown that day. (On the screen we see MIKI walking down a sidewalk downtown, walking quite a bit like Rick Moranis did in the movie)
SHADOW PLAY GIRLS: SHOOP-DA-DUU
MIKI VOICE OVER: And I passed by this pet shop owned by this strange man in a dress... (the screen shows MIKI entering a store and speaking to its owner, who looks suspiciously like Count D from "Pet Shop of Horrors")
SHADOW PLAY GIRLS: COUNT-DA-DUU
MIKI VOICE OVER: I couldn't place the face, but he looked awfully familiar.
SHADOW PLAY GIRLS: "D"-DA-DUU
MIKI VOICE OVER: Anyway, he claimed to have some pretty odd things in there!
SHADOW PLAY GIRLS: DA-DA-DA-DA-DA-DA-DUU
MIKI VOICE OVER: He said he had the perfect thing for me.
SHADOW PLAY GIRLS: THING-DA-DUU
MIKI VOICE OVER: I told him that I was… you know… just browsing.
SHADOW PLAY GIRLS: GOOD FOR YOU
MIKI VOICE OVER: But then he showed me this... (screen shows COUNT D showing THE PLANT to MIKI)
MIKI AND SHADOW PLAY GIRLS: TOTALLY WEIRD-LOOKING PLANT!
MIKI VOICE OVER: (screen shows MIKI perusing THE PLANT curiously) I looked it over. And I felt something in me, something that urged me to buy this plant…
SHADOW PLAY GIRLS: DA-DUU
MIKI VOICE OVER: And so I decided to buy it from him, and I asked him what it was. (screen shows MIKI speaking to COUNT D)
SHADOW PLAY GIRLS: STRANGE-DA-DUU
MIKI VOICE OVER: He said it was simply a new species of rose that could make my dreams come true...
SHADOW PLAY GIRLS: AN-THY TWO
MIKI VOICE OVER: I was still curious… and I wanted to know more. So the strange man in the dress sold the plant it to me. for five hundred yen.
SHADOW PLAY GIRLS: Sha-la-la-la-la-la-duu-duu-duu-duu!
(music out)
WAKABA: Wow, that's a really weird story... and an even weirder plant! But a rose that can make your dreams come true... doesn't that sound kind of silly?
TOUGA: Someone would truly have to be gullible to believe that.
MIKI: I don't know... I just thought it looked like an interesting plant.
WAKABA: Oh well... (starts to leave, then turns back to MIKI) Oh, by the way, I hear your scores on the exams put you at the top of your class, Miki!
MIKI: Really? I found the exams rather difficult.
WAKABA: Yeah, Hoshino Yamada told me. He sounded really impressed. See ya! (exit WAKABA. We can hear her talking as she leaves) Yup, that's a weird plant all right...
UTENA: Isn't Yamada that guy in your class who doesn't like you?
MIKI: Yeah, he is. (thoughtfully) That's odd. (looks curiously at THE PLANT but shrugs it off)
ANTHY: I have to go now... I have things to take care of. Come on, Chu Chu. (she gets up to leave and is followed by CHU CHU)
MIKI: (puts his head in his palm and looks at the plant) I just wish I could figure out what species it is.
(suddenly, THE PLANT wilts)
TOUGA: (smiles that seductive smile of his) Well. Whatever it is, I suggest you care for it right away. It really doesn't look well.
UTENA: Did you buy any plant food or anything?
MIKI: (shrugs) I bought lots... but it doesn't seem to do it any good. I can't figure out what's wrong with it. (gets up to leave and picks up THE PLANT)
UTENA: Good luck.
(fade out, then fade in to MIKI'S dorm. MIKI sits on his bed, watering THE PLANT and speaking to it. We can see through the window that it's sunset. KOZUE enters)
KOZUE: Still playing around with that flower?
MIKI: It wilted again this afternoon. I don't know what's wrong with it or how to make it better.
KOZUE: It's starting to look more like a weed than a flower.
MIKI: It's not a weed... it would look better if I could figure out how to take care of it.
KOZUE: Well, in the meantime, I have things to do. I'll be back in a few hours. (exit KOZUE)
MIKI: Aw... Two-chan, I just can't figure it out. Why do you keep wilting all the time? What is it you want? What is it you need? (he begins singing)
"BLOOM FOR ME" (originally "GROW FOR ME")
lead vocal: MIKI
I'VE WATERED AND FED YOU
I'VE PLAYED YOU A SONG
I THOUGHT I COULD RAISE YOU
I GUESS I WAS WRONG
I'VE GOTTA DO SOMETHING
JUST GIVE ME A CLUE (MIKI gingerly lifts up THE PLANT'S bud)
WON'T YOU
BLOOM FOR ME?
THERE'S SOMETHING AMISS HERE
I NEED TO ASSESS
I'VE CHECKED ALL THE TEXTBOOKS (He shows THE PLANT a book he's been looking at)
THIS WHOLE THING'S A MESS
YOUR LEAVES ARE ALL WITHERED (MIKI carefully waters THE PLANT)
YOU'RE SICKLY, IT'S TRUE
WON'T YOU
BLOOM FOR ME?
I'VE LISTENED TO TOUGA AND JURI
AND ALL THEIR ADVICE
I'D TRY YOU WITH ANTHY'S NEW CURRY
BUT PLANTS DON'T LIKE RICE
I'M THINKING THAT IF I DON'T HURRY
YOU'LL BE A DEAD BUD
I'VE WATERED AND FED YOU BUT THERE'S JUST NO PLEASING YOU
WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME? BLOOD?
(On the word "blood," THE PLANT seems to perk up. But MIKI doesn't seem to notice. MIKI has been running his hand along THE PLANT'S stem, but on the word "blood" he suddenly pricks his finger on a thorn)
MIKI: Itai! Will you look at that, Two-chan? (shows his bleeding finger to THE PLANT. For the first time, it opens up its bud a little. It looks something like a mouth, with a blue rose petal as a tongue. MIKI looks surprised) Wha…? What made you do that?...
(THE PLANT leans forward, closer to MIKI'S finger, its "mouth" gaping. MIKI puts his hand behind his back, and THE PLANT closes its mouth. When he reveals it, it opens up again)
MIKI: You couldn't possibly... (holds out his finger. THE PLANT starts sucking on it) I suppose this one time couldn't hurt... but don't make a habit of it or anything...
I'VE TRIED YOU IN SHADOWS
AND IN THE SUN'S RAYS
BUT IF YOU'RE BLOODTHIRSTY
I JUST HOPE IT'S A PHASE
I HOPE THAT YOU'RE HAPPY
MY FINGER'S TURNED BLUE…
WON'T YOU… … WON'T YOU… …
BLOOM FOR ME?
(MIKI puts THE PLANT on a table, then gets into bed and turns out the light. In the dark, we can see THE PLANT growing until it's grown to a full foot tall. At this point the bud at the end of the stalk opens into a beautiful blue rose)
(fade out)
Well, there's the second installment. I hope you enjoyed it. The next installment, coming next week, will include the song parodies of "Some Fun Now" and "Somewhere That's Green."