Howard Ashman talks about musical theatre and its connection to Disney animation

In Almost Every Musical…

Little Mermaid and Little Shop of Horrors creator Howard Ashman

“In almost every musical ever written, there’s a place that’s usually about the third song of the evening – sometimes it’s the second, sometimes it’s the fourth, but it’s quite early – and the leading lady usually sits down on something; sometimes it’s a tree stump in Brigadoon, sometimes it’s under the pillars of Covent Garden in My Fair Lady, or it’s a trash can in Little Shop of Horrors… but the leading lady sits down on something and sings about what she wants in life. And the audience falls in love with her and then roots for her to get it for the rest of the night.”

—HOWARD ASHMAN, Playwright and Lyricist

“Little Shop of Horrors,” “The Little Mermaid,” “Beauty and the Beast”