Over the weekend, I watched my friend Michael perform in Little Shop of Horrors, and I had a bit of a surprise: the play ended unhappily. Crazy green mutant plants took over Skid Row, everyone (human) died, and the girl-group chorus wrapped everything up by singing “Don’t Feed the Plants.”

And actually, that was a good thing.

My only prior experience with Little Shop of Horrors was of course the 1980’s film with Ellen Greene and Rick Moranis (and Steve Martin as the delightfully semi-sadistic dentist). That film ends happily, as protagonist Seymour ultimately triumphs over the evil, carnivorous plant and his tempting offers.

But really, if a story is going to be a morality tale, then the characters need to face the consequences of their character flaws. Weak, ineffectual protagonists like Seymour cannot be rewarded with sudden happiness–not in a morality tale. Thus, the logic (and the black comedy) of the green carnage at the end of the play.