When two of Philadelphia's young indie theatre companies cooked up the idea to co-present the cult musical Little Shop of Horrors, they knew they had to bring a unique twist to the well-known show. They zeroed in on the beguiling central character: a carnivorous plant from outer space who tempts its gullible caretaker into feeding it human flesh. The companies tapped the city's reigning puppet-maker Aaron Cromie to design and construct the monster plant.