Skylar Astin is Suddenly the New Seymour in LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS

Welcome to Backstage with Richard Ridge

We're once again at the beautiful drama bookshop, located on West 39th Street

and my guest is a star of stage, screen, and television. From Broadway, you know him from Spring Awakening

from television, from Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and Zoe's Extraordinary Playlist, and from the films, Pitch Perfect and Pitch Perfect, too

And now he has just stepped into the role of Seymour in the hit revival of Little Shop of Horrors

Please welcome, Skylar Aston. Great to be sitting with you here at the brand-new Drama Bookshop

Yes. Thank you, Lynn, Manwell, for reinstating this. And what chairs are we sitting in today

These are the Hamilton chairs. Thanks, Lynn. So how excited are you? You are back, you've just stepped into the role of Seymour

How exciting is that in Little Shop? It's very fun. I love playing Seymour eight times a week

It's a bit of a physical bear. Like my first entrance is a Pratt fall

But I just absolutely love the cast. I love the production, love the direction

It's a really wonderful atmosphere there. Was this a dream role of yours

It was kind of a dream role, like in theory, but the thing is that I actually

this was one of my few musical theater blind spots. I didn't know Little Shop

I knew the hits, suddenly Seymour and somewhere that's green, and I saw Jonathan in the original cast

of this production. So I loved it, but didn't really get into it

and now I can say I'm absolutely playing a dream role. What is it like living in the world

What is it like living in the world, a little shop? Sleeping under the counter

It is such a darling set. The environment is so surreal. We're very close quarters backstage, and the cast is very close

I just absolutely love telling this story. It's such a perfect musical. And so you just kind of got to say it right

Say it with conviction, mean everything, play your truth, and the table's set for you

Yeah. you get to sing this incredible iconic score by Alan Mankin and Howard Ashman

So when you started working on these songs, like what was that like? Well, it's always delicious working on Mankan and Ashman

I did a lesser known Mankan Ashman musical at City Center called

God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater. And in that, you heard a lot of the seedlings of brilliance

and then some things that they departed from. With this, you're just getting them in their sweet spot

And you can hear the newsies in certain reprises, and you could feel the Aladdin

and even the part of your worlds that were destined to happen

It's just so iconic, and all of their stuff has become so iconic

so it's just great to do one of their early-ish works. Sharing the stage with this remarkable company

especially Tammy Blanchard as your Audrey. Yeah, she's outrageous. I love working with Tammy

Her take on Audrey is something that drew me to this production

as an audience member, when Michael asked me to do it. I was like, is Tammy and Christian still doing it

Because they just, they leave such a mark. And to be able to insert myself in that picture has been a real dream

and I've learned a lot. Okay. First performance on stage as Seymour

What do you remember? My lines. And thankfully I did, because it's, you know, I've never replaced before

And it's not really, not until you're really on stage doing it in front of an audience

Do you get to really run it with the cast? I got to put in rehearsal, so you get one

one shot with the actual cast. Other than that, it's stage management are amazing understudies

some piano players. But yeah, it was a lot of stuff I kind of had to do envisioning

and then inserting myself in on the day, kind of being shot out of a canon

In the best way, though. How much pre-stuff did you do? Not enough

I played catch-up my first week. I actually, I learned the whole thing

the weekend of my first week. I was like, I gotta get this book out of my hand

I mean, I only got a couple days now. So I caught up

I think had I done it all over again, I maybe would have tried to

I'm not really like a get-off book before you start guy, but maybe as much as possible

You know, it's funny that you say that because I spoke into a lot of people because they feel if they get off book

they already have a preconceived notion of how they're going to say things, and you don't want that

Yeah, there's that. But then again, that's like the initial discovery. And then you're kind of open to see actually how it, I mean, I would never lock in a performance anyway now that I am off book

So I don't know why that would change to come off book. I wouldn't feel locked in

But I understand that perspective. I just, I don't know if I share it

Yeah. No. So that first performance, was it sort of like it started and all of a sudden you were taking your bow

No. No. Every scene was like, oh, my God. That didn't break

The cast, excuse me, the audience was amazing. Michael Mayer was there, even though I, oh, even though

some I don't need my cards, it's all good. There we go. Even though I asked Michael not to come for a bit, he came

He came. He came. But I kind of expected it, and I had a couple of guests that I also asked not to come my first week

and they were like, look, we're only in New York and blah, blah, blah, blah. So I'm like, what am I doing? I can't be managing when people come see me in this

So I was ready to go. I would have been ready to go anyway, but I was like, I was ready to

to host, you know, and it went well, and it's still going well

Okay, so you're working with director Michael Mayer again, who you've worked with before

What makes him such a Sautafa director? I think he just has an incredible vision

He sees things so differently. I mean, he can get into the humanity, but he's also just like a brilliant picture maker

I just like, even from the Spring Awakening Days, back in the Third of the Matter Millie days

but even like this production, I think he really strives to find

find the authenticity in a piece. And that's what draws him to it, like with American Idiot

And then with this, he wanted to make sure there's no Broadway aspirations

This isn't a transfer potential. This is how a little shop was always supposed to be done

He's very close with Alan. And I just think he really unites and honors the playwright

He let you do your own Seymour too, right? Yeah. Well, he wasn't there

So he got to open up the present and see what. Oh, that night

Yeah yeah We we you know he he left me alone for the most part and let me be put in by because he was busy with Funny Girl and now he busy with his Neil Diamond musical So we spoke on the phone a little bit but other than that yeah he like I so excited And I was ready for the biggest list of notes ever And he was very very responsive to my Seymour And it meant the world coming from him He like to impress Michael Mayer is a big deal for me And he really liked it

And then he goes, oh, just one thing. Make sure the tube of the plant is in between your legs for the final number

And I was like, that's it? Thank God. So at the very end, spoiler alert, there's a bit of a plant situation

and I'm wearing a big plant costume. And I guess I had it to the side and it used to be through the legs

but if that's the only thing that Michael Mayer had to say, I'm in good shape

That's pretty amazing. Dare I say I'm in good shop. Okay, so before we get into Spring Awakening and working with him on that

I want to go back to you growing up. Where did your love for the theater begin

And how did the musical Godspell change everything for you? Yeah, I was just about to get into that story

I always loved playing piano and singing, but I never got up on stage

I never had the courage. And then there was a local production of Godspell

My mother was very adamant that I go audition for it. And I answered the call

I went there thinking that it wouldn't still be going on because we were very late

I sang, happy birthday and corner of the sky, because that's the only song I knew

because my sister used to listen to Broadway kids' soundtracks. Little did I know that's a Stephen Schwartz song

For a Stephen Schwartz musical, it was the perfect audition song. And due to, you know, lack of boys, I got Jesus

and having a voice. I had a pretty good voice. I found Jesus

Jesus found me. And my life did a complete 180. I went to Stage Door Manor's Theater Camp

Oh, we have to talk about it. Okay, so explain Stage Door Manor for people who may not know what stage door manner is

And I mean, the amount of people who went there. Stage Door Manor is a theater camp, kind of conservatory of kids from all around the world

who love what, you know, who love theater, who listen to cast recordings

And I never felt, because once I got bitten by the bug, I was so immersed in theater

And I really felt like I found my people. You know theater people. And to see it at such a young, formative age was so powerful

I just remember being around people like Etai Benson, who's now in company, you know

and Shane Attow, who just wrote and was in Sufts. Like, that was my class

And just seeing Shane Atowell, saying brother can you spare a dime at 12 you know and Etai doing Grand Hotel with me at like 15

but like feeling it and living it and like envisioning it and dreaming together in that camp just makes

it a really unique place so it's not just like a fancy schmancy camp there's a lot of grit and

a lot of hard work like that's how i first learned how to put on a musical in under two weeks okay

so what are some of your favorite roles you played at stage door i played jean valjean i played jean

I played Guido and nine. I played... How old were you? Like 16, 17

But I really liked doing Julian Marsh in 42nd Street because I just acted a lot more

It wasn't as reliant on the voice. Though my lullaby of Broadway

was very nice, I was told. But, you know, it's not like a heavy singing role

I remember that season. It was Sweeney Todd. There was West Side Story. I was like, come on. Yeah

And then 42nd Street changed my life because I was like, I just felt so a part of the ensemble

That was awesome playing all those roles at 16. Pretty amazing. Guido in nine

Guido and nine. 2008 revival? Yeah. I'm available and Italian. Oh, we are so there

Broadway World put it out there in the ether. I didn't realize you were pining for roles on this interview

But yes, I am. No, I am always pining because at the end, we're going to walk by the musical theater. vocal selections over there

I'm going to see. Is there a dream roll over there you'd like to do? Okay, good to know. Nine, fabulous

Good for you. Okay, so your first big professional job while you were still in school was Spring Awakening

That's right. I had to leave NYU a little early, or there was a bit of overlap, actually

I had to literally be in two places at once. And I had to miss three rehearsals a week for three weeks

in the original off-Broadway run. Yeah. And Michael and Tom were like

why did we hire you? You're so behind. You're never here. And then I finally graduated, or not graduated

I finished. And then, like, I caught up and was ready to go for previews

And the rest was literally history. Thank God they kept me. I was down with all of you

We were there when I was at Broadway beat. We were in that rehearsal room at that meet and greet with all of you

You were all so young. None of you had ever done interviews before. No one knew. Well, was that for the Atlantic or the Atlantic

Yeah. Wow. Wow. Yeah. The rawness. that you must have seen. Well, I saw the same thing in Rent

Yeah. I was around for Rent from the very beginning. It was like Adina Mansell and everybody and Adam Pascal

Like, Richie, we knew nothing. Truly. Someone turned a camera on with a light. We're like, who do we talk to

Right. Yeah, especially someone like Adam. He was truly like, right? So how life changing was Spring Awakening

that role and that show for you? It was the most formative experience ever because

and we kept being told that like, you'll see, like in 10 years

you'll you'll you'll you'll hit you what this was I think it kind of is like hitting us now

we were just kind of living through it like we had each other you know it was a it was a really

we were carrying the show as a cast it was very cast reliant show I felt there was a lot of lightning

in that cast specifically and and like yeah just navigating Broadway and then the schedule

and the physicality of that show and the emotionality of that show

We just, it bonded us so closely. I know Leah always says like she had glee, I had pitch perfect

but that always will take, Spring Awakening will always take the cake

because it was the first. It's like you never forget your first love, and it was so significant

It was like generational. Okay. So I spoke with all of you about a month ago at the New York premiere

for the sensational HBO documentary, Spring Awakening. Those you've known. Okay. That was such a fun night to see you all reunited

but I got to catch up with you and Gideon Gileck that night. And I was like, oh, so these two together are a problem

Me and Gideon together is like a serious problem. Like everyone kept talking about how they had chills, excuse me, you know, tears and it was so sad

And it was. I cried, of course. I'm not inhuman. But I've never laughed harder

Like Gideon and I in a room together is like, we'll never get anything done because we just cackle

We gossip. But we also just like think the same things. You know when something floating in a room and you think of the dirty joke or you think of the this silly pun and we both whispered at the same time and just start laughing it like we truly Gideon was like I think I like love you more now than I did then or something We like matured into quite a couple

Because I remember Jonathan cried his eyes out. From the second he walked to the rehearsal room, Leah did two, John Gallagher, everybody

Then you two are like giggling in the corner. Cackling, like hyenas. It's terrible

But that's how it is. Same thing with Jen Damiano. No. Like I always, that was always, I mean, because we had so much, like, this is before YouTube, we used to watch, like, the same video, the e-bombs world, do you know of this

Like, we used to watch viral videos, and there was like three viral videos. There wasn't even a word yet

And so we all, like, memorize the same things. We still remember them, and we just have a million inside jokes

There's memories, there's love, there's, like, so much emotion, but there's also tons of laughter

Yeah. Okay, so the benefit concert brought the original cast back together again for the actress fund

What an incredible night that it was documented and the archival footage in this

What did that night mean to being a part of the actress fund one night only benefit

I think it was a top five, top five night for me. It certainly made my year

We didn't know that we like needed it. Michael likes to say, like, now that you had that night, like, you'll, you'll, like

it solidified the whole experience to come back and do it and still sounds

It's like, okay, so there's the superficial, we sounded so great together, blah, blah, blah, blah. But just to hear, like, Lily do Dark I Know Well with her career and her new motherhood

and Johnny Gallagher to, like, add what he's added, and everyone, truly everyone

It was a real gift. We're all very grateful. We got to do it

Well, like I said, before we went on camera, I said, I've seen so many documentaries made on Broadway shows

This is the most phenomenal documentary anybody will ever watch. I'm just glad you all have that

Yeah, so much so. We're very grateful. Okay, so during Spring Awakening

you got cast as a lead in that hilarious comedy, Hamlet 2, right

Yes. We played Rick. I played Rand. Rand. Okay. It was my first movie

One of my favorites still. Yeah. Loved doing that. My nephew turned me on to that movie

I was like, oh, it's really funny. Oh, it's really funny. Amy Poehler, like SNL Prime, Amy Poehler, and David Arquette, Catherine Keener

It's a great cast. Okay, so I'd love to ask stage actors. Did you grasp the art of filmmaking right away

Because we're going to get into your next film, which is taking Woodstock that Jonathan Graft did

And Jonathan told me a story that his first entrance in that film is coming out of the helicopter

I remember that. And Anne kept saying, less, less, less. And John was like, oh, my God

He's going to fire it. me or like, so I wonder when you were doing Hamlet too, like, did you grasp filmmaking right away

I kind of did, but also like speaking to the Jonathan story, Ang is a sculptor, so like he knows

so it could be less, less, less, it could be head tilt higher. Like he, so, you know, he's always going to give very specific direction

Not that Andy Fleming from Hamlet to didn't, but I just remember my first, my first frame of

film ever was me reading the school paper. It was a bad review for our production of Aaron

Brockovich, the musical. And I just remember reading it like I would, you know, on stage, but it was a

really long lens shot from like half a football field away, but it was just long. And then like I

heard the GP be like, Skyar, like head up. And so I just remember like noticing the relationship

to camera and it just like slowly adapted. So I think it's like the less idea or just like the

the awareness of where the camera is. And now I speak that language very well

and know different lenses and all that kind of stuff. But I would way rather go from theater to film

than the opposite way. I would have to know how to amplify a performance. I think that would be harder than to make it more real

or grounded or quieter or whatever. Okay, so next was Ang Lee's checking Woodstock

What was it like working with him? Amazing. Like, he's the lead of that movie

You know, like he's done, It was a biopic. He's done more research than all of us combined

He just had every answer. So truly like the emperor of the set

There's such reverence for him. He worked with the same people. And as long as we need to be there, we'll be there

Like I never remember, like my concept of time on that set was never, I think I was there for like five weeks and I'm in it for like five minutes

But like there was rehearsal. There was every, every angle, every, like

We did a whole morning. I thought that my scene was finished. I was, like, going to make a huge plate

And he goes, Skyler, now we're going to start moving into coverage. And we're going to finally get to you

And he was like, what were we doing all morning? He's like, just all the masters

And normally it's like one or two masters tops. And I was like, wow, so we're just like, we're just covering the crap out of this

He makes films, you know. You have a good time with him. Right. So much

So much. And he was such a fan of our little group of Jonathan, Adam Pally and me

We were like the Woodstock producer, like, you know, because it's a lot of stuff surrounding Woodstock that movie, but we were the actual, like, people who did the Woodstock festival, so

Okay. You were also known to millions of worldwide fans, of course, on pitch perfect and pitch perfect, too

You must have so many incredible memories of playing that role and working on those films

Do you have a favorite? A favorite memory? Yeah. The first Riff-off was very special

Okay. I had just come off a movie where I was doing all night shoots. It was like a one crazy night movie

and that was night shoots and I remember everyone being so tired

and I was like guys this is three days like I just did five weeks in night shoots

I had so much energy and then once we got in that pool something really magical happened

the movie kind of came together in that because the game of the riff off

was something that Jason Moore esteemed theater director was very specific about like

understanding what we're playing not just like singing a mashup and I think we all got really

engaged in the game of it all and that's where all those nuanced moments in the movie kind of

came out of. Okay. And then there's crazy ex-girlfriend where you took on a role that was

originally played by Santino Fontana. So that reminded me I grew up in the 60s and 70s with

Bewitched when they were two Darren Stevens. There was Dick York and then went in color and it was

Dick Sargent. So what was your first day on the set like? Yeah, that's like an Ant Viv

situation as well with Fresh Pris. It was it was kind of like

It's kind of like the elephant in the room when it's like

they were so chill and cool and I felt like I was in such good hands with it and them and the concept

that they like you going to be great This is so fun Oh my god this is great But I think there was like the let see how this actually goes and then we did a scene And then after day one I think everyone was like didn want to say it But oh my God this is working out so well

Thank God. We're going to keep you. Yeah, like, because it's, you know, it was tricky. But it was just really good feedback

And that extra good feedback I knew was like affirming themselves, affirming the idea

affirming me and the idea. And then it was just, you know, all systems go

Okay. Then there's Zoe's extraordinary playlist. You know, it was so many people

How much fun was that playing Max? So much. I love Max

I miss Max. I miss that cast. I just love that whole experience

It was such a combination of everything I've been doing over the years and TV and film and musical and pop music and all in this one really cool concept

with this top-notch cast. Yeah, we really love doing that one. You miss him

Of course. Yeah. Is there a movie planned? There is a movie

We did a movie. We shot a movie. there might be another I don't know

put it out there another sequel right I think so I mean we left it open

so we can we can keep going oh I love that okay now you're also a wonderful singer-songwriter

some really great songs well I actually have a bunch more coming out

the first couple that I released were just kind of a nothing against them

I love them so much I just more like fun electronic pop it was a pandemic project

but this new like collection of songs, which is like kind of eight or ten that I'm going to start releasing May 27th is

it's just more focused on the actual sonic identity of who I am as like a songwriter and an artist

And I can go different ways in different genres, but I like this as like the, an album

Yeah. You know. Because you were influenced to write music by Billy Joel and Dave Matthews

I was, but my music sounds nothing like them. I just love them so much

But, you know, like, you never know. I might do a very piano-based

Billy Joel album one day, for sure. But this is feel good, happy, poppy

There's some sad ones. There's some ballads. It's just a proper album, a proper pop album

Is that what got you through the pandemic of writing music at home? Yeah. And also, I just love doing something where I get to have the final say

I get to decide when, where, what. No strings, let's add strings

I love that kind of stuff. So when are these songs being released? Kind of one by one, I think, starting May 27th

just like every four weeks I'll just drop another one. How do people find them

It'll be on Spotify, Apple Music, everywhere. They'll be in my Instagram bio for a while

So yeah. Chills. Chills comes out first. That's the first one coming out

Mm-hmm. All right, do you write it with somebody? I wrote it with Stefan. my friend Stefan Litt and John Hall

and Sam DeRosa, actually. We wrote two songs that day and recorded them both that day

Did you write in the same room? Yeah. It was a vibe. It was a fun vibe

That's awesome. I thought you, I live across the street from where you're playing right now

in Little Shop of Horrors, and I was, a matinee had just gotten out

and all of a sudden, this whole bunch of people like, oh my God, they flipped

overseeing something live. They had never been to a live anything, and they went to see Little Shot because you were in it

because I knew your foot pitch perfect. It was like a week ago. Yeah, totally. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. This was just like the other day

Yeah, totally, yeah, yeah. And I just love that, you know, to talk to people who are known from other mediums

Right. And people, it all happened with us when we started going to the theater. I was like, my God, this is all live

You know, you're changing people's lives by introducing them to this new art form of live theater

What that means to you. That means the world. My favorite thing is student matinees

They can be raucous. They can maybe, you laugh at the inappropriate part, but I love hearing the discovery of that relationship of

live audience to performance. I just love seeing kids out in the house. There's a couple like jump

not jump scares, but funny moments with the puppet with me, and I saw a couple kids in the front row

and I was like, you're going to get it, you know what I mean? Because who wouldn't want, like, there's a couple moments where the planet goes out of the audience. So I just like giving people

unique theater experience, a live experience, and especially kids. I love that

I know you're new to the role of Seymour, but it must just be so great to be back on stage

again, doing what you love the most in front of a live audience. If you could sum up the best

part of the experience so far, what is it for you with doing Little Shot

Truly the cast. I really, because it's all not fun if you don't vibe with the people

and their reputation preceded themselves, and they are as lovely as you've heard

I mean, it's why the show is popping, and why everyone shows up, does their job

gives 110% and is there for each other. That's what makes theater very special

So I have a fun question for you. So here we are at the drama bookshop, and this is, of course, the songbook section

of all the vocal scores and all the Broadway musicals. Are there some dream roles you'd like to play

There are. I was actually looking for oh here it's right here

this is a big one for me okay just says so much about the artist

about art and commerce coming together it's such a rich score it's a good sing for me

Mandy Patinkin is like my musical theater like icon guru everything I see a lot of my heart

in his and soul and so this one definitely has to happen

somewhere you could grow that George Surrott beard right easy Easy. But hot take, I believe, that he goes clean-shaven because then he puts it on, and then act two, he's off

Okay. So it's fake anyway. Get you a George who could do both. I love it

Something else? Yeah, one. The peas. Peas are down here. Parade. Okay

Parade's a big one. I'm a big Jason Robert Brown guy. This is one of his best scores, though I do love last five years

Honorable Mention. I love this one. Yeah. I love Leo Frank. He's a misunderstood Jewish man with so much soul

It's a beautiful sing, and I love it. It's a cordial show. Those are really good choices

Those are them. All right. You heard it here first. You heard it here first

Put it out there, Broadway World, getting into these two shows. Come on. Come on. I'm a veil

Well, this has been great. I thank you so much for sitting with me today here at the drop of a bookshop

And where are we sitting? We're sitting in the Hamilton chairs. Fabulous. Thanks, Lynn. If you want a fabulous night of a theater, go see this one in Seymour in the hit production of Little Shop of Horrors

He's terrific. Take care, everybody, and we'll see you at the theater