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Video: How SHUCKED's Robert Horn Is Making You Laugh About Corn
May 17, 2024
Corn is having a star moment this Broadway season.Corn is having a star moment this season. That's thanks to the comic genius of Tony winner Robert Horn, who brings his latest musical, Shucked, to Broadway this spring. Watch as he tells us all about it in this video.
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0:00
Welcome to Backstage with Richard Ridge
0:02
My guest is a renowned, award-winning playwright, screenwriter, and producer. He is best known on the stage for his Tony Award-winning book
0:09
for the Broadway musical Tootsie and from Thirteen the musical. He's about to return to Broadway as the book writer for the hilarious new musical
0:17
Shocked, which will open on April 4th at the Needlelander Theatre. He's also the co-book writer for Disney's new musical, Hercules
0:24
And I caught up with him here at Rosevale Cocktail Room at Civilian
0:28
Please say hello to Robert Horn. Okay, so you work on film, TV, and stage
0:42
So I want to talk about a few of the highlights. Just tell me what comes to mind, a story or a fun memory. Okay
0:46
You mentioned Tootsie. Yes. Brilliant book. I adored Tootsie. Thank you. I thought it was so sensational
0:50
Thank you. I mean, you won the Tony Award for Best Book. Okay
0:53
When they read your name that night, I mean, you and I talked about this, but you know, when you dream of working in the theatre
0:59
we all watch Tony Awards growing up or whatever. When they called your name that night and you walked up on stage
1:04
what do you remember about the night you won the Tony Award for Best Book? Excuse me
1:07
Well, one thing I remember is that they tell you, you have 90 seconds from the time your name is announced to the time you get off
1:14
And I'm like, okay, I got to just do this. I got to do this
1:17
And I knew I had like three good jokes. And I said to myself, and I've said, look, jokes is jobs
1:23
If I can be funny, I'll get another gig after this. It was a, you know, I am never naive to the knowledge
1:36
that the line to get into the door for this industry is so long
1:41
And there but for the grace of goddess, I somehow managed to get in that door
1:46
And every moment is a bucket list moment because so many people who are more talented than I am just never
1:54
you know, success is always a meeting of, it's a serendipitous meeting of opportunity and ability
2:00
And if you're lucky, those things meet and you get your chance. And I got lucky. I worked really hard, but I got lucky
2:06
And so it all is amazing to me. But since I'm a little kid, the dream was to win a Tony Award
2:13
I mean, it's all I ever wanted more than anything else. And you don't actually think it's going to happen
2:18
because it's one award a year. And there's been what, 70, what is the 70th or 75th anniversary
2:26
So in the history of Broadway, 75 people have won. So what are the chances
2:33
And so when it happened, it's shocking. And I'll tell you one more thing because I'm behind the camera
2:39
you know, behind the table. I did, they're literally, I understand why people want to be actors now
2:45
because you get up by there and you make a joke and the audience laughs
2:49
and the energy you get from an audience, it hits you in the gut
2:54
I never, I'm like, oh, that's why they like doing this. You can feel the energy
2:58
It was overwhelming. It was a little scary and shocking and it just goes by so fast
3:03
But yeah, and I didn't kiss my husband and I forgot to do that
3:07
You have to do that at home though. But I do that at home. You only had 90 seconds. I had 90 seconds
3:12
We kissed longer than that, but yeah. So I want to talk about what made Tootsie so special for you
3:16
Like I said, it was a glorious time. The book was amazing. Everything about it was, the performances, everything
3:21
What made that show so special for you? The people involved in it, without a doubt
3:24
It was, the cast was beyond wonderful. Scott Ellis, who the director is just one of the most talented
3:34
beautiful men on the planet, and he created an atmosphere of pure joy
3:39
Every day was joy. Yazbek and I, we actually would get kicked out of the room
3:44
because we laughed, we just were laughing all the time. It's like shocked in some ways
3:50
That sense of community that was formed between us and between everybody involved
3:55
was my memory of that show. Because I remember the three of you sat with me the week before you won
4:01
I remember. I remember the couch. I remember the couch we sat on
4:05
It was you, Yazbek, and Scott Ellis. And you passed these mics back and forth
4:10
And I said, boy, this is what a collaboration. I mean, you three should have gone on the road
4:17
It really was a clown car, the three of us. We had the best time
4:21
And that was a joyous experience for me. Okay, 13, the musical. Yes
4:28
I remember being with all of you opening night. It was in that really dark room
4:32
Do you remember opening night? It was at a club. There were no lights on in there
4:36
It was like a black lacquered little room, and we were all doing interviews that night
4:40
I don't remember that. I remember that very vividly, but I remember, because that was one of the first times I spoke to you was during 13. Yeah
4:46
You mean, was it at a restaurant, or was it— I don't know, some club or something
4:50
We were all in this dark room. Oh, my God. There were no lights on in the room, except for the lights on the camera
4:54
That was an omen, I guess. No, no, no. But let's talk about 13, the musical
4:57
That's when you and I first spoke for the first time. That was 2008. Yeah
5:01
Another joyous musical. You got to create this with Jason Robert Brown. I did, yes
5:05
I mean, look what's happened to him, too. Who? Who, exactly. So what made that so special for you, working on 13
5:10
Well, it was really my first Broadway musical. I had done a couple of things before that, but it was my first
5:16
What made that special for me was the kids. It was—you know, I don't have kids
5:25
I never really wanted to have kids. I'm not—I don't love to be��
5:28
I mean, if you've ever flown with kids around you, you're like, I don't need that in my life
5:33
But collaborating with these kids and literally writing this show for them
5:39
was an incredible experience. And then the brotherhood that I formed with Jason
5:44
Jason and I became very, very close on that musical. And to this day, he and I are brothers
5:51
Working with Jason, I learned so much by working with him. I mean, I really learned—that experience was about learning
5:57
Learning this craft. Learning how to do this. Really being in the mosh pit of that
6:02
And that's my big takeaway from that. Well, I'm actually very proud of that show
6:07
It didn't have a long run. Obviously, what happened is in 2008, the housing crisis hit
6:12
And we closed on a Sunday where 12 other shows closed. It was—plus we were a show with all teenage kids and a teenage band
6:21
And people were like, well, at that time, we're like, I'm going to spend $175 to see a bunch of teenagers on stage
6:27
It just—it didn't find its home. I think the way it might now
6:32
Spring Awakening then came and sort of did a version— did their version of youth on stage and it really worked
6:40
I think we were—there were a lot of things. But I'm so proud of that show
6:44
And to this day, it does so well in licensing. Because it's one of those shows—it's not like kids in a high school are, you know
6:51
doing Fiddler on the Roof and putting baby powder in their hair and saying, I'm an old Jew
6:55
You know, it literally is the experience of growing up and coming of age
7:00
and what that means and finding your tribe. And I'm really proud of the work we did
7:05
We never really got to finish it, but I'm really proud of it
7:08
Well, you know, those of us who did go to 13 and the people who bought tickets
7:12
got to see these young kids who have now gone on. Ariana Grande
7:16
Ariana Grande, Liz Gillis, Graham Phillips, Eamon Foley, Allie Trim. So many of them have gone on and have these incredible careers
7:27
So those people did buy tickets. Yeah, and you found them. Listen, I remember every one of those auditions
7:33
Ariana and Aaron Simon-Gross were from Boca Raton, Florida, came in and auditioned together for this show as best friends
7:41
They came in—both got cast in the show and both have gone on now
7:46
and had these incredible careers. Aaron is a really successful director and playwright, and Ariana is��
7:52
Is Ariana. She's doing Wicked. Wicked, the film. You got to revisit it for the film
7:57
We did. Which was really sensational. So what was it like being back in the room with Jason all over again
8:02
and introducing it to a whole new generation which fell in love with it
8:06
Yeah, you know, it was a very challenging experience. As many people know, television is a very different art form
8:14
and you have to approach it very differently. So it was great
8:19
I mean, it was really difficult because we shot it in the midst—in the heart of COVID
8:24
So imagine trying to rehearse a musical. Literally, at that point, they were still wearing masks and shields
8:30
and you couldn't take them off. So it was a really challenging experience
8:34
We were very—we were sequestered. I was—me, myself, Jason, his wife Georgia, and the kids were all sort of locked away together
8:43
But it was also wonderful because we got to spend four— Jason and I got to spend four months in Toronto together, locked away, rewriting the show
8:51
You know, it was a—it's a—it was an interesting thing to revisit your work
8:56
That work especially, some 10, 13 years later, because the world has changed so much
9:03
Being—coming of age, being 13 changed. What that meant back in 2008 to now is mind-blowing of how the world has changed
9:13
Social media has changed. And so it was a very interesting way to look—to re-examine that piece
9:22
through the lens of a—of how the world has progressed and how tweens have progressed
9:30
But you made art during COVID, which I think is great. We did, yes. It was a chapter for one of your—for your book
9:35
Oh my god, yes. But you did. You all made this incredible piece. It was hard. It was challenging
9:39
But then you watch it, and you're like, no one sees the backstory. Nobody sees the backstory
9:42
And it was so entertaining and something we needed. And Jamal Sims, who did the choreography, did an incredible job, and it was really fun, and it was fun
9:50
Okay, you talk about television. Yes. Was your first big job designing women
9:54
Well, my first big job was designing women, yes. Okay, so here you are— Yes
9:58
—producer, what you—everything, writer, showrunner, everything, right? Yes. To like—from the beginning
10:03
Well, that's a very interesting story, which I won't go into too many details because there's some roadkill. Okay. But��
10:10
There always is. I actually started off as a—as a staff writer on that show
10:15
And then within six months, became showrunner. And through a whole series of events, which I'll put in my book, and there's a wonderful director and—and—and—and—stand-up comedian named David Steinberg
10:30
I don't know if you—from many— Sure. And he was directing the show. And things happened, and all of a sudden, I was elevated to run the show
10:37
And he said to me, I'm going to teach you. I'm going to teach you how to cast
10:41
I'm going to teach you how to edit. I'm going to teach you how to run a room. I'm going to teach you to be a showrunner
10:45
And he—he taught me how to be a showrunner. And I'm so grateful to him
10:50
He—he—he's—he's a—he's a mentor, and he's brilliant. And I—I learned—so I wrote the—I basically did the last two—two years of that—two-and-a-half years of that show. Yeah
11:00
But he somewhat opened the door again for you. Somebody— And took you in, see? I stand on so many shoulders
11:04
I mean, there are—the legendary producer Bob Boyette— Oh, yeah. He—he—I had—I had done a show on CBS called High Society. Yeah
11:14
Which was—I—which was sort of an American version of Absolutely Fabulous. If you don't know AbFab, you should watch it, because it's brilliant
11:22
And I sort of did an American—my take. I was inspired by it
11:27
And at that time, I was at Warner Brothers and had a deal. And Warner Brothers and—and Bob Boyette was, at that time, Miller-Boyette
11:34
For those of you who don't know, Miller-Boyette are iconic—were—are iconic television producers
11:40
Everything from Full—Happy Days and Laverne and Shirley and Mork and Mindy and Full House and Family Matters. ABC
11:46
They coined the phrase TGIF. Yep. And so, the head at one of the executives at Warner Brothers said
11:54
I want—I was doing very adult nine o'clock shows. Bob was doing these eight o'clock family shows, Bob and Tom
12:00
and they teamed us up to see what we would come up—we would come up with. And we did a pilot together, which ended up not going forward
12:05
But I became very, very close with—with Bob. And he gave up on television
12:11
The world started to change. Survivor came on. And all of a sudden, the—you couldn't sell a comedy
12:18
And he came to New York and said, I'm going to produce Broadway. And what, 15 Tony Awards later, he is a legend
12:24
And he said—we used to talk about theater when we were working on our pilots
12:28
And he called and said, I want you to help me with something. And he called me in to help him with a show
12:33
And he—and he gave me—then he gave me Lone Star Love, which was that crazy Randy Quaid story
12:40
And then—and then he was the producer of 13 and said, I want you to do this show
12:45
And so he—he literally put me on the map. Him and Thomas Schumacher, who—I was doing an animated feature for Disney
12:54
when Tom Schumacher and Peter Schneider were running Disney Animation. And Tom said, I have a show that's coming to Broadway, and I need 10 laughs
13:03
Can you help me? And I did, and he stayed loyal to me and kept saying, you know
13:09
working with teaching me and mentoring me. And so there are people who—and I try to do that now to the next generation
13:16
and teach them and mentor them and give them opportunities because these stories have to be passed on and these lessons have to be passed on
13:24
Well, speaking of Disney, you are the co-book writer of Hercules. Sensational, with Kwame
13:30
Kwame Kramer, who is brother from another mother. If you don't know Kwame, he's a brilliant—he runs the Young Vic
13:38
He's the artist who worked at the Young Vic in London. He just directed the collaboration
13:42
He directed the collaboration and shot the movie. He directed the movie
13:46
He's an incredible—he's an actor and a writer and a director and one of the funniest, most brilliant men I've ever worked with
13:54
You know, it was an incredible collaboration. I just love that man so much, but I dare anybody not to
14:03
Most special part of working on Hercules with him. Working with him. Just working with him
14:09
We're very different. What we do is very different. And so, you know, I'll be honest
14:13
What happened was I—we had done four or five drafts of the script
14:19
and everybody was very happy with it and then COVID happened and then we—the world started to change
14:24
Black Lives Matter happened and the Me Too movement happened. Everything happened and I��
14:28
and because Hercules had a predominantly African-American cast and it was a very different experience
14:34
and it was very much about the mentorship between a young African-American man
14:39
and I felt I couldn't—that was not my—that is not my story to tell
14:44
I could make it funny and I can structure it. There was so much I can do, but there needed��
14:50
there's an authenticity to that experience of what that means that I could not bring
14:55
And I—and I had a conversation with Tom and with Ben Famiglietti from Disney
15:00
and I said, I think I need—you need to team me up with somebody to do this
15:03
because it's not fair to the piece for me to try to write something that I—is not my story
15:09
And they—and they—and Léa de Bessonnet, who was director, knew Kwame and said, I want you to meet this guy
15:15
And we met and just fell in love. Fell in love. He's six foot five. He's like this—this powerful, dominating figure
15:24
I'm this little sort of—this twerpy little five foot five guy. And we walked down the street holding hands
15:30
And his—my husband and his wife say, uh-oh, I'm worried. We are so in love with each other
15:36
It was a perfect collaboration. Like I said, I was out there to see it two weeks ago
15:40
It was beautiful. I mean, the combination of the two of you. And it's seamless, the book
15:44
Yeah, that man, he sprinkles gold dust on everything he does. I just—I adore him
15:49
Okay, so I wanted to ask you, was your Broadway debut working with Dame Edna
15:54
It was. Back With a Vengeance? Yes, Back With a Vengeance. Were you brought in to write jokes? Like what��
15:58
I was brought in to work with Barry Humphries. Okay. On sort of updating and—yes
16:06
So just to—let's see, what can I say? Yeah. I was brought in to—yes, to work—to collaborate with him on making sure that the show��
16:17
he had done a show, I think, two or three years earlier, one at Tony Fork
16:21
And then to make sure that the new show had a new sense—there was new life to breathe into it
16:28
And so I got to work with Barry Humphries on that, yes. What was that experience like
16:32
That was— What? Wonderful. He's a genius. He's a genius. But, you know, I will say it was a little challenging
16:44
Because the man has been doing that character for 40 years. And to suddenly say, hey, there's a writer that's going to come in and work with you
16:51
I think he—rightfully so, I think he was a little resistant at first
16:56
But he was also open to hearing what I had to say. And ultimately, it was a beautiful, wonderful collaboration
17:01
And he was fantastic. It's very interesting, because he will not do the character out of character
17:06
He will not be Edna if he's not as Edna. So it's a very interesting—you're writing it with Barry Humphries, and then Edna's doing it
17:13
It's great. It was crazy. It was—listen, it was a wild—it was a wild experience
17:19
Another chapter for the book. Another chapter for the book. And then from there was Lone Star Love after that
17:26
Two in a row. Two in a row. No, but the issue—because I remember interviewing��
17:30
Do you know that story? The Lone Star Love story? Well, tell us. Yeah, because that was— Oh, I can't tell you. But I will say this
17:34
What can you say about it? It was a challenging time. I will say this. You can—you can Google it
17:42
Vanity Fair did a piece on it. There's a lot—it was—it was an interesting time
17:48
I have signed papers that I can't speak on it. But it was—it was—there were wonderful things about it, too
17:59
But it's just one of those shows, biz stories, where when something starts to go wrong, it goes really wrong
18:05
But so a lot of creators—I mean, you've been working in this business for quite some time. Yeah
18:09
And there's always, you know, things that happen, things that don't happen, things that should happen
18:14
You know, so it just—it's just part of your journey. It was one of those—it was one of those stories that has become theater lore. Yeah
18:21
And I love that. I love that it has. I love that—to be a part of that story
18:26
No, because going back to Dame Edna for a second, I remember interviewing Dame Edna, and I couldn't—we could never talk to Edna as Barry or whatever
18:33
There is no Barry Humphries when she's Dame Edna. And I picked up on it quickly, but early on, I watched some people
18:39
I was like, wait a minute. You're just talking to Dame Edna. Remember that. He's brilliant. And he's so quick on his heels
18:47
I mean, he's just truly—he's masterful at it. So you can't really say, hey, I'm going to write you something
18:55
He'll—the show changes every night. But he does have those sort of moments that he knows he's going to go back to
19:01
how to get the show where it—you know, as a through line
19:05
But he is amazing. Again, I learned—I've been very lucky. I learned so much from him about improvisational comedy, about characterization
19:14
It's amazing. He's amazing. Brilliant man. Because you wouldn't be who you are today if you didn't go through all of this
19:20
All of that. You know, all of that. Of what you learned from all these people. They all had—every one of those experiences had iconic moments that have shaped my work
19:29
and who I am within the industry. And I wouldn't trade any of them
19:35
Some of them challenging. Most of them wonderful. I would not trade any of them
19:39
Yeah. I want to get back to Designing Women just for a second. We felt madly in love with— People love that show
19:44
We're obsessed with that. I mean, we're obsessed with those women. I love writing that show. I loved writing that show
19:48
Did you love working with the ladies? Loved them. The women? Loved them. Sadly, a few of them have passed
19:54
It was an incredible experience. And they were so supportive of—at that time
20:01
I had a writing partner named Danny Margosas who was a wonderful writer
20:05
And we really just worked with them to write the show. By the time we had gotten there, I think the show had sort of lost a little of its luster
20:17
And we were young, out gay guys who were like, Oh, girl, we know this show
20:24
And the women just embraced us and loved us. And we actually—it was so much fun
20:31
And crazy. They were doing, what, three, four-day work weeks. And so we were churning them out
20:37
It was crazy. And listen, I think one of the most—something that I'm so proud of is I got to write the very last episode
20:45
It's a two-part episode. It was a spoof on Gone With the Wind
20:49
And I got to write the very last Designing Women two-part episode
20:54
I love that. Yeah. You work in every medium. But sometimes medium rare, but yes
21:00
But it's medium. Yes, it is medium. But you always come back to the theater
21:04
Yeah, it's my soul. Tell me. Well, I grew up in New York
21:08
This is my home. Theater was always what I wanted to do. I wanted to be a playwright
21:13
Could not get a job. Nobody gave a damn about me. And ended up—this was the late 1980s
21:24
It was a very dark time in New York. We had the AIDS crisis had hit
21:30
We were losing some of the most creative people. The city had gone into a depression
21:34
I just found it very hard to survive here. So I went out to L.A. just to take a break and ended up in television
21:41
That I never—with this career I never expected, but always longed to come back to theater
21:47
And then it took me having success in television to be able to come back and do it
21:51
But theater is where my heart is. It is my—I always say you go out, you do a pilot, you pay your rent
21:58
and then you come to do theater to nurture your soul. I just love this business
22:02
But things take a long time in theater. You know, in TV, you do a pilot, either it gets picked up or it doesn't
22:08
It all happens rather quickly. Theater takes a long time. It is an incredibly collaborative art form
22:15
And when something is that collaborative, you're dealing with a lot of schedules. The stakes are very high
22:20
It takes a long time to write a show and to get it right. And so it's a very different art form
22:25
But man, you know, you're the same way I am. It is your—it's in your—it's your heartbeat
22:31
You love it. You either have the stomach for it or you don't. Yes
22:36
So finally, I mean, Shuck is getting ready to open on April 4th. Correct
22:40
You are bringing so much joy already, because I walked down that street and I watched the doors open to the Nederlander Theater
22:45
The line down the block. It's crazy. I watched people with smiles on their face
22:49
I mean, what it means to you when you watch how much joy this show is bringing to audiences already
22:54
and you haven't even opened yet, what that means to you? It means everything. Well, it means so many things
22:58
It means that you've done your job. There's a satisfaction to it
23:03
But—and I say this, and again, it sounds cliche, or as we say, it sounds corny
23:08
but it's true that when you have people sitting in a room
23:12
1,100 people sitting in a room from different walks of life, some of them have had a really bad day
23:18
Some of them, you know, whatever that is, they come in and they let it all go and laugh together as a community
23:24
and are just a little better off leaving than when they came
23:29
That's what we do. That's art. I always say, when you look back at any time in history
23:36
if you want to know what happened, look at the art. The art will tell you everything
23:42
And I think it's a very interesting time coming out of COVID, which we're still really not out of in so many ways, especially in this industry
23:50
that to have a show that is—I don't want to say changing people's lives
23:57
but enhancing their lives, that they walk out feeling better than when they walked in
24:02
and are telling their friends, you should go see this. It's really fun
24:07
And they do, and people come. It's really satisfying. It's really satisfying
24:11
We don't know what will happen. Opening night will happen. It may escalate
24:15
It may—who knows? It's a crazy business. It is a true farce and silly comedy
24:23
Whether there's an appetite for that with the intellectual elite, we'll find out
24:27
But I got to tell you, people from many, many different avenues are coming in
24:32
and having that same feeling of, it's really funny, it's really smart, and it's really joyful
24:39
It's a joyful show. I cannot wait. If I don't see you beforehand, I will see you on April 4th
24:43
I have a feeling I will, because I see you now everywhere. Robert, always a pleasure, my friend
24:47
Always a pleasure. Thank you so much. And welcome back to Broadway. Thank you
24:51
I don't want to leave. I don't want to leave. You're not going anywhere
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