Kernels of Wisdom: Quinn VanAntwerp on the Sweet, Silly Joy of SHUCKED

Quinn VanAntwerp isn’t above a corny joke. 

The longtime actor—best known for his work as the longest-running Bob Gaudio in the Broadway, Touring & Toronto Companies of Jersey Boys—is currently playing “Gordy” with the national touring company of the Tony Award-winning musical Shucked.  

“Shucked” runs November 11-23 at the Segerstrom Center for the Performing Arts in Costa Maize-a (sorry—it's too easy!). The story, told with a score that is equal parts country, bluegrass, and contemporary musical theater styles, follows a small town that must overcome its fears and differences to save its failing corn crop.

VanAntwerp took the time to answer some of BroadwayWorld's questions about what it’s like to play the comedic villain of the show, how he got on board with doing “a musical about corn,” and how the show’s irreverent comedy makes “every day a battle to keep it together.” 

Hi Quinn! Thanks so much for taking the time to talk with me! Give me your best "elevator pitch” for this show.

Well, I would say Shucked is a hilarious brand-new original musical about America’s favorite and most iconic agricultural product. Haha, but at its heart, it’s a show about community and how to find our way back to loving each other regardless of our differences. And nothing seems to be a better cure for that than laughter.

How do you think this show got past that pitch line? I mean, how do you make a whole musical about corn? 

You know that’s a great question. I, like many of your readers, was skeptical when this “Untitled Corn Musical” audition came into my inbox. But it really was the most laugh-out-loud funny script I had read in years. It was so smart and quick. I always say it moves more like a sitcom with music. But I like to think of us as part of a long line of shows about things you may not have thought could make a good musical. Who knew a show about Cats would run for over 20 years? Who knew a sitcom about a paper company (The Office) would be so universally loved? So I like to think of us as cut from the same cloth.

Tell us about your character, Gordy—and what’s your favorite part about playing him? 

Gordy Jackson is I guess what you’d call the bad guy of the show. He’s a down-on-his-luck fraudster who meets our leading lady when she’s down on her luck and tries to take advantage of that misfortune for his own gain. I like to think of him as our very own Harold Hill, the iconic conman from The Music Man. It’s a very fun role to get to play every night.

Everyone has talked about how funny this show is. Tell us about a time on stage when it was hard for you (or others) to keep a straight face.

I had the great pleasure of being a part of the creation of this show from its roots at the Eugene O’Neil Theater Center and later to its out-of-town tryout in Salt Lake City before we moved to Broadway.  The collaboration on this project has been one of my favorite experiences of my career because every single day we would come in with the sole objective of making each other laugh. And when that is your goal, each day is a battle to keep it together. You never know what anyone is going to do, and when you get the lucky break of working with true and genuine comedians like these, if you aren’t on the edge of breaking, you aren’t doing it right. I also got to work on The Play That Goes Wrong on Broadway, and that was the same way. Some of the performances are so absurdly funny that it keeps you on the edge.

Does the comedic vibe of the show rub off on the performers? Is it all laughs backstage? Similarly, what does it take out of you to get to this level of silly every night—in contrast to other work you’ve done in the past that maybe took a toll in other ways?

We definitely know how to have a good time. Our show is very funny, but it’s also about family and taking care of each other. As a group of 45 people who travel full-time together, I think we genuinely make that a priority as well. Sometimes, comedy can be very stressful, and you can find on certain shows that people are goofy backstage while they’re doing a drama and very serious when they’re doing comedy. But this cast definitely has a playful energy that I think carries from the stage to every aspect of our time together. 

Give us your best CORN-y joke or pun.

There are SOOO MANY, but Robert Horn, our writer, would disown me if I gave them away.  

You’re from SoCal, right (at least, I know you went to UC Irvine)? Can you tell us where you got your most formative training (did you start as a kid?) and what your biggest influences were when it came to becoming an actor?  

Yes! I am from Northern California originally, but proudly went to UC Irvine for undergrad and saw many, many shows at the Segerstrom throughout my years there. Orange County has always had a very special place in my life, and a place I always hoped to return to someday. I got to play here 10-ish years ago with Jersey Boys, and when I saw it on the schedule for this, I got very excited. It’s been circled on my calendar for a long, long time.

What was the first show you remember seeing at the Segerstrom Center for the Performing Arts?  Also: Isn’t there a place backstage where performers write their names or leave their mark somehow?  Is your name up there, and is it emotional to come back and see that? 

I think the first show I saw there was maybe the first national of Light in the Piazza. And, I can’t remember if there is a signature wall or show art, but I’ll definitely go searching for our first national wall tag from Jersey Boys all those years ago.

OK–Lightning round questions. Answer these with the first thing that comes to your mind:

First Broadway Show you saw

Reba McIntyre in “Annie Get Your Gun”

Dream Role

“King George” in Hamilton (because who wouldn’t?). Best job ever.

Go-To Karaoke Song

 “I Could Be Your Hero, Baby” -Enrique Iglesias 

Favorite food made with corn

We have had so many amazing corn dishes made for us over the years, but you can’t beat just classic Elote street corn.

If you could steal one thing from the SHUCKED set or wardrobe closet, what would it be?

One of the barrels, because we spent so many years working with them and designing them for all the things they have to do, and they mean a lot to me.

Los Angeles Awards - Live Stats

Best Musical - Top 3

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6.2% of votes

2. HEATHERS (Backyard Playhouse: Treetop Production)

5.7% of votes

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