Interview: “Laughter is Healing”: Actor Matthew Seadon-Young on The Thrill of Playing Gordy in SHUCKED at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre

Shucked, the Tony Award-winning musical about corn, has arrived at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre. With a book by Robert Horn and Music and Lyrics by Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally, the “corn-fed” and “corn-bred” show follows Maizy (Sophie McShera) and Beau (Ben Joyce), a couple from the small town of Cob County. When the corn in their town starts to die, someone has to go beyond the borders of Cob County to find a way to save the corn. 

Recently, we had the chance to speak with Matthew Seadon-Young, who is playing Gordy in Shucked. We discussed how he first found the muscial through working with Alex Newell, what it’s like to be part of an original cast for the show in London and his favourite line - although you may need to see the show to fully understand it!

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So how did you first get started in the world of theatre?

You're going back a long time! So one of my mum's best friends was one of the founders of Stagecoach [Performing Arts]. You do a bit of dance, a bit of acting, a bit of music. I did that when I was really young.

And then a friend of mine invited me to a different stage school, which focused on doing productions. That was a place called Songtime [Theatre Arts], which is now the British Theatre Academy, run by a guy called Matthew Chandler, and he really pushed me into playing roles - he gave me a lot of confidence. But I felt like it was a hobby. I never really saw it as a career path. From my inception into the world, it's only ever been an extracurricular thing.

And then someone was choreographing one of these shows at Songtime, and said, “You should consider this as a career.” I’d never really seen it like that! I actually didn't initially go into it. I went to study music at university instead of going to a drama school. And then I finished the first year of university and realised it wasn't for me, I'd made a mistake, and that I should pursue acting. Luckily, my older brother, Dave, who is also an actor, was studying at Mountview Drama School, so he squeezed me into an audition, and that's pretty much it!

What made you want to be a part of Shucked? Had you seen it when it was on in the States?

I hadn't seen it, no! I've been over to the States a few times, just for holiday and to see as many shows as I can possibly afford, but Shucked was not on when I was last in New York. But I did work with Alex Newell, who was in the original cast. We did a workshop over here in the UK. And since then, I followed the next part of their career and I'd seen that they were doing this show called Shucked. That's when I heard the song “Independently Owned” for the first time. And I was like, “Wow, that is a song!” So that got me onto the Original Broadway Cast recording. I listened to the music and thought it was fantastic! But at that point, there was no hint of it coming over to the UK. And then it won a Tony, so it definitely piqued the interest of a few producers, and now it's over here!

I got a call from my agent before I knew it was coming, basically saying, “Would you like to audition for Shucked?” And I was like, “Oh, yes, it's coming, this is brilliant!” But I wasn't really sure where I was gonna sit in the casting of it. But they said, “We want to see you for Gordy.” And ever since I went in for the first day and had a play with the US casting director and the associate director here, I got a bit obsessed with it and desperately wanted to be a part of it! And you don't really get a choice. You don't go, “Oh, I'd like to audition for this role.” You’re just told, “Here's an audition for this part. Turn up and try to get the job.” That's how it works.

For those unfamiliar with the show, can you tell us a bit about it and the role that you play of Gordy?

Yeah! I don't want to give too much about the plot, but it's a show about community, acceptance, love and forgiveness. And Gordy? In the show blog, Gordy is described as an unscrupulous con man. And I mean, he's not a great con man. I would call him a hustler. He's a bit more fly by the seat of his pants. He comes from a family of exceptionally good con men and women, and he's been left behind by them because they feared he'd give the game away for them, or get them all put in prison, because he's just not as good at it as they are.

But he's not without a heart and a conscience, as you discover in the show. He’s got a nice arc! He is on his last ditch attempt to make something of his life and to scrape together some money so he can finally feel successful, and so he can impress his family. So he gets taken on this ride by the protagonist of the show, Maizy, and he is shown a very different world to the one that he is used to. 

And what is it like to be a part of Shucked’s UK debut?

Very exciting! To be part of an original cast over here for a brand new show is always thrilling. In an egotistical way, it's very life-affirming and it makes you feel good. You go, “Yeah, I'm good enough to be part of an original cast!” It comes from a very humble place, I promise! [Laughs] But it's thrilling - of course it is, because it's what you dream of doing when you're at drama school. When you leave, that's the ideal, isn't it? To be part of new work that's very exciting. It's a Tony Award-winning show, and it's very successful in the US. It's very exciting!

On that note of new work, what is it like to perform in a new musical like Shucked versus revivals like Company and The Baker’s Wife?

I wouldn't say there's much of a difference! I think revivals are good if the show still has something to say to and reflect something in the world that we live in now. I love revivals, and I love the classic book shows and plays. I love it all, and obviously it's always got a place in the world. But you don't want to just revive something for reviving sake. If you can do a revival and make it feel like new work, then there's not really much of a difference.

With Company, it felt like we were doing something very new with it, so it felt fresh. It felt relevant to today's society. And actually, not to upset too many Sondheim fans out there, made it so much more nuanced. And the same with a show like Death of a Salesman.

That show was turned on its head by making it about an African American family. It completely shifted the subtext and made it new, made it different. It felt more urgent. So I feel like as long as you're saying something new, you don't have to flip the gender or change the race of a family every time. You can say other things by not doing anything quite so bold as that, as long as you're doing something that means something, and it makes it relevant to today. You can make revivals feel like new work, and it can be just as thrilling as doing something that is literally brand new. 

Do you have a favourite line from Shucked so far?

Oh, there are so many! But I think my favourite line, which isn't going to read as funny right now, because it's more of a visual joke, is a brilliant line, “Your daddy was nothing but a scoundrel.” That's my favourite line in the show, but you're just gonna have to come see it to find out why!

What do you hope audiences take away from Shucked?

A smile, joy, elation . . . Jack O'Brien, our director is an absolutely fabulous director and a fabulous man. He’s said quite a few times now that he wants to heal people, because we're living in a world where we’re very much feeling the weight of the world at the moment. There's a lot of stuff going on in different parts of the world - we're a very anxious world right now. We're carrying the weight of a lot of things that are going on in the world, politically.

And I feel like it's a show that just wants to bring people joy, bring people laughter, because laughter is healing. That's what Jack would say - “Laughter is healing.” And just being in a massive auditorium with other people, where you feel like you're enjoying yourself, and you can just escape for a couple of hours. I don't think this show is trying to do anything more than just saying, “Come have a great time. Leave thinking that there is still good in the world. It's not just all bad.” 

And finally, how would you describe Shucked in one word? 

It's very difficult to sum this show up in one word, so I'm just going to say “corn.”

I had a feeling that was coming!

Corn!

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