Skylar Astin on Going Back to His Theater Roots with Little Shop of Horrors & Spring Awakening

Hailed by fans for his onscreen performances in Pitch Perfect and Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist, Skylar Astin is finally back on the New York stage in one of off-Broadway's hottest tickets: Little Shop of Horrors. As previously reported, he's playing Seymour through July 3 before Rob McClure steps into the plant shop. On a recent episode of The Broadway Show with Tamsen Fadal, Astin caught up with Broadway.com Editor-in-Chief Paul Wontorek just outside of the Westside Theatre.

"I think this is the perfect house for this production," he said of the intimate venue. Little Shop also marks a reunion for Astin and Spring Awakening's Tony-winning director Michael Mayer. "What I love so much about Michael Mayer's vision with this production specifically is that it has no intentions of transferring to Broadway. I think that took the pressure off and just gave a perfect sandbox for this to live in."

Admittedly, Little Shop wasn't one of Astin's fan-favorite musicals growing up. "It's now become something I'm deeply connected to, but I only knew the hits," he told Wontorek. "Like, I didn't know 'Skid Row.' I didn't know 'Grow For Me.' I didn't see the movie. I'm not some like movie, TV guy who doesn't know his stuff either. I know my stuff. In hindsight, now that I know it so well, it's a dream role."

As a Spring Awakening original cast member, Astin himself has been on the receiving end of dedicated fandom. The company has recently been revisiting the beloved show in the form of a reunion concert last November, an HBO documentary and even a performance at the 75th Tony Awards. "I really like talking to people that saw the documentary that weren't here in 2006 to see it. They get the sense of its importance," he explained. "We were like The Beatles of 49th Street. [The documentary] really speaks to the vitality and the strength of theater and the significance of being here when it happened. It's like a time capsule."

Watch the interview below, and head here to check your local listings for The Broadway Show. Hosted by Emmy-winning anchor Tamsen Fadal and powered by Broadway.com, it is the only nationally syndicated weekly theater news program.