Little Shop of Horrors Star Joshua Bassett Talks Music, Memoir and the Magic of Mushnik's

Little Shop of Horrors’ latest Seymour, Joshua Bassett, is moving through 2026 with intention and focusing on healthy growth. His turn in the cult-favorite off-Broadway musical is one of many projects feeding the singer, songwriter and actor’s insatiable curiosity. Bassett is midway through a 10-week engagement, having made his New York stage debut on December 19 at the Westside Theatre. New York isn’t looking very green at the moment, but not even a nor’easter of Audrey II proportions could eclipse the San Diego native’s pursuit of a little bloodthirsty botany down on Skid Row. Still, he can't do it alone: for who is Seymour without Audrey? Bassett stars alongside Tony nominee and original Little Shop cast member Joy Woods through March 1.

Recognized for his breakout role as Ricky Bowen in the Disney+ mockumentary musical drama High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, Bassett established himself over four seasons as a capable actor and musician in his own right, appearing on Billboard’s “21 Under 21” list in 2021. Not too shabby considering that was also the year his doctor dubbed him the “sickest patient in the hospital” while battling heart failure. Bassett counts it as a blessing that he not only survived the “crisis,” but lived to write an aptly-titled song about it. Bassett’s co-writing and producing skills on the song “Finally Free” from the series’ season three soundtrack earned him a Children’s and Family Emmy Award in 2023. He released his first full-length album, The Golden Years in 2024, and his forthcoming memoir Rookie: My Public, Private, and Secret Life is out May 5. Bassett spoke with Broadway.com about desperately seeking Seymour while honing his rhythm on the page and the piano.

How does it feel to step into the character of Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors?
I haven't done theater in about 10 years. I did theater growing up, but I kind of departed from that. High School Musical might be considered theater, but it's a completely different muscle. I got the offer, I went and saw the show, and I was like, “You know what? This might be really fun.” It challenged me in ways I was not expecting. Normally when you're on set, you memorize a scene or two, maybe three a day, versus 100 pages of insanity and crazy music. It has been a wild journey and brought up a lot of insecurities in me. I felt like I was 15 again. But ultimately, the process was awesome, because it really stretched me and made me grow. Seymour is such a fun role to play. He goes on such an emotional roller coaster. It's fun to play the clumsy, aloof guy, and then go into a world where he starts to justify murder. Not to spoil it, but he goes down this dark path, and it's such a trip to experience that emotional journey every night—something you don't get to do in TV and film.

You are the 15th actor to take on the role in this production. Did you receive pointers from anyone who has worn the tennis shoes before you?
When I got the offer, I called up my good friend Andrew Barth Feldman, and he was like, “Honestly, bro, it's some of the best people you'll ever work with. It’s one of my favorite things I've ever done in my career.” I called Milo Manheim as well. I wanted to get a couple perspectives. He was like, “Dude, it's a f**king blast. You're gonna absolutely love it.” I don't know that I necessarily got any character tips from them, but there was a point where I was losing my mind panicking, because I was a week away from the first show and I could barely get the lines in my head. I called them both, and they were like, “Yeah, this is exactly the part where you start to panic. It’s totally normal. Just know this happens to everybody and you're going to get it, we promise.” That was really encouraging to have them hold my hand through the process.

How has your experience been working with Joy Woods?
Every day is a wonder working with Joy Woods. She is a once-in-a-generation talent and an absolute goofball. Truly, she lives up to the name. She is such a joy. She makes every day fun. We like to mess with each other on stage. We're always trying to make each other laugh. Anytime one of our faces is turned away from the audience, we're making a silly face to the other person. I was very stressed during my rehearsal process, and when she came in, she didn't take it seriously at all—in the best way. She was making jokes left and right, and everyone was dying laughing. I was so serious and so in my head, and seeing that really brought that perspective to me that I don't need to take it so seriously. She is a powerhouse. Watching her perform and command the power and the stage… she's great to watch, wonderful to work with and just a whole lot of fun.

Was it difficult to get used to playing off a puppet?
It's funny, because during rehearsals, you don't really work with the actual puppets. You work with people who are miming the puppets. I didn't really get the full experience with the lights, sound and the puppets until the day of my first show when we did the put-in. It actually freaked me out in the best way. When the music came on and the puppet came to life, it just shocked me—this enormous puppet screaming at me. But it's been super fun to work with. The puppeteers are the sweetest people. It's definitely trippy, especially when I have to do my own puppeteering work. It's hard to be two people at once.

Do you have a favorite memory from your time in Little Shop?
We all just went and watched Sinners the other night. It was fun to have an extracurricular activity. We go out to dinner together after the shows a lot, and because everyone is so wonderful, I can't pinpoint one specific moment. Just being there is amazing. Everyone's so safe, loving, kind, gentle. There's no drama, there's no backstabbing, there are no rumors. They’re all really kind, very loving people. And that includes the crew as well, everyone on the crew is just the best. I don't know what it is. Whoever's hiring everybody from the top down is doing a great job. Every day has been a bit of a dream.

This isn’t the first time you’ve put your own spin on an established narrative. How does it feel to be a part of the legacy of High School Musical?
We were very careful in the High School Musical: The Musical: The Series cast. We had this fear that maybe the world would reject the show, maybe they would think it was terrible, maybe they wouldn't want us to mess with their thing. When it was first announced, we were getting clowned. And then I read the script, and I was like, “This is actually pretty great.” Once the trailer came out, people got excited. A lot of people who had been fans of the original musical received it very well, and then we created a whole new generation of fans. Now I finally feel comfortable being like, we are a part of it. We were embraced by a majority of the original cast, which is always nice, as was getting an endorsement from Kenny Ortega. Kenny just came to see Little Shop. It was really special to have him there. And it's cool that we got to do a fresh take on it that’s not trying to be a recreation, that’s its own thing. It's like cousins with the original. It’s still in the bloodline, but it's not quite the same [immediate] family.

You’ve navigated more than your fair share of ups and downs in recent years. How are you managing your health these days?
I was diagnosed with heart failure and sepsis and was told I had myocarditis. It’s one of those things that not everyone’s going to believe; I don't really care what people think, because the doctors said that it was a miracle. Basically, they said I was going to have health issues the rest of my life, dietary and exercise restrictions. I probably couldn't have pulled off a show like this. Then, when the doctors left the room, I said, “I need help.” As soon as I said the words out loud, I had full body chills. They came in and did tests, and they were like, “We don't know what's happening, but you're getting better.” They did scans at the end and said it's as if it never happened, which is unheard of medically. Whatever people believe, I know that something helped me when I asked for help, and, very fortunately, I have not had to deal with the physical effects of that afterwards. Emotionally, spiritually, that's a different story—but physically, I'm doing much better. I feel healthier than ever. I'm very much taking care of my body. You kind of have to when you're doing eight shows a week. It's no joke. I cut out all alcohol, I even cut out sugar for the most part. I'm trying to stay intentional with what I put in my body and trying to stay as healthy as possible, because otherwise it's very hard to do this job.

Where did the idea for your memoir Rookie come from?
I've been working on this book for about five years. The idea sort of came from being no-schooled. I moved out when I was 16, I lived in my car in L.A. and I was sneaking into these big, high-profile red carpets uninvited. I realized that everyone was kind of faking it, so I had this mentality that I could teach myself guitar and piano. Why not? Just walk with confidence and they'll believe you. Ultimately, that led me to some success. At the end of the day, though, when I had heart failure and went through difficult stuff, I found that sort of success can't sustain you. It's not what life is about. The first half of the book is about, “Fake it 'til you make it, go for it, follow your dreams,” and the second half of the book is asking, “Who are you when you wake up from that dream?” It's sort of my own journey of self-evolving.

Do you have any other dream musical theater roles?
Link in Hairspray would be phenomenal. They need to bring back Hairspray as soon as possible, it’s very timely. Ren in Footloose—I also want to do that show so badly. I just love the music. Frank Abagnale Jr. in Catch Me If You Can. I saw the musical when I was 13 in San Diego and was amazed. I love the con man story there. Those three would be amazing, and I think I'd be uniquely fit to play those.

What advice do you have for the next Seymour, and what has playing this character taught you?
Don't take it too seriously. Obviously, take it seriously, but not too seriously. And soak in every moment, because it's rare you find a company that is this kind and wonderful. The takeaway from Seymour: If getting what you want hurts other people, it’s not worth it.

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