Posted 2 hours ago"I Hope That It Gives Hope": Joshua Bassett Opens Up About His Memoir, "Rookie," Returning To Theater, And His Most Personal Chapter YetWith his "Little Shop of Horrors" debut and a memoir on the way, Joshua Bassett reflects on the creative journey behind his latest chapter.by Andrew FirrioloBuzzFeed StaffcommentFacebookPinterestLink Between making his Off-Broadway debut in the iconic Little Shop of Horrors and announcing his upcoming memoir, Rookie, Joshua Bassett has kicked off 2026 at full speed. Slaven Vlasic We meet at the Westside Theatre an hour before the show starts, on a bitterly cold Thursday. As I warm up in the lobby, fans drift in and out of the box office - one excitedly scoring a front-row ticket to next week's performance. A few minutes later, I head into the theater and spot Joshua sipping tea in the front row near the stage. He greets me with his natural charisma and, for a split second, I have to remember my name (cue SpongeBob SquarePants: "We threw out his name!").
Settling onto the edge of the stage, we begin our conversation about returning to his theater roots, reflecting on his debut album, and writing his most vulnerable piece of work to date.
Note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity. BuzzFeed: Congratulations on making your NYC stage debut in Little Shop of Horrors! How does it feel to be returning to your theater roots?Joshua: Thank you! It's interesting because when I started this run, there were times I would forget my lines during rehearsals, and I'd start to freak out. Everyone would be like, "It's fine, it's fine," but I'm used to the theater I did growing up. I had some pretty strict teachers who would always tell me, "In the professional world, you're gonna get yelled at and screamed at." So I had a little bit of anxiety coming back to theater, but it's been a wonderful experience.
Everyone in the cast is so kind, and supportive, and patient, and wonderful. I think something special in the theater community is this strong family vibe. Everyone looks out for each other. We're all in tight corners; we all share a dressing room here. There are no egos - it's all one big melting pot, and it's a beautiful family.
It's been awesome. The crowds have been amazing, and it's been fun to tweak my performance every night. But it was an adjustment. It's definitely a muscle I haven't exercised in 10 years. Michaelah Reynolds / Via Vivacity Media Group Little Shop is SUCH an iconic story. What is it about Seymour that drew you to the part?I got an offer for the show, and I'd actually never seen it, but it's one of my oldest sister's favorite shows ever. All I knew was "Suddenly Seymour," because every person who's ever done theater knows that song (laughs).
So I saw it, and I was drawn to the emotional range of Seymour. It's a really fun role. You get to be a little bit bizarre and awkward and weird and quirky, and then you slowly start to unravel into this chaos. You get to watch a guy who has pretty decent intentions slowly start to blur the line between what's acceptable and what's not.
Seeing that emotional roller coaster, I was thinking, "Oh, that'd be a really fun journey to go on. It's almost like a Walter White-type character." Michaelah Reynolds / Via Vivacity Media Group Little Shop has so many great scenes, but is there a moment from the show you look forward to every night?I won't spoil anything for people who haven't seen the show yet, but there's a scene where an altercation happens. It's a really fun moment to lean into as an actor.I also always look forward to "Suddenly Seymour," just because I get a front-row seat to Joy Woods. She's incredible. I get to sit there in amazement and watch her do her thing.
Joy Woods is so talented! Do you have a favorite memory of working with her during rehearsals?We actually didn't have a ton of rehearsals together. She had done the show before and was very busy up to the first performance. I was very nervous during the rehearsal sessions. I was like a shell of myself; I felt out of my element, and I was just freaked out.
Joy came in with this confidence. She was having fun and lightened the mood. She helped me realize that there was a balance - I was taking it way too seriously, and I needed to loosen up a little and enjoy the process.
At the end of the day, it's supposed to be fun and enjoyable, you know? She definitely brought that out of me, like, "Just relax, it's gonna be fine. Go figure out the lines. Have fun with it, enjoy it." That was really cool. She was very good about helping me be reintroduced to the theater world. Michaelah Reynolds / Via Vivacity Media Group Pivoting a bit, I want to chat a little about your debut album, The Golden Years. It's one of my favorite albums, and now that it's been a year and a half-Wait, it's really been a year and a half?Isn't it wild? July 2024! Looking back at your debut album, what is something you are especially proud of?I love the song "Mirror." It's a very