In the upcoming major new revival of Little Shop of Horrors, Jed Berry will star as Seymour when the musical opens on Friday 25th September at Hope Mill Theatre until Sunday 29th November and at the Liverpool Playhouse from Thursday 3rd December to Saturday 9th January, and Little Shop of Horrors is directed and choreographed by Carrie-Anne Ingrouille. Jed has just finished his run in the closing West End cast of BACK TO THE FUTURE The Musical at the Adelphi Theatre as Ensemble and understudy Marty McFly and Dave McFly, and last year, he was in the UK premiere of Shucked at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre as a Swing. Amongst Jed’s further musicals, he played Boq for the UK & Ireland Tour of Wicked, covered nine roles in the original UK Tour of The Book of Mormon in 2019 before joining the 10th Anniversary West End cast as Swing and cover Elder Cunningham and Elder McKinley, and he was an Angel and cover Referee in Kinky Boots at the Adelphi Theatre (and was part of the filmed version). Having started his theatre career as a child actor, Jed played Friedrich von Trapp in The Sound of Music at the age of 13. Alongside his theatre career, Jed is a designer and has worked on projects for The London Palladium, Royal Albert Hall and Southwark Playhouse, including The Last Five Years, which starred Rachel Zegler and Ben Platt. We chatted to Jed about his upcoming starring role of Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors in Manchester and Liverpool, being part of the closing West End cast of BACK TO THE FUTURE The Musical and his time over the years in The Book of Mormon.

Later this year, you are set to star as Seymour in the upcoming major new revival of Little Shop of Horrors at Hope Mill Theatre and Liverpool Playhouse; what are you looking forward to most for being part of the show?

There’s so much I can’t wait for – it’s going to be really exciting being part of a brand new production. It’s such a fun musical, and I’m looking forward to putting my stamp on it. A lot of my career has been about honouring pre-exisiting work, which is a skill in itself, but I’m excited to get creative and build this from the ground up. As a Northerner myself, I can’t wait to spend some time in Manchester and Liverpool – two of my favourite cities!

What do you think Seymour will be like to play and how will you prepare for taking on the character?

Who knows! Seymour is on stage for the vast majority of the show and is the character the story revolves around, so I think the challenge will be getting the audience to root for him. Other than that, I really want to go into the process with an open mind… and the lines learned!

Was there anything that drew you to Little Shop of Horrors, and how did you feel finding out you’d booked the starring role?

Finding out I’d booked the job was such a special moment. It’s my agent’s favourite musical, and the show was instrumental in me discovering musicals, having performed in an amateur production when I was 10 years old, so we were both really giddy to find out I’d get to do it again. I’m a big fan of Carrie-Anne Ingrouille, our director and choreographer, so I’m chuffed I get the opportunity to work with her.

You have just finished your run as Ensemble in BACK TO THE FUTURE The Musical at the Adelphi Theatre; what was it like being in the West End closing cast and how was the atmosphere on the final few performances?

It’s always sad saying goodbye to any production, but you also get to celebrate the show with its creators and connect with the fans who have a really meaningful connection with it. There were people who’d seen the show upwards of 300 times. It’s an escape from the real world, and fan bases grow into communities who show so much support – not only for the show, but also the individuals involved, so it was a great reminder that what we do has a very real impact on people’s lives.

As understudy Marty McFly and Dave McFly, what were both characters like to play, and what do you remember from your first show as Marty?

Marty was easily the hardest role I have ever played. He leads the show and never leaves the stage – it’s a relentlessly high sing, quick change after quick change. He spends the majority of the show either hurling himself around or shouting, with very few chances for water or even to catch a breath. I’ve got bucketloads of respect for the principals and alternates who do that multiple times a week.

As an understudy, you rarely get the chance to build stamina in a role, as it’s sometimes months since you last did it. You really do feel like you’re being shot out of a cannon, but you lean on your cast and crew (especially dressers, WHAM, and the actor playing Doc) who keep you going. It’s hugely rewarding to take a bow having led that performance.

In contrast, getting to play Dave was really fun – moonwalking, riffing, growling, playing silly cameo roles. I was in my element!

What was it like working on the UK premiere of Shucked at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre last year as a Swing?

Shucked definitely holds the spot for ‘favourite job so far’. It was a joyous experience – outside in Regent’s Park, working with a beautiful and hilarious cast, a legendary creative/production team, and seeing audiences in fits of laughter for two-and-a-half hours. Jack O’Brien, our esteemed director, knows how to make magic for an audience but also for the people doing it. It truly was a laugh from start to finish, and I felt really humbled to be surrounded by people who are at the top of their game. It was a really special time.

How did you find the experience touring the UK & Ireland with Wicked, and how was it performing with the rest of the cast?

Wicked was the ultimate dream come true. To say I spent my childhood as a mega-fan would be an understatement – I knew this show inside out and back to front. It was the show that made me want to be a professional performer, so the opportunity to play Boq was beyond surreal.

I had a difficult start with the job, as I’d sustained a pretty big hamstring injury on a previous gig and had to get reconstructive leg surgery and learn to walk again, delaying my start with the show by a good few months. It was a real tidal wave of emotions and a lot to process.

It’s tough to step into a large company that already has an established dynamic, but the entire company (especially Dan Hope, who was playing Boq in my absence) were utterly generous and welcoming. I made some amazing friends on that job, and to say I achieved the childhood dream is a privilege that is definitely not lost on me.

What was it like getting into character as Boq and what did you enjoy most about playing the character on tour?

It was such a unique experience to be doing the show at the same moment the first movie was released. There was such a buzz about Wicked as an entity, and we really felt that from audiences.

Playing Boq was so much fun because you get to play a very sweet role, but you also get to perform alongside the ensemble and act opposite the amazing women who play and cover Elphaba, Glinda and Nessarose. It was a masterclass watching them perform some of the most demanding roles in musical theatre night after night.

Can you tell us about your time as Swing and cover Elder Cunningham and Elder McKinley in The Book of Mormon, and how was it joining the West End production at the Prince of Wales Theatre in 2023 after touring with the show?

The Book of Mormon was a huge chapter in my career. We set up the original tour in 2019, where I got to work with the original creative team, and I stayed with the show for four-and-a-half years – throughout the pandemic – performing in 19 cities, eight countries, swinging and covering nine roles before joining the 10th anniversary cast in the West End.

Playing Elder Cunningham was my first experience of leading a show and made me realise I might have a chance at playing comedic roles. I think the fact I spent so many years with the show speaks volumes to how much I enjoyed performing that musical. We were as silly off stage as we were on stage!

You played an Angel (and cover Referee) in Kinky Boots at the Adelphi Theatre, and were also in the cast for the filmed version of the musical; what are some of your favourite memories from this show?

Kinky Boots was my first job out of drama school, and it felt like I’d won the lottery. People adored that show.

Getting to drag up eight times a week and strut around was such a unique experience – you’re spending hours doing your own makeup, your toes are bleeding from the heels, you’re singing in the absolute rafters, and you’re trying to look gorgeous while you do it – so the group of Angels really bonded over the craziness of it all. Getting the show immortalised in the filmed version was the cherry on a very fabulous cake.

If there was one show I could go back and do again just once more, Kinky Boots would be it.

As a child actor, you played Friedrich von Trapp in The Sound of Music, how was this?

I’m loving this deep dive! I was 13 years old, it was my first experience of touring, and I really felt like I was doing ‘the thing’. I just felt so grown up and like a ‘real’ musical theatre performer!

There are people from that job I’m still in touch with and have gotten to work with since, which is amazing. Lots of the child actors grew up to be adult actors, so it’s fun to see what everyone is up to, and even more fun to see the lives of the ones who left performing to go and do other things.

Where does your love of performing come from and how did you originally get into it?

It all started out with a love of S Club 7 and Spice Girls! My parents saw how much I loved to sing and dance along to the VHS recordings of their concerts, and so started taking me to the theatre. My half-sister’s mum took me to see The Lion King when I was five – it was my first musical and I was absolutely entranced.

I was eight years old when I first performed on stage in a children’s production, and it just snowballed from there – I literally haven’t stopped since! No one in my family is a performer (barely any of them even like musicals), so we have no clue where it came from, but they are the biggest support and always cheer me on!

Do you have any favourite theatre shows to watch, and which would you like to see that you haven’t done so as yet?

As a child, I dragged my family to watch Wicked countless times, and I watched the MTV recording of Legally Blonde so often I could still recite it for you now.

Shows that stick out in my mind that I’ve seen recently have to be Jamie Lloyd’s Sunset Blvd, Punchdrunk’s The Burnt City, and Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club. I’m absolutely desperate to see both Into the Woods and Paddington – that bear has my heart.

Alongside acting, you are a designer, with your work including projects for The London Palladium, Royal Albert Hall and Southwark Playhouse; how did your design career come about, and what are some of your stand-out highlights so far?

That’s right! I’ve always been passionate about good design, and so my career started during the pandemic where my ‘COVID hustle’ was creating logos and branding for other people’s ‘COVID hustles’.

That translated into doing some minor design work for a few film production companies, and then, about two years in, someone asked me to do a poster for a theatre show. I had no idea how it worked, but gave it a go and fell in love with it.

I reached out to Rebecca Pitt and Emilie Chen (both incredible and respected designers) to understand more about it, and haven’t looked back. We’re now all part of a community of freelance designers, and I love being able to express my creativity and theatricality through another medium.

I’ve recently just wrapped up on the 25th anniversary production of The Last Five Years starring Rachel Zegler and Ben Platt, which hit the London Palladium, Radio City Music Hall, Hollywood Bowl, and also released a live album. Getting to work with two powerhouse stars, who are such lovely people, was a treat, and my heart still skips a beat thinking about my artwork on a billboard in Times Square!

The privilege of having not one, but two careers that put fire in my belly is a privilege I will never take for granted. What a fortunate chap I am!

How do you like to spend your free time?

What free time!?

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