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[0:01] ♪ Musical number: "LITTLE ME" — performed by Jake Ryan Flynn ♪

[0:22] Marc Tumminelli: Hello, welcome back to LITTLE ME. It's me, Marc Tumminelli, and I have a great guest today. He made his Broadway debut originating the role of Charlie in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and can currently be seen starring as Christopher Hillard in Broadway's Mrs. Doubtfire. His regional credits include A Christmas Carol, Shrek, Billy Elliott, Mary Poppins, Singing in the Rain, and Peter Pan. His TV and film credits include Broad Squad, In My Mind, John Mulaney and the Sack Lunch Bunch, and Cape Cod Christmas. Please welcome Jake Ryan Flynn.

[0:53] Jake Ryan Flynn: Hi.

[0:54] Marc Tumminelli: Hi, Jake Ryan Flynn. How are you?

[0:56] Jake Ryan Flynn: Good.

[0:57] Jake Ryan Flynn: I'm good, you know. Just, um, we're in the end of previews, you know, Broadway. Going on Broadway. No big deal. You know, casual Joe Allen's Broadway.

[1:06] Marc Tumminelli: Oh, yes. Is that what's do you go to Joe Allen after the show?

[1:09] Jake Ryan Flynn: That's my favorite place. I'm not even joking.

[1:10] Marc Tumminelli: Alright, what do you do?

[1:12] Jake Ryan Flynn: I get the chicken.

[1:14] Marc Tumminelli: Okay.

[1:15] Jake Ryan Flynn: I've gotten that since I've like been 10. It's a thing.

[1:18] Marc Tumminelli: It's your thing. Now, have you had the meatloaf?

[1:21] Jake Ryan Flynn: I have not had the meatloaf, and now I'm going to go have it.

[1:24] Marc Tumminelli: Never. I would never order meatloaf anywhere. I barely ever eat meat.

[1:28] Jake Ryan Flynn: But that meatloaf is so good.

[1:30] Marc Tumminelli: Oh, they have a new dip.

[1:31] Jake Ryan Flynn: Oh, this like guacamole dip ever since when they came back from COVID.

[1:35] Marc Tumminelli: Oh.

[1:36] Jake Ryan Flynn: This episode is brought to you by Joe Allen.

[1:38] Marc Tumminelli: Joe Allen's. Okay. So how's it going over there on Broadway in the new family musical, Mrs. Doubtfire?

[1:43] Jake Ryan Flynn: We've been waiting for you, and you're here. It's going good. We, um, we're opening really, really soon. On Sunday night.

[1:52] Marc Tumminelli: How exciting?

[1:53] Jake Ryan Flynn: Sunday night. It's really exciting. We've frozen the show. We've done all the changes. I think the show has even gotten better after the pandemic with all the new things they added and changed with the opening and all the things.

[2:07] Marc Tumminelli: Yeah, tell me about some of the changes that have come up between your first 1.0.

[2:12] Jake Ryan Flynn: Well, you had 1.0 out of town. 2.0 would have been your previews that you had pre-COVID, and then 3.0, you're in 3.0 now. Um, what kind of changes have happened?

[2:24] Jake Ryan Flynn: Well, uh, the biggest changes, because we did a reading before Seattle, and I think our biggest changes weren't from reading to Seattle, but Seattle to Broadway before COVID, and then the COVID pandemic hit after our three previews. And when we came back, we did this. We have this whole new opening number, and, uh, one of the numbers that we have in the show that Charity and Joe Dawson sing has been amazingly redone and it is incredible. Um, and just like new different lines and, um, different things, but those were like the main things that changed, uh, during the pandemic coming.

[2:57] Marc Tumminelli: Okay, so let's pandemic. Let's go back, let's tell your Doubtfire story from the beginning. So this show started how many years have you been with Doubtfire now?

[3:06] Jake Ryan Flynn: I did the first, uh, reading in May, May 2019, the end of May-ish, middle of May.

[3:14] Marc Tumminelli: So, and how old are we?

[3:17] Jake Ryan Flynn: Yes. I was 12.

[3:19] Marc Tumminelli: Okay, and now you are 14.

[3:22] Jake Ryan Flynn: Uh, 15, and I can see anyway.

[3:25] Marc Tumminelli: Oh god. Can you smoke at 15? Is that allowed?

[3:29] Jake Ryan Flynn: No, but at this point, you might as well, I'm brought up. You might as well have a martini and smoke at Joe Allen.

[3:34] Marc Tumminelli: Alright, yeah, so pretty much. When did the first audition come to you? And were you familiar with Mrs. Doubtfire like as a movie?

[3:41] Jake Ryan Flynn: Uh, I actually hadn't seen the movie, but my mom had seen the movie. And so when we got this audition, we're like, oh my god, this movie's so funny. And I end up, I, uh, after I had done the audition, I watched the movie with my whole family and loved it because my parents knew what it was. I hadn't, I've heard of it, but I had never seen the whole movie.

[3:59] Marc Tumminelli: Yeah.

[3:59] Jake Ryan Flynn: And I loved it. So we watched the whole movie, and then I found out that I got the reading, which was super exciting. And so we did the reading. It was like two weeks, and then we performed it at the West Side Theater where Little Shop of Horrors is now.

[4:11] Marc Tumminelli: Okay.

[4:11] Jake Ryan Flynn: Uh, for two performances. We did two with just the script and the, and we did it on a stage, and then, you know, there were rumors of it going to Seattle, and we were like, there's no way I would be in it. I mean, what are the odds? And then we got a call from the casting company said that they want to offer you, uh, Seattle and Broadway for next year, and we were like, Wait, what? It was so literally, it was just like we were like, that'll never happen. That was so fun, this reading, and then like they were just like, So we're gonna go to Seattle, we'd like to offer you Seattle, and then we're gonna go to Broadway next year.

[4:44] Jake Ryan Flynn: And you had a guarantee that you would go to Broadway with the show, so you knew.

[4:48] Jake Ryan Flynn: Yeah, there was a contract going to Broadway and Seattle. They forgot to mention the pandemic, but they forgot, but we were they about to mention it.

[4:52] Marc Tumminelli: They forgot to mention that, but for the most part, it was great. Alright, so tell me about Seattle. You obviously do the workshop, and then you're gonna do a very full production, just sort of pre-Broadway engagement. Did you feel like this is a really special show? We, I can't wait to come to New York. This is gonna be a big hit. What were you feeling in Seattle about the show?

[5:16] Jake Ryan Flynn: Uh, just from the reading, we really felt it was complete. Like, I, uh, when we were reading because you know, you don't know until once I got the script and the reading, you're like, wow, this is really good. This is like we didn't know if I was going to Broadway, but we were like, this feels like it feels done. Like it could be performed. Um, and then we went to Seattle. The amount of people that came back, multiple like at the stage door, oh my god, this is my fifth time. Oh, this is amazing. This changed my family. My whole family came and loved it. This I really needed this. Like, it was so amazing to see that. So that's how I knew. Like, I love the show, but once I saw people come back more than twice, that's how you know that obviously it's doing something for people.

[5:56] Jake Ryan Flynn: And you knew you were gonna come to Broadway with it. So it already felt like you're in this kind of hit show and you're on your way to the Stephen Sondheim Theater Object. And then before we went to Seattle, um, we had this, uh, photo shoot, the whole Hillard family, Rob, Jen, me, Annalise, and Avery. We did like a photo shoot, uh, with him in full makeup. The first time we had ever seen him in the Doubtfire get up, and it was like, I mean, it was amazing. We did like all these photos, and I And those are the ones that are outside the theater.

[6:26] Jake Ryan Flynn: Those are ones that are outside the theater, and then we actually did some more right before we shut down with the whole cast. And I remember them, I've been being I remember being like, uh, where are these gonna go? They were like, oh, they'll go around. I was like, are these gonna go in the theater? And then it was then when we got into rehearsals for Broadway, I was like, oh my god, the theater house, like there are such good pictures of all of you like showing up to the theater to see it. Um, I'm sure that was a really special day to see your big face outside of Broadway.

[6:52] Jake Ryan Flynn: Trees come true. I jokingly call those photos my son now because I look so much older.

[6:57] Marc Tumminelli: Okay, we're gonna get to that in one second. That is really funny. So in March of 2020, you started previews. Tell me about those first couple, those for you got three out, right?

[7:07] Jake Ryan Flynn: Three, three previews. I be like it was normal because I the pandemic, like COVID was the last thing I was thinking about. I mean, I was so focused on the show, I had zero clue. Like, I didn't even really have any suspicions of something happening until the day we shut down. Like, I never, like, it was just wasn't like the coronavirus. Who cares about that?

[7:29] Marc Tumminelli: Yeah.

[7:30] Jake Ryan Flynn: I said that. That's not our problem.

[7:31] Marc Tumminelli: Honestly, I said the same thing. My sister's like, I don't know if I should come into this city. And I was like, Danielle, it's fine. It's no big deal. Let's go see Linda Adder at 54. It's a cold anyway. And then look what happened.

[7:41] Jake Ryan Flynn: Okay, so you did three shows. Tell me about those first three. Did it feel like, oh my god, we're a hot New York hit? Were you feeling good about it?

[7:48] Jake Ryan Flynn: It was very like, I mean, the first, uh, the first preview in Vedress, it was very like, I mean, it was like when Doubtfire came on stage, it was like, I mean, the roar of applause. It was like, because we all have been waiting for it. We were like, we were sitting, because we come on, we when we open Miranda opens the door, and we're all sit standing on steps, like looking at him, and then the audience applauds after the number that happened before. So we were like, okay, this is gonna be a real big one. And then we came out and it was like it was huge applause, and we were all like on a high after the show, like this is this is yes, and then we came in, uh, and we just this then it was the second preview before the curtain. Our producer Kevin McCollum said that they're not doing stage door anymore, and we just got it all just no backstage tours, no nothing like that.

[8:32] Jake Ryan Flynn: Then on the day of our fourth preview, uh, we were rehearsing, and, um, we were in the middle of rehearsal, and then, uh, the stage managers came down, and I think and Jerry, and they said that there's no show tonight, and that we can't have any groups of 500 people or more, but they said that we don't have that, so we're gonna continue to rehearse. So we kept rehearsing the song, and they happened to be rehearsing the song that Jen sings with, uh, Doubtfire about the divorce. And literally the night of our fourth preview after COVID, they were rehearsing that. I was like, how dare they tour with us like that? Rehearsing the same number the day we shut down. Um, and then, uh, we were all backstage, like we see the post of like Broadway shutting down.

We were like, what's going on? Like what we're rehearsing right now. This isn't we haven't heard from Kevin, it's not true. And, uh, then Kevin and all the producers came to the meetings and all I said that we're gonna be, uh, stopping for a month and just to go visit your family and to come back and know you have a job.

[9:29] Jake Ryan Flynn: And there was a year and a half. So I'm sure that was very heartbreaking to just even take a month off the machine.

[9:35] Jake Ryan Flynn: Yeah, well, it was it was so fast that it wasn't as sad as you might think. Like, I was just so kind of it was so like kind of thrown out, and we were just kind of like we were so worried they were gonna shut down New York. So me and it was me and my mom there, and my grandparents had come in to see the show that night, and so we just left that morning because we were worried they were gonna shut down New York.

[9:54] Marc Tumminelli: You were from Boston, yeah.

[9:56] Jake Ryan Flynn: Yeah, my whole family lives in Boston. I have three brothers.

[9:59] Marc Tumminelli: So did you just like sort of leave the city and go back home?

[10:02] Jake Ryan Flynn: Oh, yeah, we just went back to our house because we were worried that they were gonna shut down New York as everything was closing. We were like, I just I feel like we need to get out of here. So we just we left, we stayed over that night in our apartment, and then we just left.

[10:13] Marc Tumminelli: Okay, so tell me what is happening in the first month of this. Are you meeting with your cast? Are you guys having like how do you know what's going on? And that you are coming back eventually?

[10:25] Jake Ryan Flynn: Uh, how did so what happened was is there were Zooms for a while. Well, we had we had Zooms, uh, Jen Gamate's, she did Zooms for the whole cast just throughout the whole pandemic. Every, every third Friday of the month, I think is what it was. No, the last Friday of every month. We're doing Zooms just for fun. That didn't have anything to do with the show, really. But then, uh, then we started having kind of production meetings, you could say. Just kind of everyone saying, when we come back, we'll do this and this, and then it got closer, but then it was sort of sounding like it was gonna be next year, like 2022.

[11:01] Marc Tumminelli: Okay.

[11:01] Jake Ryan Flynn: Uh, it I mean, it was leaning. That's what I assumed. That's what I was my guess. And then out of nowhere, we just got on a call and they're like, we're gonna come back in September. And it was really crazy.

[11:10] Marc Tumminelli: Were you freaking out at some point? Because you are, uh, taller than Rob McClure now.

[11:15] Jake Ryan Flynn: Oh, okay.

[11:15] Jake Ryan Flynn: And you used to not be. So what you said is you know, you have grown enough to you it's your son in the photo outside of the theater.

[11:23] Jake Ryan Flynn: 100%.

[11:24] Jake Ryan Flynn: And your voice is changing and you're growing up, and now at some point you're like, I'm gonna get fired. Were you worried about this?

[11:30] Jake Ryan Flynn: The entire pandemic was, uh, yes, I had worried about it, uh, the whole time. I mean, it was and, uh, my parents just kind of saying it's not gonna happen, it's over, just because that's just how it works. When your voice changes in theater, they don't see you until you're 18.

[11:49] Jake Ryan Flynn: Yeah. Once your voice changes, you're gonna see you at 18, you can play younger. That's just how it is. Uh, so it was really just like so, uh, sad, and I really didn't think I really didn't think I was coming back whatsoever. I mean, of course I hoped, and like I couldn't say I really didn't think I had hope that I would, but I really didn't think I was coming back. And most kids that went through voice change on Broadway. I mean I am literally all gone, and it is really sad. I mean, the only person I know that has stayed with their production is my friend Alex, who moved up to the older brother in Carolina or Change. That is the only person I know.

[12:29] Marc Tumminelli: When did you find out that you were in fact coming back to with the show to originate your role?

[12:36] Jake Ryan Flynn: I found out, uh, we had this like little rehearsal in July 2021. So I want to say I found out June, right?

[12:46] Jake Ryan Flynn: June? Yeah, that would make sense. Oh, it was right as I was getting out of school, and I was with my teachers, and I told them they were like, oh my god, and everyone was like, they couldn't believe that it was actually happening.

[12:55] Marc Tumminelli: Could you believe it was actually happening?

[12:58] Jake Ryan Flynn: I still don't believe it's actually happening.

[13:00] Jake Ryan Flynn: Oh my god, it's happening.

[13:01] Jake Ryan Flynn: It's happening, and it's we're opening on Sunday.

[13:05] Marc Tumminelli: Tell me about that first night back. That had to feel like the most special experience.

[13:09] Jake Ryan Flynn: Well, we had the invited dress, which technically wasn't a paid performance, but it was really, I mean, I couldn't have been more nervous. I mean, everyone was so like, I mean, especially like doing zero theater, and then now you're gonna perform in front of a thousand people. It was like, it was, it mean, uh, hear my voice for the first time after the voice change singing in the same key. It's not high at all. Uh, which is just great. Um, sounds great. I was stuffed. Still got it. Uh, still still got it. Um, so that was, uh, but they had a line which isn't it which isn't in the show now, but it they just had it for like the first, uh, for the invited dress, the first preview, and I think a couple previews afterwards is when I came down the steps in the first opening scene.

[13:55] Jake Ryan Flynn: Um, Miranda said, gosh, I feel like it's been six inches since you came down those steps. And there was just this gigantic applause and laughter, and everyone was, ah, and it was so, and that's when I felt really um it it felt real because everyone in there was just on my side there because everyone knew the story. And the first preview, when we came down the steps, when they opened the door for Doubtfire, it was a minute, minute and a half applause, and it got a standing ovation. And it could have continued, but we actually had to continue with the scene. It was so long. But when people stood up, I mean it was like it was hard. I like I'm kind of I was acting, but like I actually smiled because it was so like it was so moving just to have like see everyone applauding when they saw Rob and Doubtfire. It was just like it was amazing.

[14:37] Marc Tumminelli: Well, let's talk about Rob McClure, who is giving truly one of the most dynamic performances I have ever seen on Broadway, and what a thrill for you to get to watch that every night and learn from him because I can't think of a better teacher of how to be a human and how to be a star. But I want to hear about your you know, your experience of having him night after night play your dad and watching this like masterful performance happen on Broadway.

[15:00] Jake Ryan Flynn: Uh Rob McClure is incredible. He is so nice, he is so kind. Um, and he is his ad-libbing, like he just comes up with he just comes up with stuff all the time. And like I don't know how he does he'll just come up with jokes and he'll just say them, and it's just amazing. Some of them are in the show, and um he's just he's like uh he's incredibly talented, just the way he he can do anything. I mean, you can tell him to do something, and he'll even if he doesn't know how to do it, he'll learn it and do it on stage that that night for a preview. And I don't even know how he does it. But you can be like, okay, we're gonna put we're gonna cut this number, put in a whole new dance number. Can you do it?

Sure. And he does it brilliantly. I don't know how he does it. Um and him just playing that role with all the different voices. It's like he was meant to play this role. Yeah. Like, I don't think anyone else I can't imagine anyone else doing it. I can't imagine anyone else doing it. Like, well, someone's gonna do it at some point. Good luck! Good luck to you. Good luck to that person. Um, but like, I just he is Daniel, he is Mrs. Doubtfire. I mean, it's I mean, I think he gives such a good tribute to Robin Williams. Just oh my god, yes. It still feels like his own, right? No, it's his own. It's not his, but it's so easy to mess up, you know. You could easily do something completely wrong with it, and he does it perfect.

He makes it his own, but then it's also like the friend you know of Robin Williams from the movie. Yeah, the audience loves him so much, and obviously seeing him interact with you kids. Is there something you've learned from him about being a performer? Getting to sort of watch that.

[16:31] Jake Ryan Flynn: Uh uh, just like how to like when there's uh just how to deal with the so much pressure of being in a show, like just to watch him, he's playing the lead, he never leaves stage. If he's off stage, he's changing, and to put in all that stuff that night and having to just to watch, see how someone can deal with stress so amazingly, he's so kind, like he's he's disciplined, he can he can just go out there and do his best. And he just told me he said he said that um don't think too much, you just gotta listen to the other person. That's what he said to me. I want to say a couple nights ago, he said the best way for me to get out of my head is just listen to the other person. That's what he said to me a couple nights ago.

It's like that is so brilliant. And then I was like, he's the best. He's a genius. You should be if you're not writing everything down that he does instead of. Oh my god, him and Jerry Zaks, I'm like, I'm keeping a notebook. I have to have a notebook.

[17:20] Marc Tumminelli: You do have to have a notebook, okay. Starting tomorrow, tell and just keep it in your dress here and write the thing. All right, tell me about Jerry Zaks. You're working with the legendary director, he's done, you know, sort of everything. He has two shows on Broadway this season, um, which is kind of wild. And obviously, he's creating comedy gold. There are moments that I was just truly like doubled over laughing. Um, it must be quite a comedy master class to get to work with someone like that.

[17:46] Jake Ryan Flynn: He's got to be the greatest director ever. I mean, he is, you know, I hadn't worked with him before besides before the show. And you know, you hear like, oh, he's so good, he's so this. He lives up to the hype. I promise you that. He is amazing. Um, and I I um I couldn't trust him more to uh I trust him for me to be good up on stage when he um uh uh when we have notes sessions when you give me notes, and he's he's right, and like uh a lot of people said he's the first to admit that he's wrong. Like he'll tell you something, and and that's really important. And sometimes shows uh struggle when they can't admit that something went wrong in the process, and he's the first to admit that he's wrong, but he's most likely and always right.

Yes. And that's the thing. He's the first to admit that he's wrong, but he's always right. And he is a comedy. But you know, the the bits that are happening in that show, you legitimately do so many things, you have great moments. And I'm sure it's like every night to get on stage and know that you are gonna make people laugh. Like you personally, not only the show, but like you are giving a killer comedic performance. And you should be like so, so proud of what you're doing.

[18:53] Jake Ryan Flynn: Uh I just love um knowing that I'm gonna do this thing and the audience doesn't know what's coming. It's uh especially the end of act one. Um, the end of act one for me is is probably I would say my favorite part because it's like just hearing the laughter. And that's what I missed uh during the pandemic with theater is hearing the laughs because we did Doubtfire so long. I mean, the laughs were just, I mean, people just like the amazing laughs we'd hear. That's what I missed the most.

[19:16] Marc Tumminelli: Yeah, you're like doing a sitcom.

[19:18] Jake Ryan Flynn: It's doing a sitcom on stage. It's unbelievable. So you seem to have a huge bond with the people in not only in the show, but especially your family unit. Um, was that instant? Did it feel like, you know, what was how did that all come together? Because the three of you kids really feel now. I've known Annalise her whole life, but it feels like the three of you kids really are brothers and sisters.

[19:39] Jake Ryan Flynn: It's it's wild to watch. Uh well, um, I had been with Avery uh since the reading, and I did Charlie with her older brother. So I had known her for four years prior to that, and we had done the reading, and then uh we met Annalise before Seattle. And you know, when you have spend the holidays with a cast, that just bonds you. And we uh me and Annalise would spend like every day off together in Seattle. Seattle Great Real. We did all the tourist attractions, and we did everything. We were um, but like when we we had Thanksgiving together, uh, we had I mean, we all the entire cast spent Christmas together. I mean, it's family. You are a family, that's why I think it's literally a family. We did all the holidays, we did everything a family does every year. Uh and now we get to sing about it. Uh so uh it bonded us together very well. Um, except Brad Oscar.

[20:26] Marc Tumminelli: Oh you can't stand him.

[20:27] Jake Ryan Flynn: I can't, he is that's the other thing. You're supporting cast, there are so many features in this show. Like you have Rob Bartlett killing it, like it's just it's so funny. Um, there's so many great moments in Jay Harrison. It's just like your show is fabulous. You should be so so proud of what you guys have created. What do you think people will take away from this show if they're you know on the fence of like, I don't know if I want to go see a Broadway show yet? I don't know if I feel safe, I don't know if Mrs. Doubtfire is a show I want to see. What do you think people take away from the experience of seeing your show?

[21:00] Jake Ryan Flynn: Um, well, everyone thinks it's just a comedy, but it's really not. I mean, uh, it is it's really sad. I mean, and I think that's um where um our show differs from the movie because when you sing about a divorce, it is really sad and losing his kids. I mean, yes, it's filled with farce and it is hilarious, but it's also at the core really emotional, and I think that's where that's how we knew we had something good in Seattle because people would be crying and just like, oh my gosh, I didn't know how much I needed that. Especially people in our cast who have dealt with divorce. Like, I mean, they get so emotional at the end of the show because it's like this uh like Rob said that in in this was the first movie that didn't end with them getting back together.

It ended with them divorced, but everyone's happy again. You know, it didn't end with, oh, they're back together, they made a mistake and now they're back together happy ending. It didn't end like that. It ended with accepting how your family is, and I think that is something that is really important right now.

[21:56] Marc Tumminelli: Oh, that's so awesome. Well, I'm so happy for you, and I can't wait for everyone to see you in Mrs. Doubtfire, but we're gonna jump back a little bit. So um obviously you're a theater loving kid, it seems like your whole life. I mean you have three younger brothers. Your dad is a former Baltimore Ravens player, whatever that means.

[22:13] Jake Ryan Flynn: I'm on the wrong. I was gonna go pro, but I hurt my leg. Now, I'm I'm sure as like the you're the oldest, right?

[22:20] Jake Ryan Flynn: Uh-huh. I'm sure it's the firstborn son of a, you know, kind of famous guy. Did he try to make you uh like a a sports kid?

[22:28] Jake Ryan Flynn: Of course. We tried all the sports and it didn't work out, I like to say. Uh not for the But you were but you were belting everywhere and they're like, well, maybe.

[22:36] Jake Ryan Flynn: Yes, but I could hit a high C. Um, so they were only community theater and they were like, we gotta uh uh finally notice that he does not stop singing. Maybe this is um even like neighbors would be like, he just did the entire production of Les Mis with one person. That's not normal. Maybe you should have a new community.

[22:53] Jake Ryan Flynn: I think it's it's very normal. It's very normal. Uh, you know, I just do that just for people. Were you the only are you the only kid that sings in your family?

[23:04] Jake Ryan Flynn: Uh I actually did uh well most of my all my brothers do sports but uh my brother Joe one time together we did a regional production at North Shore we did Christmas go together and we played the two uh turkey boys my dad's love theater when he was playing football he's loved theater his whole life and uh so he couldn't love theater more he loves going to see shows um so that was something that we bonded over me and my dad listen to overtures all the time it's a thing we love to do I love we just listen to overtures you know like the Hello Dolly one gypsy's the best overture Gypsy is so woman and then Barrelong is the second if you don't know that one I love a long overture.

[23:04] Marc Tumminelli: I love a long overture do you guys you guys don't really have do you have a big overture at Doubtfire?

[23:47] Jake Ryan Flynn: No no we don't have a long overture they're not giving you one. I'm telling they're not giving which was a single tier moment but I get it's a new show. But um I'm telling you when we do a revival I want a five minute I want like every song now at North Shore Music Theater you that seems to have been your theatrical home as a kid you did a million shows there. Tell me about working there as it did it feel so special like as a kid you're doing kind of going for community theater to like kind of big regional theater.

[24:14] Jake Ryan Flynn: Yeah my first show was when I was eight I did I was tiny Tim at North Music Theater for two years and uh my mom liked to say that's when I found my people I mean I couldn't uh I have so many friends there that like I even after Charlie went back and did shows um it is such a I've done 11 shows there it's been like my it's my second home. And it's seven minutes away from my house. So I mean, I could do I did shows all the time. That would be my summer. I would do like one year I did uh I did Mary Poppins and I'd sing in the rain, and that was all of July and all of August. That sounds like that's that was my that was my summer. Uh so it's just been amazing, and I've met so many friends there, like um Kevin Hill, who actually helped me with my audition for Charlie, uh, and his husband Matthews, the casting director there. Kevin Hill is the artistic director, uh, Bill Haney, the owner of North Shore, and Karen, who's the general manager. All of them have just been like so supportive of everything I'm gonna do.

[25:04] Marc Tumminelli: I love that you're meant you're mentioning the general manager. You are you are you're so on top of everything. It's incredible.

[25:11] Jake Ryan Flynn: Uh, but like they help you get an agent. Is that how it kind of started?

[25:15] Jake Ryan Flynn: Uh I got an agent. I did a show. I did um when I I did Shrek, the musical, and I played uh Lord Farquaad's dad Grumpy for like I had one part where I came on and out of the house. But I had prosthetics on my face, and it was worth it. Um Dwayne Clark, who played The Donkey in the show, had an agent, and he sent a video of me singing at like uh at like the bar they have on the hill at an out night, they call it where the actors sing, and I sang a solo. I sing Don't Let Me Go. And he sent us the agent, and the agent was like, I want you as my client, and that's how I got, and then that's how I end up got the audition for Charlie.

[25:50] Marc Tumminelli: I think I watched that YouTube video of you singing Don't Let Me Go today in preparation for this interview.

[25:57] Jake Ryan Flynn: Oh it's real cute, people.

[26:00] Marc Tumminelli: Okay, so when did the Charlie audition come up? Because you're about to make your Broadway debut in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, an all-new Broadway musical based on Willy Wonka.

[26:09] Jake Ryan Flynn: Um, or you know, based on Charlie the Chocolate Factory, but you get my point. Um it must have felt like, oh, this this is gonna be the next thing that I do.

[26:19] Jake Ryan Flynn: Uh well, what happened? I actually really originally didn't get the part because I auditioned I auditioned six times for the show.

[26:25] Jake Ryan Flynn: Wow.

[26:25] Jake Ryan Flynn: I auditioned three times for the lab and I didn't get it. And I was just, I mean, I really thought I was getting the part, and I was heartbroken. And then I want to say a couple months later, they asked me to come back in and I auditioned three more times, and then I finally got the part. I mean, I never thought we uh my mom, my mom and dad were like, oh my god, you know what, we're gonna support him, we're gonna go on audition. There's no way he's gonna get it. Oh my god, he got it. Now we have to get an apartment. I mean, we never expected uh me to ever get the role. Like one of my teachers um uh was like uh he he would always say he was gonna be on Broadway. I didn't know three years later he actually would.

[27:00] Marc Tumminelli: Like And that I mean it's true. So how how did your family deal with that adjustment? Having three kids and uh being in New York and being in Boston, how do you how did how did that all shake out?

[27:12] Jake Ryan Flynn: Uh well, um my entire family is back in Boston, and what we do is my mom, my dad, and my grandparents every couple weeks would switch off. Um, and of course my brothers never come down and see the show, and then on day on any time I had a day off or I had a vacation, I'd go back there, or holidays they'd come down either or, but we'd switch off. So sometimes my dad would watch me for a couple weeks, and then sometimes it'd be my mom, and then my grandparents, and my grandparents became famous at the Launfontaine Theater. I'm not even joking. They were more famous than me, and I was in the show.

[27:41] Jake Ryan Flynn: No, they would just go all the time. They would just go all the time, and they knew all the house managers. Like my mom got a free drink because they knew she was the daughter-in-law of Kathy and Mike Flynn, who were the grandparents of Charlie. I am not even kidding.

[27:57] Marc Tumminelli: How did your brothers sort of react to seeing you on Broadway?

[28:01] Jake Ryan Flynn: I mean, it feels like a really big deal. I mean, I would think they were so proud coming to see the show, and they love going to New York. Like when we did Doubtfire, we wanted to all move into an apartment together. This is before COVID. Stuff changed after the pandemic. Now they're back in Boston. But anyway, they were like, we want to go to New York and be in New York with Jake. And so we all came down, and that was before the pandemic. But they loved it. They loved going to see the shows. My brother Michael loves theater. I think he loves, out of all three of my brothers, I think he loves shows the most. Like on days off, we'd put in for lotteries, and every lottery we went, I would go and we'd see Aladdin. We saw, before COVID, we saw Aladdin together. He saw Frozen. This is my brother Michael would just go see all these shows because he won all these lotteries. So everybody's so supportive.

[28:52] Marc Tumminelli: Six is so fun, right? Everybody is so supportive. Now Charlie is a big Broadway show, and you had to share the role with two other boys. Talk to me about sort of the challenge and the delight of having like a little team playing the same part.

[29:04] Jake Ryan Flynn: Um, it was crazy at first because we didn't know who would go on until like the night before. I mean, it was like there'd be like the night before, there'd be like the week schedule or like the first four-day schedule of the shows. I wasn't even until after opening when they actually had a strict schedule, which would be like you would have a day off, then you would be on standby, then you would do the show. And it would be kind of like that. It rotates, and then some weeks you would do five shows in a row, and then you'd have a couple of days off. It just rotated. So I would do like I would say I did three to five shows a week.

[29:37] Marc Tumminelli: How do they decide who got to do opening?

[29:40] Jake Ryan Flynn: To be honest with you, I did opening. But I honestly have no idea. I just looked at the schedule and I was opening and I had a heart attack, and I woke up at seven in the morning on opening, nauseous because I was so nervous.

[29:58] Marc Tumminelli: So Charlie wasn't like totally crazy well received within the theater community. How much as a kid are you aware of that kind of stuff? Or is it just completely out of your mind?

[30:09] Jake Ryan Flynn: Well, you're a real theater kid, so we can have this real conversation. Well, I mean, I knew, but I think I really well I knew we weren't getting good reviews. I knew that, and I knew it did have something to do with our set, which didn't live up to the hype as people might have thought. And because the UK set was so huge and everything. The UK set was so huge. And the show was really, I really thought the show was really good. Like I really thought the show was good. And I said I thought if the set was as big as it was, I really think we could have had a good one there. But here's how I was concerned is when I think I did the invited dress. It was my first show that my mom saw me doing it. And at the end of the show, I said at the beginning, so I go, Did you like how Christian Borle at the beginning of the show came out behind the factory? And she goes, That was the factory? Okay, great.

[31:06] Marc Tumminelli: Um, yeah, it didn't I get it. But so you were aware that like—

[31:09] Jake Ryan Flynn: Yes, but it doesn't change the job you have to do. And what's interesting about that show is I had seen, I think I was at the invited dress, and then I came back in the summer to see it with like a camp group, and the show had settled in actually a really beautiful way, and it seemed like it got significantly stronger as the run went on. Did you feel that as a company?

[31:32] Jake Ryan Flynn: Yeah, I thought the show really felt like when we were in rehearsals, like the show really felt great, and like I think the show with Christian was amazing, and all the actors played their part so well. I really felt like we really, especially like, I feel like we really because we knew like we were like kind of all in this situation and we just really wanted to make it as fun as possible. Just see once we knew we were closing, like we were all kind of like, ugh, but we were like, you know what, let's just make this good. And like I think we really I think we gave people a great show. Like I think it was a really great show.

[32:05] Marc Tumminelli: And you got to make a cast album, which is really exciting. And you say, yeah, tell me about that.

[32:12] Jake Ryan Flynn: It was amazing to like I mean, I just never thought I would be making a Broadway cast. I mean, it's crazy. And even when I look back and I just listen to myself, like I sound so young, and it's like I just think about like if I could redo that Broadway debut a million times. It was such an amazing experience. And we ran for 10 months, and at that time I was like, by the end of the run, I was like, I really wanted to be back with my family. So it was really kind of you got the year. I really got the experience that I got the perfect experience, anyways. So it's not like I got cut short of anything, really.

[32:46] Marc Tumminelli: Was it hard to readjust to life back at home and kind of not being on Broadway?

[32:51] Jake Ryan Flynn: Well, there was a time where I didn't even want to audition for anything because I just wanted to be home. There was like a solid three months where I was just like, I really don't, I don't wanna, I don't even want to have the opportunity to get a role because I don't really want to leave right now. For a while it was fine, and then when I really was like, okay, I've enjoyed my time now. I really want to get before I got the Doubtfire reading, I was on a stretch where I'd get to the callback and I wouldn't get anything, and I really was getting discouraged. Like I remember being just being like, this is hopeless. I mean, I did this one show, and now, great, now I'm gonna go to college. And then I finally got the Doubtfire reading. I was like, and at that time, of course, we didn't know it was going to Broadway, but we were like, yes, something, yes, thank gosh.

[33:29] Marc Tumminelli: Um, and we're that that was, and then after that, I did Sack Lunch Bunch.

[33:33] Jake Ryan Flynn: Okay, we have to talk of it, just stop right there. We are talking about all about Sack Lunch Bunch because I am very obsessed with you in that Grandma's Got a Boyfriend. It is the greatest comedic musical number ever.

[33:36] Jake Ryan Flynn: Grandma's got a boyfriend, and a boyfriend's name is Paul. Grandma's got a boyfriend. I really like you, Paul. Grandma's got a boyfriend. Grandma's got a boyfriend. I really like you, Paul.

[34:36] Marc Tumminelli: Tell me about the first time you heard Grandma's Got a Boyfriend, and like, what did you know it was your song? Like, how did that all happen?

[34:44] Jake Ryan Flynn: Uh, so I had auditioned, so I was actually doing at my school and I was doing a show that I'd written out. I'm doing a school show, and my mom, and I was doing a show that night, my mom told me she was like, Jake, we gotta wake up early in the morning because there's a show coming. But the reason why your manager really wants you to do it is because he's going to be in the room, John Mulaney. They told me for this day, they're gonna accept self tapes, but only for this day is he going to be in the room. And I was like, okay, I really have I mean, he's in the room, I really have to do this. And they sent me, and I was so nervous because I didn't have time to learn the lines, and they sent me this like, you know, one of those like fake monologues that they do to give you to see the actor, just check in, check if you have any talent.

And I was so nervous because I was like, I don't like reading. I really like to go in just knowing the lines and being able to just do the acting because I don't like to have to think about the paper and all that. But I did, and I was so nervous, and then they had a Q&A. John Mulaney asked me questions for like, I mean, it was like a 20 question thing, and I was like, Alright, I just gotta be, just gotta be myself. And then I got a callback, and the audition song was Grandma's Got a Boyfriend. And I was like, This is so fun, this is so interesting. And so I learned the song with my vocal coach, and the part at the end, this is how the song name I go, Grandma's got a boyfriend's name is Paul, yeah.

I added that. So what happened was it was your boyfriend's name is Paul, and when I was rehearsing it, I did the wrong thing, and I went up. And my mom and my vocal coach were like, That's good, do that. Do that. So I did that, and also we'd found out that I had learned the wrong part. I had learned the second half of the song and not the first half of the song, and this was 30 minutes before my audition, and I was like, Oh my god, this is horrible. And I was like, you know what? I'm just gonna go in and sing the second half because that's all I have memorized, and I can do the thing at the end. So the casting director came out and was like, What do you know? And I was like, I know this part of this part, and I was like, This is a nightmare.

So I went in and I sang the song, and I saw them, I saw I really had John Mulaney laughing, and I saw them all laughing, and I was like, Yes, this is so good. Then I didn't hear for about a month. Like, I mean, weeks. I was like, like, I mean, talk about that. I got it. Where's your offer? I was like, What? I really thought I had nailed and I was like, This, this come on. And I for weeks, and I was like, this, and I happened to be working at North Shore Music Theater at the time doing Freaky Friday. I was sitting there, I was like, and I was supposed to be filming that in July, and it was July when I was doing this show, and I was like, what is going on? And then I finally got the call. They were like, okay, we're doing it in August.

And I was like, yes. And I was a part of the bunch. But then as we were filming, John Mulaney sort of realized that I like he reminded I reminded him of himself when he was this age. And so I sort of went from part of the bunch to like just him younger in the song. And there actually were things that didn't make it into the thing. Like we did a whole filming session where I would I played him. Like they had interviews with all the sack bunches and the guests of like what they like, what are they afraid of. And they had me play John at answering these questions. It didn't make it in to the show, but they had all these funny things that were a little bit maybe too edgy for the show. Got it. But kind of wish I had those because they were kind of incredible.

They were so funny. Like he'd be like, okay, say this thing. But um, so yeah, I slowly started to become young him, and it uh and so we filmed Grandma's Got a Boyfriend, and we did the pre-record with the orchestra, and I was like, wow, this is so exciting. And I had, you know, when I met Paul and we did all these videos, and it was so funny, like the things they made us do. Like I really was so proud of how it turned out. Like, especially like it's marvelous. It's like A bus. It's true. The whole thing is spectacular, but you are so good, and you sing so high, and I'm so glad that that is recorded for you forever because those notes only exist in your life for a very finite amount of time, and you will forever be Grandma's Got a Boyfriend.

[38:42] Jake Ryan Flynn: Yes.

[38:48] Marc Tumminelli: I mean, obviously, you know they're gonna do another season or something.

[38:51] Jake Ryan Flynn: Well, we were supposed to, I mean, they announced the comic center. We were doing two more. As of now I haven't heard anything.

[38:55] Marc Tumminelli: Do you know anything?

[38:58] Jake Ryan Flynn: I don't know anything. And I don't think any of the other kids know anything either. So I'll keep you playing.

[39:04] Marc Tumminelli: I have the exact same amount of information you have. Nothing.

[39:07] Jake Ryan Flynn: But we just love to do one.

[39:10] Marc Tumminelli: And he was pretty magical with you, I'm assuming.

[39:14] Jake Ryan Flynn: Well, because he would just do like stuff. Like, I mean, he would like it. A lot of the show, like, people were asking me, like, what's the show about? And I went, I have no idea. Like, I didn't even know what it was about until we had it until I watched it. Because like we would just do these little things and we'd get new scripts every day, and they'd just be like, okay, say this. And we really wouldn't have any context of what was going on. It was just like different little scenes that were scooped together, and all of a sudden I was like, wow, this is brilliant. Like, I never really had any idea what it was gonna turn out to be. I just knew the part Grandma's Got a Boyfriend, and then like the other scenes that we did.

And one scene that I did is when Jake Gyllenhaal did the music, music, music everywhere, yeah. Music everywhere. That being in that room, him, I mean, he came in for like a couple hours and he sang it live with the music in his ear. It was the most incredible thing. I mean, oh, he had this moment where he was saying his lines, then he just stopped and just went like this, and John was like, Mr. Music. He's like, uh, let's do it. And I was like, it was just full on improv. And it was incredible. Like, I just see someone come in and just like do that, and then be like, he had a heart out at this time, and I was like, Well, he knew it. Okay, well, he knew what to do. Like, he knew that. I mean, you know, these like create unbelievable comic moments in your life working with people like Christian Borle and Rob McClure and John Mulaney. It's like it's truly if you don't grow up to be the greatest comedic actor we've ever had, I don't know.

[40:39] Jake Ryan Flynn: I know it's impossible.

[40:41] Marc Tumminelli: Um, you are also a writer. Am I you've written a musical? Is that true?

[40:46] Jake Ryan Flynn: Well, uh, well, I wrote for my school, I wrote a show about because in when I was in school, we read about Frederick Douglass, and I loved it so much that I wrote a musical and we performed it at our school. And then during Doubtfire, ever since since Seattle, when I was in tutoring, I would run out of work because my school didn't give me a lot of work. Now I'm in high school, it's different, but I didn't have a lot of work. And my tutor Amy Wok, and all my—we love Amy! Big shout out to Amy. Tell her I said hello. Amy Wok, Irene, and Lillian were all a part of this, and they would—so Amy Wok, we were just sitting there, we had hours to go because I had nothing to do. And she was like, I was like, okay, how about you give me a little phrase or something and I have to improv and make a song? And she said a surprise party. And what came out was a surprise party for Sue. Turns into it's a full one act musical.

[41:32] Jake Ryan Flynn: We have like 10 songs, everyone in the cast is a part of it. There is a Sue the Musical Instagram. Go follow it. It's Sue the Musical and Aaron Kaburic. I can announce this: Aaron Kaburic is playing the role of Mr. Ross in our show. The boss casting more casting coming, but like it's a full-on show. It's like it's crazy. Like, I was just talking with Irene, one of my tutors, she was like, "It's crazy what this has become." It was a stupid funny idea, and now it's literally a show, and everyone in the building knows about it. Like you are changing, you're gonna change the world. Look at you. I mean, it's gonna be a hit. We don't do it. You're the next Andrew Barth Feldman. Like, it's all happening for you.

[42:11] Marc Tumminelli: Okay. You could say that. I'm gonna say it, I'll we'll call him after. Now, um, Cape Cod Christmas is your is a Christmas movie that you shot that's coming. Is it coming out this holiday?

[42:21] Jake Ryan Flynn: It's coming out this December. Where can we catch Cape Cod Christmas? Uh, it is gonna be, I think it's gonna be, I mean, Hallmark, ABC, Lifetime. I mean, it was so fun to do. Like you're just like a little kid in it, and now you're an adult teenager. I know it's like it was so amazing, too. I met so many friends doing that show, and we just like were in Cape Cod. It was like so nice. Like it was literally like a vacation, and I'm filming this awesome Christmas movie. It was amazing, and I love those craft services. I mean, that is my favorite part of I mean, crafty does make the whole experience better. I mean, it's really like I don't I might not even be hungry, but I'm gonna get it because it's craft service. Like it's anything you want. They have it's great. It's anything. It's like I didn't even know I wanted bacon, but they have it. Like it's the midday special.

[43:10] Marc Tumminelli: Oh my god.

[43:14] Jake Ryan Flynn: Oh, the food they had this food truck. Uh, and then they'd be like one day it was like a new thing every day. Like it'd be lobster one day, and then it was barbecue, and I would be like, I mean, this is the life. You got we gotta get you on a Disney movie. That's what happens every day.

[43:27] Marc Tumminelli: I wish that'd be amazing. Okay, so I read an article about you when you were 10, and you said, "My goal is to be on Broadway. I love New York City, I want to be the Phantom in Phantom of the Opera. I think it's a good role. I love his voice, and I really love evil characters." Okay, so you're not the Phantom yet, but not only have you been on Broadway once, but you've been on Broadway twice. Are you how I mean, how thrilling is it to be like legitimately living your dream?

[43:53] Jake Ryan Flynn: Uh, it's crazy. Like, I would just like I had this moment a couple of days ago where like I would like to be noticed for things that I do, like when people come up to me, "I loved you in Sack Lunch Bunch" or "I loved you in Doubtfire." It's like, it's like it's a dream. Like I never thought that like people would even like know I was singing on stage and doing things, or like, or even like going to see shows and knowing so many people in other Broadway shows. Just like seeing all my friends in other shows, and like, especially with this coming back, it's like everyone's all of a sudden coming back and doing things, and everyone's like, "Oh my god, hey." And it's like, it's just like, I mean, like people know who I am.

Like, I was just walking on the street and Christopher Sieber was like, "Oh my god, welcome back. Hi." I'm like, "How do you even know me? You're in the, you're stock because you're the lead, you're one of the leads of a Broadway musical. I don't even know who I am." I'm like, it's so exciting.

[44:47] Marc Tumminelli: Well, you've done the thing and you're doing it brilliantly, and you're such a smart young person. And it's because of you will like keep, I'm sure you'll create more and more theater, not only star on stage, but get in those movies so you can get the craft services. We have to do the Broadway Workshop Quick Fire Questions is a list of questions I put together with myself and some of my students at Broadway Workshop. So here we go. First audition song.

[45:10] Jake Ryan Flynn: Okay, my first audition song was for Christmas Carol at North Shore Music Theater, and I did "Consider Yourself" from Oliver.

[45:16] Marc Tumminelli: Excellent choice.

[45:17] Jake Ryan Flynn: And I did that from years eight to ten.

[45:22] Marc Tumminelli: Definitely. Those are my eight to ten "Consider Yourself" years. All right. First Broadway show you saw.

[45:28] Jake Ryan Flynn: Oh, Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark. And that is where I fell in love with Patrick Page, one of my favorite Broadway actors. What a talent. Um, do people get your name wrong or invert them? Like, do they call you Jake Flynn Ryan?

[45:42] Jake Ryan Flynn: Oh my god, they call me Jack, which is like, and then for a while people would call me Ryan because there were three Ryans in Charlie. I would love to get the Ryan, I'm just like, "Oh no, it's Jake." Not mad. Uh, so Jack, Jack and Ryan, definitely.

[45:56] Marc Tumminelli: Who would you like to work with that you haven't?

[45:59] Jake Ryan Flynn: Oh man, there's so many. Uh, I would Hugh Jackman. Uh, I would love to work with Kegan Michael Key because I love his show Key and Peele. That is my favorite. Oh my god, they're so funny. Um, yeah, I think Hugh Jackman too good.

[46:16] Marc Tumminelli: Hugh Jackman. You're gonna, you know, you'll be interacting with Hugh Jackman at some point this season.

[46:20] Jake Ryan Flynn: He came to the show.

[46:22] Marc Tumminelli: Yeah, I saw on Sunday, which was like, I wish I would have known.

[46:25] Jake Ryan Flynn: You're like, wait a second.

[46:26] Marc Tumminelli: Wait a second.

[46:27] Jake Ryan Flynn: Oh crap, I was marking anyway.

[46:29] Marc Tumminelli: You were never marking.

[46:30] Jake Ryan Flynn: That's you.

[46:31] Marc Tumminelli: Um, who should Patti LuPone play in Mrs. Doubtfire?

[46:34] Jake Ryan Flynn: Oh my god, that's oh Patti LuPone's Miranda would be something that the world needs to see.

[46:41] Marc Tumminelli: All right.

[46:42] Jake Ryan Flynn: But then also her as Wanda Sowner.

[46:42] Marc Tumminelli: All right. That would be kind of incredible. What is your go-to album for a car trip? What do you like to listen to in the car?

[46:54] Jake Ryan Flynn: Well, I'm Broadway, so I love Something Rotten. Like my two favorite shows are Something Rotten and then Sunset Boulevard.

[47:01] Marc Tumminelli: And how interesting that the composer of Something Rotten is also the composer of your musical.

[47:05] Jake Ryan Flynn: Heart attack moment when I had the reading, I was like, "Oh my god, just everyone from Something Rotten." Like, oh my gosh.

[47:12] Marc Tumminelli: What brought you to Sunset Boulevard?

[47:15] Jake Ryan Flynn: I saw the revival with Glenn Close with my dad. Uh, when it was on Broadway in 2017. And I just, I don't know. It's fun. I love a classic score. Like, I just don't know any young people who even know Sunset Boulevard. Like Jen Gamete summed it up quickly. She was like, "Jake loves a star turn." That is accurate. I do love a star turn.

[47:32] Marc Tumminelli: So I love Hello Dolly. Like, I love, I love War Paint.

[47:37] Jake Ryan Flynn: You like a star turn.

[47:38] Marc Tumminelli: Okay.

[47:39] Jake Ryan Flynn: I loved War Paint. Like, I thought War Paint was incredible. I don't know. Some of that score I think is so pretty. It's very like just listening to that music. Have you listened to The Sunset? This isn't a question, side note. Have you listened to The Sunset Project? It's a podcast that breaks down the entire story of Sunset Boulevard and like all the drama between Patti and Glenn Close and all that. It's fantastic.

[48:00] Jake Ryan Flynn: Okay.

[48:01] Marc Tumminelli: I'm probably gonna do that the minute this interview is that sounds good.

[48:09] Jake Ryan Flynn: I need a Patti Sunset Boulevard revival, even though she probably would never do it. I would never be bitter, and that's never gonna happen, but I would love to see it.

[48:15] Marc Tumminelli: It's never gonna happen. Do you do any impressions?

[48:18] Jake Ryan Flynn: I do any. Okay. Well, I can do this. I can do, I can do. I funnily like to do Brian Stokes Mitchell. So I can do this one. I see his face. I hear his heartbeat. That and then I can do The Aunt in um in Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, if you've seen that movie.

[48:39] Marc Tumminelli: All right.

[48:41] Jake Ryan Flynn: Clock, what a beautiful house you have. Is Rusty still in the military? And then she says, and the Rock. It's red glare. The voice changes really helped that because that is amazing. It's amazing. It's my sister's favorite movie, and she listens to this podcast. So she'll love that.

[48:58] Marc Tumminelli: All right, who's your favorite Muppet?

[49:00] Jake Ryan Flynn: My favorite Muppet. Kermit.

[49:02] Marc Tumminelli: Tell us one thing about Christian Borle.

[49:05] Jake Ryan Flynn: One thing about Christian Borle. He is the best improver, I think, ever. Him and Rob McClure are the best improvers I've ever seen. And like he is definitely an improver.

[49:16] Marc Tumminelli: What is your favorite food?

[49:17] Jake Ryan Flynn: What is my favorite food? I love any kind of soup. That's what I say now because I just love soup. Tomato soup.

[49:23] Marc Tumminelli: Do you know who Linda Eder is?

[49:27] Jake Ryan Flynn: I do not.

[49:29] Marc Tumminelli: Okay. All right. Linda Eder, Google it, YouTube it. If you love a star turn, she's a Broadway belter, is only in one Broadway show, but it will blow your mind. She was the original star of Jekyll and Hyde, and I'm her biggest fan.

[49:41] Jake Ryan Flynn: Okay.

[49:41] Marc Tumminelli: Biggest on-stage mishap.

[49:44] Jake Ryan Flynn: Biggest on-stage mishap. Okay, well, there's uh Charlie, there wasn't actually that well, there was a lot. There's there's so many. Okay, well, one that happened recently, which is kind of incredible, which was our I think it was our invited dress. And at the end of act one, I see him in the bathroom. And um, I have this line where uh I don't think her face is a real face, and I spit and it caught the light and it hit Annalisa's face, and she went like this, and the audience just laughed, and I made it into Jerry Zaks' greatest moments in American Theater. Uh that was amazing. One time the apartment stopped in Seattle, which is one of our set pieces from Mrs. Doubtfire, and all these actors were behind it.

We had no idea what to do. We got back on the apartment because we saw Rob brought for his quick change. So we're like, obviously, we're doing the scene. As me and Ann Lee step on, it starts moving. So we jumped off, and then we finally got on stage. I'm nervous about the amount of automation in your show, so I'm sure there's gonna be more of this if I check in with you in a year.

[50:43] Jake Ryan Flynn: I'm just waiting. I am just waiting. There's so many things that have to move in perfect time.

[50:48] Marc Tumminelli: Okay. Um, if you could have picked your own name, what would it have been?

[50:52] Jake Ryan Flynn: I could have picked my own name. That's so interesting.

[50:55] Jake Ryan Flynn: It's a weird question, isn't it? Oh my god. Uh, I mean the first thing that came into my mind was Tim. I don't know why.

[51:04] Marc Tumminelli: Okay.

[51:04] Jake Ryan Flynn: But that was the first thing that came into my mind. So if you guys people want to call me Tim, sure.

[51:09] Marc Tumminelli: Sure. All right. Um, if you could go back in time and see any Broadway show, any year, any performance, what would it be?

[51:16] Jake Ryan Flynn: Oh. I really, well, actually, I've been watching videos on the Guys and Dolls production directed by Jerry Zaks. I've seen I really want to see that. I would like to see the original production of Sunset Boulevard. Uh, the producers. Because I've never seen that show. Like just the classics.

[51:34] Marc Tumminelli: I know. Well, luckily, a lot of those things exist on YouTube. So knock yourself out.

[51:40] Jake Ryan Flynn: Um, okay. Uh, what was your favorite quarantine TV binge?

[51:44] Jake Ryan Flynn: They have a quarantine TV binge. Oh my god. We watch everything. Me and my family will. I mean, we have watched so many movies. I mean, it was all nice. This is all we did. We have all right, six o'clock is our movie night. We watched so much stuff. We had, we watched I Love The Servant.

[52:01] Marc Tumminelli: That's awesome.

[52:02] Jake Ryan Flynn: So good, it blew my mind. It terrified me. Yes. Loved it. The last season of Schitt's Creek, which is my favorite show of all time. So good. Um, I mean, so many things. We watched, we me and dad started making it. We watched 80s movies. So, like all the 80s movies.

[52:14] Marc Tumminelli: Like it, like what?

[52:15] Jake Ryan Flynn: Cloak and Dagger was one we watched, which is like my favorite 80s movies ever. We watched. Um, One Crazy Summer. Um, 80s movie. All the classics. I mean, it was.

[52:25] Marc Tumminelli: Have you seen Troop Beverly Hills?

[52:27] Jake Ryan Flynn: No.

[52:27] Marc Tumminelli: Okay. That's on your list. Troop Beverly Hills, Shelley Long. It's the greatest 80s movie.

[52:31] Jake Ryan Flynn: Okay.

[52:32] Marc Tumminelli: I love these. Have you ever had to call out mid-show?

[52:34] Jake Ryan Flynn: Have I ever heard to call out mid-show? No. I don't, I don't, no, I haven't. I've been sick. I mean, the closing night in Seattle, I was throwing up and I was like, you made it through. Well, because we we I at first I was like, what's going on? Uh, and I was just, I threw up in the middle of the show, and then we just went on because we had no time for me to just leave. Uh, and then like Billy Elliott at North Shore, I threw up and I still went on because there was no understudies. So I've never had to, I've I've never been certain. We're knocking on wood. You'll never call out mid-show.

[53:03] Marc Tumminelli: I'll be like Carol Channing. I'm never calling out.

[53:05] Jake Ryan Flynn: All right. And my last question is what advice do you have for the 10-year-olds out there that are have that same dream as you to be on Broadway? What advice do you have for young performers?

[53:17] Jake Ryan Flynn: I always like to say to just go in and as long as you know in an audition that you did your best, and even if you don't get the part, it's not your problem. If you go in knowing that, "Oh, I did as best as I could," it's 99% of the time, it has nothing to do with your talent. It just says your looks, your height, uh, your looks. Um, it's just your looks. It's just like you just you just don't look right. But um, uh, but like as long as you go in knowing you did your best and you were yourself, then that's the best you can do for an audition. And that's made it easier for me to cope with a bunch of rejection because that's literally what theater is. That is the hardest part is the audition.

[53:51] Marc Tumminelli: Well, it seems like you're doing very well and you're getting past, you're not getting a lot of no's right now. So we'll accept your yes. Congratulations on um opening Mrs. Doubtfire on Sunday. I hope it is an enormous hit. Tell the people where they can follow you and find out what you're up to.

[54:08] Jake Ryan Flynn: You can follow me at Jake underscore Ryan underscore Flynn. You can follow, I guess my show, Sue the Musical, which is just Sue uppercase S the Musical. And uh you can follow Mrs. Doubtfire. You can follow it. And you can follow me on YouTube. You made some very funny quarantine videos.

[54:21] Marc Tumminelli: And see Mrs. Doubtfire a long time. Congratulations.

[54:42] Jake Ryan Flynn: I feel like I've known you my whole life. You're a superstar. Congratulations.

[54:45] Marc Tumminelli: Thank you. And uh we'll see you at the Tonys.

[54:49] Jake Ryan Flynn: Yeah.

[54:50] Marc Tumminelli: Yes.

[54:51] Jake Ryan Flynn: All right. Bye bye.

[54:53] Marc Tumminelli: Thank you. Thank you, listeners. This podcast is produced by Alan Seales, Dory Berenstein, and the Broadway Podcast Network.

[55:02] Marc Tumminelli: And edited by Derek Gunther. For more information on the LITTLE ME podcast, go to bpn.fm/littleme. And follow me on Instagram at Marc Tumminelli or on Twitter at thatTuminelli. And for more information on workshops, classes, and everything Broadway Workshop, go to BroadwayWorkshop.com. Thank you for listening.