From Toby's Dinner Theatre to Broadway's Spotlight: Jake Odmark Shines in ‘Shucked'

By Frankie Kujawa
It's time to get SHUCKED, Baltimore!  Running through Sunday, April 6th at the Hippodrome Theatre, SHUCKED is the uproarious, Tony Award®–winning musical comedy that has critics in stitches. Jake Odmark, who plays "Beau" in the production, is bringing his undeniable talent to the stage.  The Arlington, VA-native guarantees a performance that will leave audiences thoroughly entertained! Odmark recently chatted about the upcoming production, the health challenges he faced at the beginning of his career, and his special connection to Charm City.

Jake Odmark as Beau in The North American Tour of SHUCKED (Photo by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman)

Frankie Kujawa: What can audiences expect from the upcoming performance of SHUCKED?
Jake Odmark: SHUCKED is one-of-a-kind. I think that if you're looking up what [shows are] in town, or what new shows are coming in and you see this ‘corn musical’ and it stands out and it looks a little bit like a mystery…that's on purpose.  I like to say SHUCKED is an enigma and we want to keep it that way. If you have question marks around this show; don't be afraid of them because that's on purpose. I think that's because SHUCKED stands alone because there's nothing really like it. You’re never going to see another show like SHUCKED.  It’s a musical comedy and obviously you know it's definitely going to be funny. It's a show that I think is desperately needed in the country now because it doesn't take itself seriously.  It's not a show that's has an agenda, or that is trying to teach some message, or make you feel like you should learn something, or be a better person. I think all those things happen in the show because it's written so well, but it's done in a way through hilarity, parody and farce. I think you're laughing, you're hopefully having a beer or four, and you're sitting back having the time of your life.  You’re going to have an amazing fun night of theater. 

Frankie Kujawa: How would you describe your character “Beau”?
Jake Odmark: The show, broadly, is about Maizy and Beau. Maizy and Beau are getting married. They're from a small town in Cob County, which is a fictional made-up place in the middle of nowhere. They're high school sweethearts and they've never left the town. They are pure and naïve, and yet all-knowing, assumedly so. And, for the first time, the corn dies. This leads Maizy to leave town to help save their life source.  Then all sorts of chaos ensues. But Beau is basically that small town man who has a role in his community. He's in charge of the corn. He grows the corn. And being that masculine, young man he has to fulfill this role. Throughout the show he learns that even though his intentions may be wholesome; and though he leads with love, compassion and loyalty he’s constantly executing it quite poorly. I think that's something we can all relate to. And I think that goes with all the characters.  [Beau] is somebody that means well, doesn't always do well, but then learns through it and you can see that transformation as the night unfolds.

Jake Odmark as Beau and Mike Nappi as Peanut in The North American Tour of SHUCKED (Photo by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman)

Frankie Kujawa: What is something that surprised you while preparing for this role?
Jake Odmark: I think it's the same thing that probably will surprise everyone when they see it. It is a show that looks surface-level when you sit back and listen to the jokes. You know, there’s corny jokes, dad jokes, puns, there's word play, there's innuendo.  And you're like, ‘OK, is that low hanging fruit?’  And it might seem like that. But when you zoom out at the end of the night, you'll realize how complex and how difficult it is, at least for me as an actor, to do this nightly and do it well. That’s because the show rides the line between farce and honesty the entire time, and without one the other doesn't exist. So, for me, it's been such a joy and a challenge as an actor to execute this to what it deserves because the show is so near and dear to my heart.  It's such a privilege to be apart of this show and I want to serve this role to the best of my ability.

Frankie Kujawa: You have suffered through some physical health adversities over the years. Could you describe those for our readers?
Jake Odmark: It was a challenge. My first symptoms were when I was 27 years-old. I had been on Broadway for about 2-3 years, and all of a sudden, I had these just really horrible issues.  I had no idea what was happening, and I went to the doctor. It was my first time that I visited a gastroenterologist, and they said, ‘You have Crohn’s Disease.’ They were like, ‘Here's some anti-inflammatory pills. Take these and it should make it better.’ 
 
So, I thought, ‘Well that wasn't that bad. I'm not going to freak out about it.’ So, then I took all the pills, finished the bottle and forgot about it.  Then, about three months later, the symptoms returned but I wasn’t worried about them because the doctor was so flippant with it and it seemed to be easily taken care of. So, I just let it go, but I let it go for way too long.  I let it go for about 3 or 4 months.  By the time I needed to basically refill those pills and went back to the doctor he said, ‘Well. the pills aren’t going to work anymore because you let it go so much.’  My inflammation had quadrupled in size. Little did I know but that set me off on a seven-year flare up of Crohn's.  I lost 45lbs, and I had to have two double blood transfusions.  I was on 300 milligrams of Prednisone for three years. I lost half of my body weight.
 
It was just absolutely one of the hardest times of adversity in my life, all while doing eight shows a week on Broadway. There was one moment when I was getting a double blood transfusion before a 2-show day.  I couldn't afford to miss. So I called my stage management team and said, ‘I'm going to be a little bit late because I’m coming across town because I'm in the hospital’ and they said, ‘OK keep us posted.’  I took a cab across town which, of course you know, is death by traffic.
 
And I got there about 10 minutes late. They said, ‘Hey, I'm so sorry but that was your third late and we're going to have to fine you.’  I said, ‘Well, I called you and I told you I was in the hospital for a blood transfusion and I'm still coming to work and doing two shows of a very intense musical.’
 
That’s when I was hit with like, ‘This is a business. No one's going to stop or feel bad for me.’ It was either, ‘You either can do the job or you can't.’ So right then and there I just kind of made a promise to myself that I was going to not let anyone know how sick I was. I hired a personal trainer. I learned how to eat. I trained my butt off, and eventually I found a medicine that put me into remission. Now, knock on wood, I’ve been in remission for over 7 years.
 
So, it was a very trying time. Everyone knew how sick I was, no matter how much I had tried to hide it. But you know looking back I'm thankful. And I hope that anyone who reads this interview or hears about this will not only reach out to me with any questions but know that I keep my door open for anyone going through any sort of digestive or autoimmune disorders. That’s because I went through it, and I know what you're going through. I try and help as many people as I can.

​Frankie Kujawa: Could you describe some of your connections to Maryland?
Jake Odmark: My first ever professional job was at Toby’s Dinner Theatre in Baltimore, not [the location in] Columbia.  I was over at the truck stop at the Best Western which is not there anymore. (laughs) I lived in Dundalk for the summers of 2007 and 2008. I picked up the Baltimore accent and I just fell in love with Baltimore. At the time I was majoring in voice, but I thought I was going to go into music production. But I fell in love with musical theater. The caliber of talent and production value at Toby’s was unbelievable and I still say that to this day.  It is the best kind of training-ground for any upcoming actor. I just fell in love with the art form thanks to my time in Baltimore. I owe everything to Baltimore. I wouldn’t be an actor without it.
 
I was actually more excited to play Baltimore than I was DC, and I'm from Arlington, VA. That’s because DC was foreign to me.  My dad plays French horn at the Kennedy Center and I knew it, but DC still felt like a different thing. You know, DC is not Virginia. But Baltimore, after living there for those two summers, really felt like a second home. I feel more comfortable on stage and off in Baltimore than I do in DC. So, it's been circled on my calendar since we got the schedule. I'm so excited to play the Hippodrome. I've never played it! I've seen so many shows there! It's such an iconic, beautiful theater. I couldn't have more ties to Baltimore. I really feel like it's a second home for me.

Be sure to click here​ for more information on upcoming performance of SHUCKED!​