Shucked
Shucked The Musical is currently making it’s UK premiere at Regent’s Park for only 5 weeks - but has it bitten off more than it can chew? We don’t think so!
Following it’s successful Broadway run and US tour, this witty Tony Award-winning musical comedy is sumptuously silly and certainly corntains a cornucopia of talent!
Using the ‘cream of the crop’ creatives like Director Jack O’Brien (Hairspray); a rip-roaring book by Robert Horn (Hercules, 13 The Musical, Tootsie) and music and lyrics by country writers Brandy Clark & Shane McAnally, Shucked is 2 hour 25 minutes of pure enjoyment - proving they’re the best in their field…
Set in a Cob Country, we find a wonky barn which comically slants to the left, immediately sets the pending humour of the piece. Is this odd off-set also intentionally signifying something deeper, like the predisposition towards romance and love, as it’s the side of our heart, which Shucked definitely contains a whole lot of. That, and quick witted one-liners!
Quirky productions like this greatly lend themselves to spaces such as the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre due to the natural surrounding and spacious feel.
This country-style musical shares with the audience some very catchy numbers to toe-tap, thigh-slap and boot-scoot-boogie along to. Of course, there are mainly corn-temporary songs however it enjoyably presents a fun amalgamation of styles including a jazz-influenced number (Bad), a rockin’ country solo (Somebody Will) and beautifully soulful duet (Friends). Due to this fine corn-bination (no, the puns aren’t stopping yet!) the songs leave something for everyone’s tastes, although they won’t get stuck in your teeth, they might get stuck in your head!
In terms of lighting, Lucy Adams has the show lit well with only one particularly dark moment on stage (during the testosterone-filled Act 2 number ‘Best Man Wins’). With that said, there could have been more variation between light and shade to make the corn moments really ‘pop’.
The choreography, or should we say 'Corniography', by Myles Brown brought a bursting blast of creativity. The inventive uses of the set and props, like corn ears, leaves, barrels and balancing planks, altogether energised the stage - especially during the corny opening number ‘Corn’ and ‘Best Man Wins’.
The only way to describe the costumes in the show are as follows: If you imagine what you think a country guy or gal would wear to a barn dance - then forget that and instead visualise getting lost in a Southern American fancy dress store and voila! The costumes are camp and country with occasional neon bursts and they are perfect for this type of dynamic and exciting show.
During the Act 1 opener, we are quickly introduced to the story of Maizy (pun intended) and her heroic venture to save the village from their dying corn problems by Storytellers 1 and 2 (Monique Ashe-Palmer and Steven Webb). The pair masterfully multirole throughout, giving us comedic caricatures in every scene.
Leading lady Sophie McShera did a fine job as our southern belle and Ben Joyce completely cob-smacked the audience members with his stunning vocals as Beau and fantastic rendition of ‘Somebody Will’.
Another audience top (or crop) pick was Georgina Onuorah as Lulu who brought the house, well Barn, down with her sassy southern solo ‘Independently Owned’. Plus a special mention to Keith Ramsay for his hilarious execution of the role of ‘Peanut’.
Matthew Seadon-Young shone as Gordy and the whole ensemble gave energy, charisma and delicious harmonies to butter up the a-maize-d crowd.
The cast work extremely well together and it’s clear they are having a lot of fun presenting Shucked to corn-pletely engaged audiences night after night. Even though this particular production features tons of talent, the real star of the show has to be the book writer Robert Horn who has generated a more than hilarious script where to say ‘laugh a minute’ would be an understatement!
It’s obvious by now that our corn-clusion of this new musical is a positive one. We loved the and think it’s the cream of the crop for new musicals so far in London this year. Yeehaw!
This show was reviewed on the 21st May 2025 at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre, London where it runs until the 14th June 2025. Tickets available here: Shucked | Open Air Theatre
Review written by Lauren Atkinson
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Photo credit: Pamela Raith
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