Corn and community | Shucked celebrates its UK premiere in London

On 20 May 2025, WhatsOnStage attended the press night for the UK premiere of Shucked at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre.

Kicking off artistic director Drew McOnie's inaugural season at the venue with a barnstorming success, the show was described as a "maize-based, country-tinged cutie pie of a musical you never knew you needed" in our WhatsOnStage review.

Prior to the opening night performance, we sat down with principal cast members Monique Ashe-Palmer (who plays Storyteller 1), Ben Joyce (Beau), Sophie McShera (Maizy), Georgina Onuorah (Lulu), Matthew Seadon-Young (Gordy) and Steven Webb (Storyteller 2) to get their thoughts on the cornfed musical colossus.

Watch our exclusive video!

The London cast also features Keith Ramsay (Peanut) and Jonathan Andrew Hume (Grandpa), alongside Jed Berry (swing), Taila Halford (ensemble), Ross Harmon (ensemble), Claudia Kariuki (ensemble), Ying Ue Li (ensemble), Tom Oliver (ensemble), Gleanne Purcell-Brown (ensemble), Nathaniel Purnell (swing), Rachel Rawlinson (swing/dance captain), Mia Shelbourne (swing) and Toyan Thomas-Browne (ensemble).

With a book by Robert Horn, music and lyrics by Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally, and direction by Jack O’Brien, the piece opened on Broadway in March 2023 to audience acclaim. 

O’Brien directs the London transfer and is joined in the creative team by Sarah O’Gleby (choreographer), Scott Pask (set designer), Katy Richardson (musical director), Jason Howland (music supervisor, orchestrations and arrangements), John Shivers (sound designer), Tilly Grimes (costume designer), and Japhy Weideman (lighting designer).

Other creatives include Lucy Adams (associate lighting designer), Myles Brown (associate choreographer), Nathanael Campbell (associate director), Ben Davies (associate set designer), Aundrea Fudge (voice and dialect coach), Jill Green (casting director), Carol Hancock (UK wigs, hair and makeup designer and supervisor), Michael J Passaro (US production supervisor), Greg Pink (associate sound designer), Tom Shiels (casting associate), Olivia Laydon (casting associate), Ingrid Mackinnon (intimacy support), Caity Mulkearn (associate costume designer), and Mia M Neal (original US hair and wig designer).

Shucked runs until 14 June 2025 at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre.