Shucked
Rating: ★★★★★
Venue: Regent's Park Open Air Theatre
Cast: Monique Ashe-Palmer, Ben Joyce, Sophie McShera, Georgina Onuorah, Matthew Seadon-Young, Steven Webb, Keith Ramsay, Jonathan Andrew Hume, Jed Berry, Taila Halford, Ross Harmon, Claudia Kariuki, Ying Ue Li, Tom Oliver, Gleanne Purcell-Brown, Nathaniel Purnell, Rachel Rawlinson, Mia Shelbourne and Toyan Thomas-Browne

Maizy and Beau are getting hitched, when the corn that protects their small community starts to die. The town needs answers. But who will dare to venture beyond the borders of Cob County? Including the knockout songs ‘Woman of the World’, ‘Somebody Will’ and ‘Independently Owned’, this Broadway hit about an unlikely hero, an unscrupulous con artist, and a battle for the heart and soil of a small town, is not to be missed.

The highly anticipated West End run of the Tony award-winning Shucked has finally put down roots in London. This small town musical comedy packs a punch with British audiences, drawing waves of laughter from the crowd all throughout the evening.

Cob County is a middle-of-nowhere small town that relies heavily on, you guessed it, their corn crop. The story opens with Storyteller 1 (Monique Ashe-Palmer) and Storyteller 2 (Steven Webb), the spirited narrators of the evening. They both miraculously keep a straight face in the funniest moments of the show, with Storyteller 2 delivering corn-y punchlines at every opportunity. The pair introduces us to Cob County with a packed first number, ‘Corn’, easing the audience into the silliness of the town, characters, and the evening ahead. 

We meet lovebirds Maizy (Sophie McShera) and Beau (Ben Joyce), who are soon to be married. As the town gathers for their wedding, Beau’s brother, Peanut (Keith Ramsey), begins officiating the ceremony, when suddenly they notice that their beloved corn stalks are beginning to turn. This of course sends everyone into a frenzy and brings the wedding to a halt. The dying crop is the catalyst for Maizy to begin to wonder if the answer to this problem lies outside of county lines. After all, nobody leaves Cob County! Our protagonist expresses her desires to fiancée Beau, who does not support her decision to go out in search of answers. Maizy divulges her frustrations to cousin and best friend, Lulu (Georgina Onuorah), and after all the back and forth, Maizy ultimately makes the decision to leave home in search of a solution for her town.

Her journey takes her to the big city - Tampa, Florida. McShera belts ‘Woman of the World’ and walks us through her scandalous experiences in Tampa. This number felt very reminiscent of Orlando in The Book of Mormon (one of my stagey faves), so I was giddy over this and the audience really loved it. The ensemble truly delivered during this number with their comical portrayal of Floridians.

Maizy goes on to find a ‘Corn Doctor’ (read: podiatrist), Gordy (Matthew Seadon-Young), who is a run of the mill conman. Soon, Gordy discovers that little Cob County actually has something to offer that could make him a pretty penny. He cons Maizy into falling for him and finagles his way back to Maizy's hometown.

Act one was fast paced, eye catching and joyful. Highlights included a fantastic ongoing bit from Peanut, expressing “I think...” statements with a southern flair each time he was asked about his opinion. The delivery from Keith Ramsey was just hilarious and got better each time. Additionally, I was thrilled to see Ben Joyce on stage again, as I loved his portrayal of Marty in Back to the Future last year. His performance of ‘Somebody Will’ felt so authentically southern and the vocals were outstanding - it felt like something I could have heard on my own hometown country radio station. The standout performance of the first act goes to Lulu’s rendition of ‘Independently Owned’. Onuorah is a powerhouse and embodied everything the song needed to be.

The Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre is a unique gem of a venue set apart from the busyness of other West End theatres. It was the perfect backdrop for Shucked, and the set design from Scott Pask was brilliant and true to small town charm - complete with a leaning barn plastered with old license plates, and whiskey barrels for seating.

While act two was not quite as impactful as act one, we do begin to see a softer side to some characters. The story becomes one of understanding, community and the importance of stepping outside of your comfort zone. Love triangles begin to form, building tensions amongst the characters. ‘We Love Jesus’ and ‘Best Man Wins’ were crowd favorites during the second act. The latter was an opportunity for the men of the show to shine, with an added surprise from Storyteller 2.

This show is an absolute treat for musical comedy fans, and as a small town southerner myself, I loved every bit of it. Shucked will be showing through 14 June 2025. Get your tickets now for a shuckin’ good time, and an evening that will leave your cheeks aching from all the laughter.

You can book tickets to see Shucked, here.

Review by Miranda

**photo credit: Pamela Raith**