Shucked - A Musical Comedy

Regent's Park Open Air Theatre

It's corny musical that will make you chuckle. A cast of astounding actors and in a setting perfect for the piece, you must add this show to your theatre list this summer!

This is the musical that has got the London theatre world talking. The Tony award winning musical, written by Robert Horn, has dropped its seed in to the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre. It's literally all about corn! The musical is perfect for the venue, the greenery of Regent's park, the wildlife, the sounds of the wind through the trees and the smell of nature adds to the experience. If you want to escape city life for a couple hours, then this is a brilliant idea for this summer.

Cob Country is turned upside down when the fields of bright yellow corn are starting to die and no one knows why. The perky go getter Maizy decides to go on a journey to find help to save the corn and she brings back a new love interest?. It turns out it isn't just the corn the community are having trouble with. This musical is truly hilarious, and the puns just keep popping off the cob. The creative elements bring so much colour and show the wholesome vibe of the community of Cob Country. It's one you'll want to sink your teeth into and there are some sweet actors in the show too. The casting is absolutely divine; A cornfield filled with talent.

Stevie Webb and Monique Ashe-Palmer both narrate the show, and they are a glorious pair. They open the show with masses of energy and the two work perfectly together, just like corn and butter. Their performance throughout is remarkable, multi-roling, transitioning scenes, dance numbers, their ability to jump in and out of scenes without making their roles in the show confusing. They heighten the comedy of the show and clearly have a lot of fun throughout. Ben Joyce, who previously played Marty in 'Back to The Future' plays Maizy's lover Beau, delivers some absolutely breath-taking numbers. His character is clearly devoted to Maizy, played by Sophie McShera; the development between the couple is clear and their dynamic changes by the end of the show. Which is beautiful and they seem to be on a more mutual level.

As previously mentioned, the open-air theatre is perfect for this production. However, whilst the natural setting creates the rural setting of the show, the creative team did not rest, and the set design is brilliant! Designed by Scott Pask. Fields of corn surround the stage and there is some real set design magic when the corn grows in front of your eyes! The wooden material used to create the set design presents to the audience the strong sense of community in the story and how the characters have worked together built up their town and it's not industrialised. It is a rural, country town and the costume designed by Tilly Grimes compliments the set in showing the hard-working, country characters. They wear a range of denim items such as overalls and jeans; this gives the impression of how the characters work on their land and are hands on when it comes to looking after their community. The bright colours used in set design and costume also give an idea of the community's sense of positivity and bubbly/animated personalities.

This new musical is a great addition to London theatre, and it is something you need to see this summer. Whilst the story does drag and it a little predictable, it is an easy and fun watch. It's something to take your friends along to for a good pick me up and don't worry the songs by the Broadway cast are on Spotify if you get obsessed like I am. There is an important message about looking after nature, preserving community spirit and respecting our roots/history. Of course, the show is great for a British audience, since our country loves to preserve a bit of history. If you want to escape the city for a few hours this show is perfect for you, it's not groundbreaking or different, but it is a great combination of all the things we love from theatre; comedy, talent and some catchy tunes. Also, having Stevie Webb back in a show in London is a delight! He has such a vibrant energy! It is a treat to watch good theatre at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre; it truly is an unmatched experience.