NEWS TICKER
Full Cast Announced for UK Premiere of Broadway Musical Shucked at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre
Published on
May 16, 2025
By
Julia Jordan
Jack O’Brien Directs Tony Award-Winning Musical’s London Debut This Summer
Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre has revealed the complete cast for the highly anticipated UK premiere of Shucked, the award-winning Broadway musical comedy by Robert Horn (book) and Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally (music and lyrics). The production, directed by Jack O’Brien, will run for five weeks only, from 10 May to 14 June 2025, with an official press night on Tuesday 20 May at 7.45pm .
Originally developed in the United States and recently completing a successful Broadway run and US tour, Shucked is a feel-good musical packed with sharp wit, heartfelt storytelling, and an original country-infused score.
Leading Cast and Ensemble Revealed
The previously announced principal cast includes:
Sophie McShera as Maizy
Ben Joyce as Beau
Georgina Onuorah as Lulu
Keith Ramsay as Peanut
Matthew Seadon-Young as Gordy
Monique Ashe-Palmer as Storyteller 1
Steven Webb as Storyteller 2
They are joined by:
Jonathan Andrew Hume as Grandpa
Ensemble and swings: Jed Berry, Taila Halford, Ross Harmon, Claudia Kariuki, Ying Ue Li, Tom Oliver, Gleanne Purcell-Brown, Nathaniel Purnell, Rachel Rawlinson (also Dance Captain), Mia Shelbourne, and Toyan Thomas-Browne .
This dynamic company of actor-musicians brings a new energy to the UK staging of this uniquely offbeat American tale.
Plot and Musical Highlights
Set in the fictional Cob County, Shucked follows Maizy and Beau, a young couple whose impending marriage is interrupted when their town’s essential corn crop begins to mysteriously die. As Maizy ventures beyond the county lines in search of answers, she encounters a con artist who may hold the key to saving their home—or breaking their hearts.
The musical features standout numbers including “Woman of the World,” “Somebody Will,” and “Independently Owned,” blending country-pop hooks with Broadway energy.
Award-Winning Creative Team
Director: Jack O’Brien (Hairspray, The Full Monty, The Coast of Utopia)
Choreographer: Sarah O’Gleby
Set Designer: Scott Pask
Costume Designer: Tilly Grimes
Lighting Designer: Japhy Weideman
Sound Designer: John Shivers
Musical Supervisor and Orchestrations: Jason Howland
Musical Director: Katy Richardson
Casting Director: Jill Green CDG
Voice & Dialect Coach: Aundrea Fudge
Presented in association with Mike Bosner, Jason Owen, AEG Presents/Jay Marciano, and Michael Harrison, Shucked brings together some of the biggest names in contemporary musical theatre on both sides of the Atlantic .
Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre: A Summer Destination
As part of Regent’s Park’s 2025 summer season, Shucked joins a programme that includes:
Dream Ballets: A Triple Bill (19–22 June)
Noughts & Crosses (28 June – 26 July)
Brigadoon (2 August – 20 September)
The Enormous Crocodile (15 August – 7 September)
Plus special events including the Family Takeover Day and the Open Air Theatre Festival
With a 1,300+ seat capacity, the theatre remains one of London’s most distinctive and ambitious producing venues, celebrated for both large-scale musicals and bold revivals. Its productions have transferred nationally and internationally, with Jesus Christ Superstar, Fiddler on the Roof, and 101 Dalmatians among recent successes.
A Fresh Take on a Broadway Hit
With its genre-blending sound, quirky humour, and message of community and resilience, Shucked arrives in London as a fresh and timely musical for summer audiences. For fans of Come From Away, Waitress, or Oklahoma!, this UK premiere promises a similar blend of warmth, music, and originality—under the stars in one of the capital’s most atmospheric venues.
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