Maya Lagerstam

What happens when a quirky New York comedy writer teams up with two Nashville music legends? You get Shucked - a laugh-out-loud, genre-defying farm-to-fable musical about the one thing Americans just can’t get enough of: corn!

Shucked isn’t just a musical; it’s a fresh, audacious twist on storytelling that shows us sometimes, breaking down barriers (instead of building them) is the key to saving the things we hold dear. With its wit, charm, and a kernel of hope, Shucked is flipping the world of musical theater upside down—and bringing a little unity to a divided nation.

Broadway has been laughing, cheering, and falling in love with the story that’s shucking expectations, and now the show is playing here at Broadway in Chicago's CIBC Theater through January 19.

The stellar cast of the first national tour includes Miki Abraham (Shucked on Broadway) as Lulu, Tyler Joseph Ellis (The Sex Lives of College Girls) as Storyteller 2, Maya Lagerstam (The Gospel According to Heather) as Storyteller 1, Mike Nappi (Darling Grenadine) as Peanut, Jake Odmark (Kinky Boots) as Beau, Quinn VanAntwerp (Shucked on Broadway) as Gordy, and Danielle Wade (Mean Girls National Tour) as Maizy.

We talked "Shucked" with the show's fabulous Maya Lagerstam.

MI: (Matt Inawat) Congratulations on the success of Shucked so far! Tell us a little bit about the musical!

ML (Maya Lagerstam, Shucked): This musical is completely original. One of the best things about this show is that it's an original plot, an original score. These days, on Broadway and everywhere, shows are either based on a movie or with music that we all are familiar with already or it's been around for years and we all know it.

This show is brand new, so you never know what's coming next. It's about a small town, Cobb County, and they rely on their corn for their civilization. And suddenly the corn starts to die. So chaos ensues as our protagonist, Maisie, goes on an adventure outside of Cobb County - which no one leaves Cobb County - to find a solution to save their corn. And hilarity ensues. Funniness happens everywhere. Puns go wild. It's a fun little show!

MI: I'm glad you talked about the score and script being so brand new and not following the lines of a standard jukeboc musical. So what was your first impression of the script and score personally?

ML: Fun fact: I never saw it on Broadway, but I have been auditioning for this show since 2021. For my first audition, I sang the song Corn. I thought it was the funniest thing I'd ever done. I was like, OK, new dream role unlocked!

I even sent my parents me singing Corn because I'm also from Illinois. I don't always send my parents tapes of myself, but sometimes I do when I think that they'll enjoy them. And I said, "you guys are going to get a kick out of this one." I sent it to them and they're like, "OK, so when are you gonna be in this corn musical?"

I just thought the show was genius and so, so funny. Robert Horn is a genius writer. It's the funniest joke after joke after joke after joke, and everyone walks out of it with at least 20 new jokes that they can't wait to say.

MI: Tell us about your role in the show.

ML: I'm one of two storytellers. Me and the other storyteller guide you through the show, kind of like narrators. We come in and out, tell you a little joke, and make sure you're caught up on what's going on. And sometimes we even pop into the storyline ourselves and play a couple little random roles.

MI: Is there a particular scene in the show that you feel most connected to?

ML: The opening number is - like my friends described it as - a total banger. It is so fun.It's the first song and it's me and the other storyteller on stage for the beginning part; and we just get to talk to the audience. We get to build this world of Shucked and of Cobb County. And I think starting with that being so intimate makes me feel like "jazz." I'm like doing all these hand gestures to try to get the right word, but I think the word is jazz. I think the thing I'm doing with my hands is jazz It's like the first moment of contact, and then from then on we just take your hand and guide you through it. So I think that. It's really important, really special.

MI: How do you think the musical has an impact or influence on audiences today?

Shucked North American Tour Cast; credit: Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman

ML: It's such a light show and it has so much levity to it. That you just walk out feeling lighter and happier and being able to laugh with a group of over a thousand people that you've never met before and share that experience. It's something so special that we don't get a lot of; and the world is in a really tough place right now and we need some joy. For two hours you get to put away your phone; you get to immerse yourself in this show that you've you know nothing about. And just laugh and let go.

Our director talked about how vulnerable it is to laugh out loud. And just listening to people so freely in belly busting laughter for hours. It's not an experience that you get to have every day, So I think that's what it's really bringing to audience, the levity. We need it.

MI: Tell us a little bit about yourself, especially growing up in Illinois, in Illinois. How did you find your passion for acting and what led you to a career in theater?

ML: A career in theater is like literally the craziest grouping of words you could ever say! It feels like an oxymoron (laughs).

I grew up in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois. My parents aren't performers, but my mom is in the arts. She's a public art school teacher. And she's fantastic! She taught at a couple different elementary schools; and now she's at Urbana changing lives one paintbrush at a time.

She was involved in the arts and my stepdad is very musical and loves music. A family best friend was in theater and so we would always go see him perform in just like these cool shows. From watching him, I was like, "well, I wanna do that."

So my mom signed me up for the park district shows in the area; just like sign your kid up, pay a fee, and they're in a show. And so I started doing that when I was 9 and I just never stopped doing shows. Anytime there was a show anywhere I would do them -- there was one year I think I did 10 musicals and I was 12 years old. I don't know how that happened. I did two productions of Into the Woods at the same time. I was addicted.

I thank goodness for my mother for dealing with that crazy scheduling. I had supportive parents and I just never stopped doing theater and it kept.

They had so much faith in me. And now we're here and it's so they're like, "oh, cool, it paid off!"

MI: I'm sure your talent had a lot to do with it as well!

ML: Oh "shucks."

MI: So what's the most valuable lesson you learned being in theater so far? What advice would you give to aspiring actors and actresses who dream of touring with a national musical like this?

ML: Every day, me and my cast members look at each other and think "this is the dream," and we couldn't be more grateful, so I guess, number one is gratitude, gratitude, gratitude. It's easy to get stuck into negativity in life and in general, so taking moments to always appreciate the fact that you know you're doing something that you love, whether or not it's making you money.

But here's one of the best pieces of advice I've ever heard in this industry. We hear so, so, so many no's. Be surrounded by people who can support you and celebrate you when you get that one yes, finally. Surround yourself with people who can celebrate the few times we get wins because they are so few and far between. You can't waste any time with people who can't support you.

MI: Definitely! So. after this exciting national tour, what do you see next for you? Is there a role in any other musical that you dream of playing one day?

ML: Doing original work is like the absolute dream. The fact that we're the second cast to do this on the Broadway level is insane. A lot of things changed from the Broadway production to this one and Robert Horn was in the room with us typing away; writing new jokes, writing new bits, doing all this new stuff for this new cast.

So getting to be a part of that process is like awesome. So any more opportunities like that are just the absolute dream.

Anything original. That would be the dream.

MI: Maya, good luck on this amazing tour! The show's here at the Broadway in Chicago CIBC Theater until January the 19th and I hope
everyone gets to see how hilarious and fun it is!

Ticket Information

Individual tickets for SHUCKED will go on sale to the public on Friday, November 8 and range from $35.00 - $125.00 with a select number of premium tickets available. Tickets are available now for groups of 10 or more by calling Broadway In Chicago Group Sales at (312) 977-1710 or emailing GroupSales@BroadwayInChicago.com. For more information, visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com.

About Broadway in Chicago

Broadway In Chicago was created in July 2000 and over the past 25 years has grown to be one of the largest commercial touring homes in the country. A Nederlander Presentation, Broadway In Chicago lights up the Chicago Theater District entertaining up to 1.7 million people annually in five theatres. Broadway In Chicago presents a full range of entertainment, including musicals and plays, on the stages of five of the finest theatres in Chicago’s Loop including the Cadillac Palace Theatre, CIBC Theatre, James M. Nederlander Theatre, Auditorium Theatre, and just off the Magnificent Mile, the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place.
For more information and tickets, visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com.