By Isabella Fernández de Cueto, Nova Southeastern University

Corn, corn and corn—that’s how actress Maya Lagerstam describes Shucked, a Tony Award-winning musical comedy coming to the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts from June 24 to 29, 2025.

“It’s about a town that solely relies on corn, and what the town does when the corn starts to die. Our protagonist, Masie, decides to go to one of the big cities to seek help,” said Lagerstam, who plays Storyteller 1. “She accidentally enlists a con man to help her out, and hijinks do in fact ensue.”

Shucked has been on tour for six months, with future dates extending through June 2026. The show will be in Tampa and Fort Lauderdale throughout June before making its final Florida stop in Orlando. It runs two and a half hours with one intermission.

While Shucked is best known as a musical, it’s the comedic elements that Lagerstam enjoys most.

“Getting to make people laugh is so cool. I think it’s so amazing to have groups of thousands of strangers all together in one room, belly laughing at something so fun and unique,” Lagerstam said. “We get to let people relax for two and a half hours and not think about anything else but a funny fun little musical.”

According to Lagerstam, those who go see Shucked will be charmed by a vivid world in which every character leaves a lasting impression on audiences.

“Expect to laugh and expect to fall in love with all of the characters on stage, not just the couple or the leads, but every single human being on stage. The world is so fun to get captured in that no matter what you’re looking at or who you’re captivated by, you’re going to get a full story, and you’re going to fall in love with every person in Cobb County,” Lagerstam said.

Beyond the corn, comedy and singing, Shucked has important underlying themes, ones that Lagerstam says have helped her on her first tour and what she calls the biggest production she’s ever been part of.

“The biggest message from the show is about community and love,” said Lagerstam. “And I think that’s been really helpful. A sense of community is always really important, and performing during everything that’s going on in the world, the fact that I can look to all of my people on stage and feel safe and grounded in our shared experience is so special and important. We forget how isolating being a person in the world can be, so I’m really lucky that I get to practice that every night.”

Lagerstam hopes these themes reach the audience and resonate with them as they watch the performance.

“I just hope that people walk out feeling a little bit lighter than they did before the show. I hope that people feel a little bit of relief from being forced to be off their phone for two and a half hours and be unplugged from everything else that’s going on and being able to just enjoy themselves,” Lagerstam said.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit https://orlando.broadway.com/shows/shucked/