Beloved country star Reba McEntire revealed in an interview with Entertainment Weekly that after numerous instances of being asked who she'd want to play herself in a biopic, after seeing Shucked on Broadway, she finally knew the answer: Caroline Innerbichler.
"I thought she did a great job on the show. And I was just sitting here thinking, ‘You know, people ask me that every once in a while, and I’m going to name her," says McEntire of Innerbichler, who leads the Shucked cast starring as Maizy.
In addition to bearing a surprising resemblance to McEntire in appearance—both have red hair, bright eyes, and cheeky smiles—Innerbichler's performance in Shucked has surely demonstrated her talent in nailing a country ballad. See her exclusive Playbill performance of "Walls" from Shucked below.
On an additional Shucked-meets-Reba-McEntire note, McEntire has joined the singing competition reality show The Voice as a judge for its 24th season this fall. It was also revealed today that in its next episode on May 22, The Voice will feature its first performance from a Broadway musical, bringing in Alex Newell to perform "Independently Owned" from the corn-themed musical. The decision was reportedly made in light of the potential of a postponed Tony Awards this June, leaving many new shows like Shucked without crucial television exposure that often attracts audiences to Broadway throughout the summer months.
READ: Alex Newell is Ready to Break Down the Gender Barrier
Broadway's Shucked officially opened at the Nederlander Theatre April 4 after beginning previews March 8. The new musical features a book by Tony winner Robert Horn (Tootsie, 13) and a score by Grammy-winning Nashville-based duo Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally. Three-time Tony winner Jack O'Brien (Hairspray, The Front Page) is at the helm.
The "farm-to-fable" musical takes place in Cobb County where the population is small and the corn fields are endless, following its residents as they work to fix their failing corn crop. But don't pay too much attention to that—it's come for the story, stay for the corn puns at Shucked.
Shucked stars Caroline Innerbichler as Maizy, Alex Newell as Lulu, John Behlmann as Gordy, Kevin Cahoon as Peanut, Andrew Durand as Beau, Ashley D. Kelley as Storyteller 1, and Grey Henson as Storyteller 2.
They're joined by an ensemble comprising Jimmy Brewer, Audrey Cardwell, Dwayne Clark, Rheaume Crenshaw, Jaygee Macapugay, Scott Stangland, Yasmeen Sulieman, and Quinn VanAntwerp, rounded out by swings Miki Abraham, Ken Wulf Clark, Traci Elaine Lee, and Alan Wiggins.
Shucked features choreography by Sarah O'Gleby and music supervision, music direction, orchestrations, and arrangements by Tony nominee Jason Howland. Scenic design is by Scott Pask, costume design is by Tilly Grimes, lighting design is by Japhy Weideman, sound design by John Shivers, and wig design by Mia Neal. John Miller is the music coordinator, Billy Jay Stein and Hiro Iida of Strange Cranium designed the electronic music, and Juniper Street Productions handles production management.
Visit ShuckedMusical.com.
Cast of Shucked
Kevin Cahoon and cast of Shucked
Ashley D. Kelley and Grey Henson in Shucked
Alex Newell and cast in Shucked
Cast of Shucked
