SHUCKED Blends Escapism And Country Music, With A Tale Of Acceptance
SHUCKED Blends Escapism And Country Music, With A Tale Of Acceptance
By Tia Carol Jones
Miki Abraham began performing when they were seven years old, in a production of “Annie.” They watched their older sister perform in local theater in West Kentucky and really wanted to audition. They went on to do theater locally until they were 19 years old.
Now Abraham is portraying Lulu in the National Touring production of SHUCKED. They were also part of the Broadway production of the Tony award winning musical, which tells the story of people in a town who love corn and have to find a way to save it. SHUCKED is playing for a limited engagement through Sunday, Jan. 19th, at Broadway In Chicago’s CIBC Theatre, 18 W. Monroe St.
Abraham’s love of theater led them to do a reality TV show in Los Angeles, The Glee Project, and get a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting.
“It’s something that has been ingrained in me ever since I remember. I don’t remember a time that I wasn’t an actor,” they said.
What brings them joy about acting right now is the escapism that enables them to step out of what’s going on in the world for the duration of a performance. Also, with everything going on in the world, Abraham said that being able to provide a respite for communities and people to be able to come into a space and forget all the negative things that are happening, is special and cathartic to them. It is a privilege they hold carefully and it feels really good in their body right now.
Abraham wanted to audition for SHUCKED, because country music was the genre they enjoyed the most, aside from doing musical theatre. They always had a dream of being a country music singer and also performed in country music competitions growing up in Kentucky. When they found out about SHUCKED, which is a country musical, it was the perfect combination of both of their loves.
“The fact that it is a country musical just kind of felt like, “oh, this is kismet, this is exactly what it’s supposed to be.’ And, it just felt like one of those rare moments in life where a puzzle piece fits in and you’re like, ‘oh, this is what was supposed to happen,” they said.
SHUCKED has been an integral part of Abraham’s life for several years. They auditioned for the first time in 2021, but took another job. In 2022, they auditioned and booked it, and did the production in Salt Lake City and moved with it to Broadway in New York City, as a swing, where they understudied for all the female roles, including Lulu, who they are playing now. On the Broadway run, Abraham went on 58 times for Lulu and now is playing the role eight times a week.
Alex Newell who originated the role of Lulu and won a Tony award for it and Abraham joined the company at the same time in Salt Lake City. Abraham said getting to watch Newell and understudy them in the role feels precious and special to them.
Abraham described Lulu as the matriarch of the town, who knows everything about everyone and doesn’t take mess from anyone. Lulu is the cousin of the hero of the show, Maizy, and works at the whiskey distillery in town. Abraham’s favorite song from the musical is “Best Man Wins,” because of the harmony and choreography. Their favorite song to sing is “Friends,” the duet that Maizy and Lulu sing. They said that duet is one of the most beautiful songs in the musical theatre canon and a beautiful country song and moment in the show.
Abraham hopes people take away from the show that life doesn’t have to be as serious as it seems all the time and that it is good to take a moment and laugh and find a common thread with the people around them. Another takeaway with the show is to welcome people into their lives they don’t think they need.
“I think something that is really special about this show is that it highlights the beauty of going outside of your comfort zone and meeting people that maybe you didn’t think were going to be a part of your community and then you learn about them and you accept them into your community, when you realize you have more in common than you think,” Abraham said.
Abraham hopes people respond to the musical with openness and are willing to go along for the ride.
Tickets for SHUCKED range from $35-$125, 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.
