‘Shucked’ to Become First Broadway Musical Featured on ‘The Voice,’ With Tony Nominee Alex Newell’s Showstopper Number (EXCLUSIVE)
variety.comChris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic “The Voice” has not been much concerned with current Broadway voices until now.
That’ll change in a big way with this coming Monday’s episode, which will feature a show-stopping number from “Shucked” — marking the first time a song from a currently running Broadway show has been featured on the long-running singing competition series.
The song is “Independently Owned,” a major nightly showcase for Tony nominee Alex Newell. It’s been cited as the rare example of an original Broadway musical having its first and possibly biggest standing-ovation number come in the middle of the first act… and it’s a testament to “Shucked” as a whole that the production doesn’t feel like it’s going downhill from that early barn-burner. “We have always imagined ‘The Voice’ as a platform to foster talent while being relevant and of-the-moment,” Melissa Watkins Trueblood, the head of talent for “The Voice,” tells Variety. “It is a joy to have such a phenomenal talent as Alex Newell on the show and get to play a role in this journey for ‘Shucked.'” The performance by Newell was booked during a period of uncertainty when it didn’t look as if the Tonys would happen on network television in June this year; that kudocast is particularly important for productions like “Shucked” that don’t have a lot of preexisting IP name value.
Now it appears the Tonys’ show will go on, with producers having made a deal with the Writers Guild for the telecast to proceed next month. “Shucked” will surely benefit from a double-boost in prime time, if a number is booked for the Tonys as well, but having Newell on “The Voice,” with its higher ratings and reach beyond regular theatergoers, provides a first-time
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