Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman
When a lot of people not familiar with the world of musical theatre hear that there is a show called Shucked coming to town, or have friends who tell them they are seeing a show called Shucked, most of the reactions are, ‘What?’ Those of us way off Broadway who watch the Tony Awards and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade have been chomping at the bit for this ‘corny’ comedy to hit the road. For those of you who have no idea what this show is, lend me your ‘ears’. Shucked had its roots in a show titled Moonshine: That Hee Haw Musical, which was to play at DC’s National Theatre in 2020 … and then the dark times were upon us and everything shut down, so the writers continued to hone — or completely rewrite — the show into what it is now, with two songs and a character named Lulu left over from the original show. Shucked had its first performances in Salt Lake City in 2022, most of the cast transferred to Broadway for previews that started on March 8, 2023, officially opening on April 4 (gaining Reba McEntire as its official ‘stalksperson’ along the way), earning nine Tony Award nominations including Best Musical and winning Featured Actor in a Musical for Alex Newell (making history as one of the first two openly non-binary performers to be nominated and win a Tony), playing 327 regular performances before closing on January 14, 2024, announcing a feature film was in development, and launching its first national tour on October 20, 2024.
So with that bit of history now behind us — what is Shucked about? The show begins as two Storytellers (Maya Lagerstam and Tyler Joseph Ellis) tell us that the story is about a wedding that is about to happen and the citizens of Cob County introduce us with the song ‘Corn’ (which also has some clever ‘corny-ography’) to their little town, one that has apparently been surrounded by a wall of corn stalks with no one ever venturing beyond the corn. As lifelong lovebird Maizy (Danielle Wade) — obviously named after … her grandmother — and Beau (Jake Odmark) are about to deliver their vows, the corn begins to die, putting a stop to the nuptials. Maizy keeps telling anyone who will listen that someone needs to go out into the world and bring someone back who can help them, but no one wants to go, not even her cousin, the seemingly more worldly Lulu (Miki Abraham), and Beau is certain he will be the savior of the corn. Fed up with no one taking the situation seriously enough, Maizy decides she will be the hero and ventures beyond the stalks to the big, wide world of … Tampa (where dogs are in strollers, children are on leashes, and there’s always an old person blocking your way).
Maizy falls in love with the freedom she has and the wonders of this new world, but she still needs to help Cob County and she stumbles upon a sign for a ‘Corn Doctor’. The doctor is actually a shady podiatrist named Gordy (Quinn VanAntwerp), who comes from a family of scoundrels and his only clients are the wealthy older women of Tampa (he also only accepts cash). Maizy is fascinated by Gordy and he is befuddled by her, but when he finds out a mobster is about to come and collect on a debt Gordy owes, he plays along with Maizy, assuring her that he can help save the corn. He’s also taken with her shiny bracelet and learns from a pair of jewelers (played by the Storytellers) that the rocks are extremely valuable and anything he can bring back they will buy. Maizy is also so happy that Gordy is coming to help that she kisses him, which stirs up all kinds of new feelings. Back home, Beau finds out about the kiss and believes that he’s lost Maizy to Gordy, who begins to take interest in Lulu. But Gordy has business to get to, trying to dig out as many rocks as he can while telling the Cob citizens that it was the rocks that were killing the corn. As he is down on one knee after digging out a rock, Maizy misinterprets the gesture as a proposal and now Gordy is in a real pickle, also completely unaware, due to bad cell service in Cob County, that the rocks are not valuable at all and his debt is wiped out because the mobster was wiped out. Can the corn be saved? Will Gordy go through with the wedding to Maizy, or will Lulu and Beau scuttle those plans?
If you’re a fan of dad jokes (some a bit more colorful than others) or remember the 1970s variety show Hee Haw, then Shucked is the show for you. Beau’s brother Peanut (Mike Nappi) gets the bulk of the ‘dad jokes’ going on a riff whenever someone asks, ‘What do you think?’ Most of them are pretty hilarious, and some of them actually make sense when you think about them. There are also a ton of corny puns, and during the opening number Storyteller 2 tells us the issue of Roe vs. Wade in Cob County is which method is better to cross a river. The humor runs the gamut from low-brow to high (and there is an eyebrows line that I am still cackling about), but there is also some real human emotion in the story as well, especially in how Maizy’s new attraction to Gordy has affected Beau. The story by Robert Horn may just seem to be about saving a town, but deep down it’s really about a diverse group of people treating each other with kindness and working together to solve a problem. Some might actually think that’s too ‘woke’ for a musical comedy, but right about now it’s exactly the kind of show we need. The songs by Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally are all terrific, funny and heartfelt, and help drive Horn’s story. Director Jack O’Brien uses the minimal set by scenic designer Scott Pask, which consists of a crooked barn as a backdrop and various small set pieces that move on and off set, as well as the five panels that spell out TAMPA, to perfection, using one part of the stage for Lulu’s bar/whiskey distillery, another for Beau’s cornfield, a small porch, Gordy’s office, directing the audience’s attention with Japhy Weideman’s lighting design. Costume Designer Tilly Grimes has also gone minimal with most of the characters wearing the same outfits for the entire show, save for Maizy’s Tampa outfit, Gordy swapping out his magenta doctor’s smock for a sea foam green blazer (to go with the similarly colored pants and Hawaiian shirt), and a couple of different hats for Peanut. But it all works and it’s a visually interesting and colorful show.
Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman
The cast is outstanding. Ellis and Lagerstam are a hoot as the Storytellers, also getting to play the mobster’s goons and the jewelers, at one point having to go back and forth between the two characters while on the phone with Gordy. Lagerstam is the more down to earth of the two, trying to keep the story on track at times while Ellis gets to be more over-the-top, at one point telling the audience he’s going to join in on a song because he knows all the words. The also do a great job with an Act II scene in which they have to keep stopping the action (leaving the rest of the actors frozen in time) while they keep moving up the clock leading up to the wedding of Gordy and Maizy. The Storytellers is a clever plot device by Horn to keep the story moving and Ellis and Lagerstam do a wonderful job.
Danielle Wade is so endearing as Maizy, often smart, sometimes silly like out of a screwball comedy, and she really gets to show off her incredible voice with her first number, ‘Walls’. She does the small-town girl character to perfection, and is hilarious when she becomes the fish-out-of-water in Tampa. Miki Abraham is outstanding as Lulu, a woman who is not afraid to say what’s on her mind. They show us that Lulu is smart and compassionate, fiercely independent (as they sing in ‘Independently Owned’), but also strangely drawn to Gordy. As good as everyone else is, Abraham dominates the stage whenever they are in the spotlight.
Mike Nappi is a hoot as Peanut, delivering his ‘I thinks’ with great comic timing and quickly switching into what he thinks about the current situation. He also shows us that Peanut is not only a brother to Beau but a best friend as well. Jake Odmark may have the toughest role in Beau because he has to make him funny and charming, while still being a bit chauvinistic toward Maizy, needing the audience to feel his hurt and betrayal when he finds out Maizy kissed Gordy, and even more hurt when the ‘proposal’ occurs. He has to keep us on his side so that when he goes to try to win Maizy back, we want him to succeed. His Act II solo ‘OK’ is also stunning, really revealing Beau’s heartache. Quinn VanAntwerp plays the scoundrel Gordy to perfection, telling Maizy what she wants to hear with ease, but also having an attack of conscience as things begin to go sideways, and then grounding himself as he realizes that Lulu may be the woman he’s really interested in. He doesn’t get a big solo, but his introductory song ‘Bad’, with the Storytellers and Ensemble, perfectly tell us who Gordy is and VanAntwerp plays it perfectly. The hard-working Ensemble players are great as both the citizens of Cob County and the denizens of Tampa, really getting to show off their talents in the opening ‘Corn’ number. A good musical needs a great Ensemble, and Shucked‘s is one of the best.
All in all, Shucked is two-and-a-half hours of pure escapism, pure joy, with laughs galore, great songs, an excellent production and an outstanding cast. We are living through some stressful times right now, and there is no better way to just turn off the world than to see a wonderful show like Shucked.
Shucked runs about 2 hours and 30 minutes with one intermission. Shucked is recommended for ages 10+. Shucked contains adult themes, moments of adult language, and a harvest of corny innuendo.
Shucked runs through April 6 at Baltimore’s Hippodrome Theatre. Other cities on the schedule include Boston, Cleveland, Atlanta, Charlotte, Tampa, Orlando, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland OR, Seattle, Minneapolis, Norfolk, Philadelphia and more. Visit the official website for more information. Use our Ticketmaster link to purchase tickets.
Shucked – North American Tour
Shucked the Musical
Check our Ticketmaster link for ticket availability.
