IT DON’T GET MUCH CORNIER–
AND THAT’S THE POINT
In Shucked, the jokes fly fast as exploding kernels of popcorn in this Tony-award winning musical comedy—part Brigadoon, part Music Man, and wholly the old TV show Hee Haw (which I’ve never actually seen but instinctively recognize).
Quinn VanAntwerp and Miki Abraham
Jake Odmark and Mike Nappi
Shucked is the story of Maizy (Erick Pinnick) who breaks off her wedding to her long-time love Beau (Jake Odmark) to seek a cure for the mysterious blight that has affected the corn crop of Cob County. The twist is that no one has ever before left Cob County, a place settled long ago by “a diverse group of Pilgrims” and subsequently cut off by the corn wall that grew up around it.
Danielle Wade and Miki Abraham
Danielle Wade and Erick Pinnick
In the big city of Tampa (likely chosen for its lyrical potential), Maizy finds a “corn doctor,” podiatrist and con man Gordy (Quinn Vanantwerp), who wants to get out of town fast to escape his debts. Back in Cob County, Maizy is dazzled by Gordy’s big city ways and imagines herself in love with him, but the real chemistry is between Gordy and Maizy’s corn-whiskey distiller cousin Lulu (Miki Abraham). Lulu is the real star of the show, belting out the bluesy, infectious “Independently Owned.” The other great musical number is the bluegrassy “Best Man Wins,” when Beau and the other men of Cob County plot to stop the marriage of Maizy and Gordy so Beau can win her back. It’s here that Sarah O’Gleby’s choreography shines as we get to watch men in jeans, overalls, and cargo pants (costumes Tilly Grimes) do impressive high kicks as they leap on and off barrels and tables.
The Cast
The Cast
The story line is only a portion of this musical (book by Robert Horn, music and lyrics by Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally). Peanut (Mike Nappi) shells out jokes and puns with an “I think…” setup; narrators Maya Lagerstam and Tyler Joseph Ellis add sly humor that lets the audience know that they, like the rest of us, know the show is as corny as Kansas. In the end, the couples sort themselves out, the corn (literally) springs back to life, and the down-to-earth humor that drives this show left me grinning, well, from ear to ear.
The Cast
The Cast
photos by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman
Shucked
national tour
presented by Broadway in Boston
in Boston, Citizens Opera House, Boston, MA until April 20, 2025
tour continues; for dates and cities, visit Shucked
for more shows, visit Theatre in Boston
