CORN-FED HUMOR LEAVES A SWEET TASTE

I entered the Civic Theatre braced for a two-hour version of Hee Haw (not a compliment) and wondered if I’d be checking my watch by halfway through Act I as puns about corn wore thin. Instead, in little time, I was thoroughly absorbed in the goofy, tiny-town farm world of Shucked, laughing far more than I anticipated and just smiling for two full hours. Playwright Robert Horn (Tootsie) throws subtlety out the window and revels in silly word play to great effect. As a result, this national tour is more Young Frankenstein-lite than the wince-worthy drivel that passed for comedy on Hee Haw.

Danielle Wade

In ultra-rural, tight-knit Cob County, Maizy (Danielle Wade – think a young Dolly Parton) and Beau (Kyle Sherman, standing in for Jake Odmark) prepare to wed, but disaster strikes when the town’s lifeblood—its corn—begins to wither. With the wedding postponed, Maizy, urged by her sharp-witted cousin Lulu (Cecily Dionne Davis, in for Miki Abraham), decides someone must seek outside help, despite the community’s suspicion of outsiders and Beau’s vow to break up with her if she goes.  Traveling to the far-away and exotic city of Tampa (grounds for a lot of fish-out-of-water humor), she meets Gordy (Quinn VanAntwerp), a smooth-talking con man passing himself off as a “corn doctor.” Sensing a chance to cash in on the town’s desperation, Gordy follows Maizy back to Cob County. While Maizy and the town folk cling to the hope that Gordy will save their crops, Beau grows uneasy about Gordy’s motives, while also questioning if his distrust is based on his own broken heart.

Quinn VanAntwerp

Horn’s script is beyond unsubtle in its rim-shot one-liners, with Beau’s brother Peanut (Mike Nappi) drawing laughter every time he says, “Well, I think…” because we come to learn that that phrase is always going to be followed by a string of jokes that sound right out of an old-fashioned stand up comedy set, followed by a line that actually relates to the story to get us back on track. The jokes range from absurd (“I was off playing frisbee with my goat… but he was heavier than I expected”) to thoughtworthy (“A wise woman once said something smarter than anything a man ever did”).

The Cast

To their credit, composers and lyricists Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally do a beautiful job of coming with witty songs that fit the script’s tone and others that are surprisingly touching. With two songs in the latter category, understudy Kyle Sherman is a standout in this show with the heartfelt “Somebody Will,” which sounded like it was ready to race up the Billboard country chart and again later with the nearly as poignant “O.K.”

The Cast

Three-time Tony winner and former Artistic Director for San Diego’s Old Globe Jack O’Brien steps up to bat in this production and gives the piece a warm and homey tone with old-world charm without it feeling dated. With Cob County’s isolated backwardness as a contrast to cosmopolitan Tampa, the show is likely to have legs in revivals for decades, because there’s not much about it that could feel dated; were it not for a scene with a cell phone, this show could have run successfully forty years ago as well.

The Cast

Although this show isn’t focused on big dance numbers, like the recent Moulin Rouge, choreographer Sarah O’Gleby does some tantalizing work in places, especially with numerous barrels and planks creatively used and moved throughout “Best Man Wins.”

The Cast

Few are likely to put Shucked on their list of the greatest musicals in Broadway history, but having made the mistake of reading CNN’s daily headlines in the hour before showtime, the script, songs, and high-energy cast of Shucked completely pulled me out of a doom-and-gloom funk with a simple story presented with boundless fun and not a political bend in any of it. (Okay, maybe once, when Peanut does compare politicians to diapers, but you have to go for yourself to hear the line.)

photos by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman

Shucked
national tour presented by Broadway in San Diego
for tickets, call 619.564.3000 or visit Broadway SD
ends on August 17, 2025 at The Civic
for tickets, call 619.564.3000 or visit Broadway SD
tour continues; for dates and cities, visit Shucked