REVIEW: ‘Shucked’ Brings a Corny Good Time to the Stage

By Sarah E. Saysoukha | Photo by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman

If you’re looking for a “corny” good time, then “Shucked” is the show for you. The musical is packed with dad jokes, puns galore, and an a-maize-ing sense of humor. With music and lyrics by Grammy Award-winners Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally, the songs will stick with you long after you leave the theater.

The story begins in Cob County, an isolated rural community whose main crop — and lifeblood — is corn. The two narrators, Storyteller 1 (Maya Lagerstam) and Storyteller 2 (Tyler Joseph Ellis), guide the audience through the story with humor and charm, frequently breaking the fourth wall to interact with the audience and join ensemble numbers.

Maizy (Danielle Wade) and her fiancé, Beau (Jake Odmark), are about to get married, officiated by Beau’s brother, Peanut (Mike Nappi), the king of one-liners. But the ceremony is interrupted when someone rushes in with bad news — their corn is dying! Maizy decides to go to the big city of Tampa to find someone to help fix their dying crops. There, she finds a “corn doctor,” who she doesn’t realize is actually a podiatrist, named Gordy (Quinn Vanantwerp). Unbeknownst to Maizy, Gordy is neither a corn doctor nor a podiatrist. He’s a con man! Gordy sees Maizy’s bracelet that her Grandpa (Erick Pinnick) gave her, made from stones found in Cob County, and immediately his eyes light up. He talks Maizy into bringing him back to Cob County to fix the corn, but his ulterior motive is to steal as many stones as he can carry. Hilarity ensues and I’ll let you find out the rest!

I loved the simplistic set design, the hometown vernacular, and even the ridiculously corny jokes. Honestly, I wasn’t sure how I would feel about this musical since so much of the story is kept a secret. The advertisements are very vague but do promise the corniest of humor. I was pleasantly surprised by the music.

Lulu (Miki Abraham), Maizy’s independent, don’t need no man cousin and best friend brings down the house with her song “Independently Owned,” where she asserts, “Don’t need a man for flatteries. Got a corn cob and some batteries.” Beau surprised us all with his ballad, “Somebody Will,” where he laments the loss of his fiancee Maizy, but declares that somebody will come along and appreciate him for the man he is and sings, “I’m a damn good man with my hands in the field. If she don’t want me, well somebody will.”

If you have an opportunity to see this one-of-a-kind musical, do it! “Shucked” brings ruckus
laughter, tender moments, and ear-worm music that will have you singing for days after. I would
absolutely recommend seeing “Shucked.”

Know Before You Go

What: “Shucked”
Where: TPAC’s Andrew Jackson Hall
When: November 5-10, 2024
How: Buy tickets here.
Important: Content advisory from TPAC – “Shucked” is recommended for ages 10+. “Shucked” contains adult themes, moments of adult language and a harvest of corny innuendo.