Broadway tour of "Shucked" at the Orpheum Theatre

If you're looking for a straight-up comedy with corny jokes, bad puns, a great country-tinged score, and a ton of heart, head to the Orpheum Theatre on Hennepin Avenue for the National Tour of the 2023 multiple Tony-nominated musical Shucked. I missed seeing this on Broadway (starring #TCTheater actor Caroline Innerbichler in her Broadway debut), so I was excited to finally see the show on tour. I knew it would be fun, but I loved it even more than I thought I would. It's so goofy and tongue-in-cheek, with a fantastic touring cast, and is endlessly endearing. The story of a small isolated community that tears down their walls (of corn) to let in new ideas and new people, and see each other in a new light, is a much-needed and heart-warming one. Shucked continues through January 11 only; click here for the official ticket-buying site, as well as info about rush tickets for industry, students, and educators. 

Somewhere in the middle of America (somewhere South judging by the accents), two storytellers tell us the story of Cob County, where everyone knows everyone, and everything revolves around corn. The wedding of Maizy and Beau is interrupted when the corn crop starts to die, and Maizy decides to leave town and find help. Somehow she ends up in Tampa, and visits a "corn doctor" (aka a podiatrist), a con man who agrees to come back to Cob County when he realizes there is a deposit of a valuable stone there. Sort of like The Music Man or The Rainmaker, this con man gives the people hope, and learns a thing or two about being human.

cousins/BFFs Maizy (Danielle Wad) and Lulu (Miki Abraham)
(photo by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman)

Under the direction Jack O'Brien, this cast fully leans into the corny tone of the show, but still imbues their characters with heart and humanity. Mary Lagerstam and Joe Moeller are so charming as the storytellers, sometimes watching the action, sometimes delightedly joining in, rarely leaving the stage. As Maizy, Danielle Wade (whom we saw in the Mean Girls tour) is a very likable heroine, with a lovely and unique voice that goes from soft and tender to full power. She's well matched in Nick Bailey (last seen at the Orpheum in the much less likable role of Earl in Waitress), who's just so sweet as the heart-broken Beau. His power song "Somebody Will" nearly brought the house down. Speaking of, "Independently Owned" is a showstopper of a song (and helped with Alex Newell their Tony), and Miki Abraham delivers a terrific rendition of it, as well as a great performance as Maizy's cousin/BFF Lulu. Understudy Sean Casey Flanagan fit right in with the cast and made con man Gordy likable despite his cons, and Mike Nappi steals scenes as the deep thinker Peanut, hilariously delivering some very astute, or utterly ridiculous, observations every time someone asks him "what do you think."

Having the two narrators tell the story is a great device employed by book writer Robert Horn, quickly providing exposition, and allowing us to move swiftly from one important event to the next (the total runtime is under two and a half hours). This also gives it a fun fourth-wall-breaking kind of feel, as they sometimes deliver the jokes with a knowing wink to the audience. And there are a lot of jokes, and puns, and witty observations. Some are groan-worthy, some are hilarious, some take a minute to figure out (the cast often pauses for us to catch up). It's just a laugh riot. And I shouldn't be surprised that I loved the score (which I've never heard before, other than the Tonys performance), since I saw one half of the composer/lyricist team Brandy Clark perform at the Orpheum last year, opening for Mary Chapin Carpenter. She and fellow Nashville songwriter Shane McAnally (both Grammy and CMA award winners) have written a fantastic score full of fun little ditties, powerful anthems, and lovely ballads. The five-piece pit orchestra consists of two keyboards, two guitar (and other stringed instrument) players, and percussion and they sound great, but it would have been fun to have an on-stage band with more instruments.

photo by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman

The simple but effect set consists of the frame of a barn, so askew that looks like it's about to fall over. There is corn aplenty, as well as hay, barrels, crates, wagons, and other country accoutrements. The costumes are eclectically and colorfully rural, with lots of denim and lots of patches (I wore my denim jumpsuit to the show and would have fit right in with the cast, if a little tame). The whole effect is one of country, in the way of Hee Haw - broad, stereotypical, and fun-loving. (Scenic design by Scott Pask, costume design by Tilly Grimes.)

I loved this production of Shucked, and I'm excited for when it becomes available for regional productions. It's the kind of show that might be even better with a smaller more stripped-down production. I'd love to see it with an acoustic country band, maybe on-stage, maybe with the cast playing instruments (a la Once), maybe set in rural Minnesota. (Would it be crazy to have an outdoor production next to one of Minnesota's beautiful cornfields?) #TCTheater companies - start making your plans and watch for those rights to become available!

In the meantime, the only place you can see this charmingly corny new original musical comedy is at the Orpheum Theatre, through January 11.