All you probably need to know about the musical Shucked is in that title. The show, now on a National Tour following a nine-month run on Broadway, is at Knoxville’s Tennessee Theatre through Sunday, January 5, flaunting a bumper crop of corn puns, sexual double-entendres, and groan-able dad jokes. The show goes after one’s base level of humor so relentlessly that no matter how hard one resists the low-comedy onslaught, most will have trouble stifling a guffaw or two.
The show’s history comes as almost no surprise. In 2011, the producer of the television variety show Hee Haw, the Opry Entertainment Group, was looking for ways to extend their property and hired writer Robert Horn to write the book for a musical based on the Hee Haw environment and franchise. Nashville composer/lyricists Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally were brought on in 2013 for what would be Moonshine: The Hee Haw Musical. When the show failed to gain traction in its Dallas opening in 2015, the creative trio continued with a new title, reworking music numbers and plot and bringing on notable director Jack O’Brien. After a development period in Salt Lake City, Shucked opened on Broadway at the Nederlander Theatre on March 8, 2023.
Of course, Shucked is set in Cob County, where the isolation created by the vast cornfields has the citizens living in perfect “hominy,” strangely without undue interference from the outside world. However, when their corn begins to dry up and die, they are unable to ascertain the reason why, but are dead set against seeking help elsewhere. Fortunately, Maizy (Danielle Wade) believes outside help is the only solution to the issue, even postponing her wedding to Beau (Jake Odmark) to journey to the big city of Tampa. While in that notable metropolis, she falls for a podiatrist/con-man, Gordy (Quinn VanAntwerp), misunderstanding his title, “Corn Doctor.” Following up on his con, Gordy journeys back to Cob County with Maizy, looking to help himself to the only other thing of interest there—a strange gemstone.
In much the same way of the Hee Haw television show, Shucked trades on and glorifies its manufactured un-sophistication. The character of Peanut (Mike Nappi) exists almost singularly for nicely delivering sets of jokes that begin “I think…” before coming to a corny punchline that elicits a snigger or groan from the audience. The secondary character of whiskey maker Lulu (Miki Abraham), Maizy’s cousin, has been given an outsized importance in the story and, interestingly, one of the most successful tunes in the show, “Independently Owned.” And, Lulu enjoys the additional love interest in the plot by falling for Gordy, despite her protestations otherwise.
Admittedly, that plot is as thin as cornsilk. Fortunately, the story is glued together by two “Storytellers” (Tyler Joseph Ellis and Maya Lagerstam) who act as narrators by filling in plot details for the audience and imparting a really strong presentational energy. They and the excellent ensemble get the show off to a really decent start with “Corn,” a cleverly choreographed number (choreographer Sarah O’Gleby) that is a visual and performance beauty.
Shucked’s simple comedic style is both an asset and detriment, much like a glass half-empty or half-full. Frankly, though, its simplicity feels surprisingly refreshing given current headlines and anxiety for the future. Laughter, no matter the reason, almost always gives the disheartened a ray of hope. Nothing cornball about that.
