Corny, but a-maize-ing, ‘Shucked’ will fill your heart with joy

SHUCKED, the Tony Award®–winning musical comedy, debuted Jan. 8 at the CIBC Theatre. It was a fabulously corny blend of humor, charming storytelling and a cast loaded with extraordinary voices and talent.

The production is set in Cob County in a tiny town somewhere with corn as high as an elephant’s eye, that is until tragedy strikes, and the corn stops growing. I related totally to this show coming from a small town myself with farmers growing corn just like this and with the same mindset – it is a kinder gentler time and place, and the audience welcomed it with open arms.

In the play, the lead Maizy (performed to perfection by Danielle Wade) is dating her hometown/ first boyfriend Beau (again, played to perfection by Jake Odmark), but you can see that she is hankering for the bright lights and big city of --Tampa?!

There are so many fun moments in this show, corny, but fun, with a cast that has bios as long as your arm, especially Maizy’s cousin Lulu, played by Miki Abraham. Her big voice matches her personality in a way that brought wild applause from the audience after her solo number, “Independently Owned.” When her voice unexpectedly slipped into the next octave, the room exploded.

The whole cast is exemplary. Storyteller 1 and 2 (Maya Lagerstam and Tyler Joseph Ellis) played multiple characters with amazing ease throughout the show and Gordy (Quinn Vanantwerp) transformed from villain to lovable lover without blinking an eye.

It’s the first play where I’ve rooted for the entire cast- that’s what small town charm will do. The set design (by Scott Pask) matched the mood perfectly with a book by Tony Award-winner Robert Horn, a score by Grammy Award-winning songwriting team of Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally, and directing by Tony Award-winner Jack O'Brien (Hairspray)

The audience laughed nonstop through this 2 hour and 15-minute production with a fifteen-minute intermission. The harvest of corny inuendo contained adult themes and language, but it was refreshing and innocent in these trying times.

This corn-fed, corn-bred American musical is sure to satisfy your appetite for wonderfully entertaining musical theater as well as provide a welcome departure from reality right now. In a nutshell (errr corn cob), SHUCKED is about an unlikely hero, a lovable con man and a battle for the heart and “soil” of Cob County.

I highly recommend this fun-filled show. However,  I did feel the production could be shortened - not by cutting any numbers, just shortening them, especially “Best Man Wins” in act 2.

(Playing at CIBC Theatre and presented by Broadway in Chicago, the production runs now through Jan. 19, 18 W. Monroe. SHUCKED is recommended for ages 10+. SHUCKED contains adult themes and moments of adult language. For tickets and more info visit: broadwayinchicago.com) 

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