There are so many one-liners in “Shucked,” you’ll want to write them down. Don’t – just let the goofiness of the musical wash over you.
Not unlike “Hee Haw” (which served as inspiration), “Shucked” finds every way to strip a cob – and then some. It’s a virtual “cornucopia” (yup, writer Robert Horn makes that point) of humor that sprouts when the folks in Cob County discover their crops are dying. Because the residents are fairly insular, they need someone to go outside their boundaries and find help. Enter: Maizy (Caroline Innerbichler), who heads to Tampa and discovers a podiatrist (corn doctor, get it?) who thinks he can help.
Back in Cob County, there’s a host of opinions, many of them from the local philosopher, Peanut (Kevin Cahoon), and the whiskey maker, Lulu (Alex Newell). They get the best the script has to offer (if life were fair, Lulu says, “mosquitoes would suck fat instead of blood”; “If I had a crystal ball, I’d probably walk real different,” Peanut says) and aren’t afraid to wait for the laughter to subside.
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Songs – written by Nashville regulars Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally – are a little less goofy. Sure, there’s the infectious “We Love Jesus...But We Drink a Little,” but there are also the tender “Maybe Love” and Lulu’s barn-raiser, “Independently Owned.”
To make sure the variegated crop fits together, two storytellers (Grey Henson and Ashley D. Kelley) provide information on a need-to-know basis. As soon as Maizy gets Gordy, the doctor (John Behlmann), rumors start sprouting. Is she leaving her beau, Beau? Could Gordy be another Harold Hill?
The plot detassels many times over, prompting director Jack O’Brien to rely on old tricks he devised for other, more linear shows. Like “Urinetown,” there’s a desire to paint most people with the same brush. Like “The Book of Mormon,” there’s a willingness to try a second coat.
While Cahoon and Newell are the standouts (both are nominated for Tonys), the rest of the cast is filled with great singers and time-sensitive comedians. Behlmann has the toughest job because he has to be both villain and hero. Thankfully, Henson and Kelley keep the tractors moving.
Because it targets a Midwestern sensibility, “Shucked” should produce a bumper crop of fans once it hits the touring market. It’s the kind of show you could recommend to anyone and they’d still say they laughed.
Set in an odd, barn-like structure (which looks like it’s about to fall down), “Shucked” touches on social issues without pressing them. It makes points but doesn’t hammer them. Even better, Sarah O’Gleby’s choreography works for both dancers and corncobs. No question, the show is corny. But it’s one of the rare few that can produce a laugh. Guar-an-teed.
