For the past several months, the New York City subway stations have gleamed yellow with posters of corn ears to tease the arrival of the new musical comedy Shucked. Yes, it’s a musical about corn. The yellow vegetable (fruit? grain?) has been part of the cultural milieu since the Corn Kid, now dubbed the CEO of Corn, shared his unabashed love for the “big lump of knobs” in a viral video last summer. And now corn is finding its light on the Main Stem.
The musical features a book by Tony Award winner Robert Horn and a score by the Grammy Award-winning songwriting duo of Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally, the duo behind hits for Kelly Clarkson, Sheryl Crow, and Luke Bryan. Shucked follows the close-knit Midwestern community of Cobb County, known for its corn as high as an elephant’s eye.
When a corn crop blight threatens the harvest and forces Cobb County residents Beau (Andrew Durand) and Maizy (Caroline Innerbichler) to postpone their big wedding day, Maizy decides to leave the confines of the cornfields to get help. In spite of Beau’s advice to stay put, Maizy ventures to Tampa, Florida, where she finds Gordy Jackson (John Behlmann), a con man who claims to have the power to restore the crops. With Gordy in tow, Maizy returns to Cobb County, where a love triangle and a conniving scheme unfurl in the corn fields.
Under the direction of Jack O’Brien, the show is both light as popcorn and toothsome as a buttered cob. In an opening number, aptly titled “Corn,” the ensemble forms of kickline of dancing corn cobs. And there are, of course, corny puns ad nauseam. Some of the best knee-slapping jokes come from feeble-minded Peanut, played with hilarity by Kevin Cahoon.
The musical’s narrators also find the funny. Storyteller 1 (Ashley D. Kelley) and Storyteller 2 (Grey Henson) set the scenes and lead the story through a corn maze. The pair execute perfectly timed jokes and even get in on the fun by joining scenes as con men and jewelry inspectors and bachelor party attendees, sometimes portraying these characters simultaneously. It’s physical humor at its best.
The strongest performance comes from Alex Newell, who plays the headstrong Lulu, Maizy’s cousin and a whiskey distiller. Newell raises the barn rafters with the show-stopping performance of “Independently Owned,” garnering a well-deserved standing ovation. (The number even convinced me to imbibe a corn liqueur cocktail at intermission.)
The show balances humor and heart with tender ballads including “Maybe Love,” sung by Maizy. In his attempt to win back Maizy’s heart, Beau croons a heart-filled song called “Best Man Wins,” a rollicking number that includes rolling whiskey barrels and playful steps from choreographer Sarah O’Gleby.
Sure, the kernel of Shucked is corn, but beneath its husk, the musical is about love, family, and community. It’s worth popping over to the Nederlander Theatre to join the fun.
