Shucked

Shucked is a musical comedy with a book by Robert Horn and music and lyrics by Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally. The Broadway production began previews at the Nederlander Theatre on March 8, 2023 before opening on April 4.[1]

Premise

Maizy and Beau, two residents of the rural Midwestern community of Cobb County, are forced to postpone their wedding when the corn crop is blighted.[2] Maizy, on the advice of her cousin Lulu, the local whiskey distiller, leaves town to try and find a way to save their corn.[3][4] Maizy travels to Tampa, Florida, where she meets Gordy Jackson, a con-man who claims he can help, but secretly thinks Cobb County might have riches he can take to settle his debts.[5][6] When the two return, Gordy comes into conflict with both Beau and Lulu, although Lulu eventually falls for him.[2][7]

Development

Shucked was partially derived from one of Horn's earlier projects, 2015's Moonshine: That Hee Haw Musical.[8] Sources seem to differ on whether Shucked should be considered an evolution of or completely separate from Moonshine, as the only elements remaining from the 2015 show are two songs and that one character is named Lulu.[9]

Originally the show was booked for a run in late 2020 at the National Theater. This run was subsequently cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During the pandemic the show continued to undergo rewrites.[10]

Productions

The show was first performed in 2022 at the Pioneer Memorial Theatre in Salt Lake City, Utah from October 28 to November 12, where it received positive reviews.[11] Most of the Utah cast transferred with the show to Broadway.[12]

Broadway

The Broadway production began previews on March 8, 2023. Two weeks prior, the song "Maybe Love" was released as part of rehearsal footage.[13] Advertising for the production was vague and used corn-related puns in order to generate interest, a strategy which seems to have been successful.[14][15] In its first week of previews, the show grossed US$291,972, having sold 99% of its available tickets at reduced "preview pricing" rates.[16][17] Its second and third weeks of previews grossed $456,719 and $517,296 respectively.[17]

The production is directed by Jack O'Brien. It features choreography by Sarah O'Gleby, orchestrations by Jason Howland, set design by Scott Pask, costume design by Tilly Grimes, lighting design by Japhy Weideman, sound design by John Shivers, and wig design by Mia Neal.

The production opened on April 4, 2023 to mixed reviews.

Cast
Character Salt Lake City
(2022)[8]		 Broadway
(2023)[1]
Maizy Caroline Innerbichler
Lulu Alex Newell
Gordy John Behlmann
Peanut Kevin Cahoon
Beau Andrew Durand
Storyteller 1 Ashley D. Kelley
Storyteller 2 Taylor Trensch Grey Henson

Songs[18]

Act l
  • Overture
  • "Corn" - Storytellers and Ensemble
  • "Walls" - Maizy
  • "Travelin' Song" - Storytellers and Ensemble
  • "Bad" - Gordy and Ensemble
  • "Woman of the World" - Maizy and Ensemble
  • "Somebody Will" - Beau and Ensemble
  • "Independently Owned" - Lulu
  • "Holy Shit" - Peanut, Beau and Lulu
  • "Maybe Love" - Maizy
  • "Corn" (reprise) - Ensemble

Act ll
  • Entr'acte
  • "We Love Jesus" - Ensemble
  • "OK" - Beau
  • "I Do" - Maizy, Beau, Lulu and Gordy
  • "Friends" - Maizy and Lulu
  • "Best Man Wins" - Peanut, Beau and Ensemble
  • "Corn Mix" - Ensemble
  • "Maybe Love" (reprise) - Maizy and Ensemble

Cast album

On March 20, 2023, it was announced that the show would release an Original Broadway Cast Recording, to be released by Sony Masterworks Broadway on May 5.[10][19] The album would be produced by Jason Howland, Billy Jay Stein, McAnally, and Clark.[20]

Reception

The show received positive reviews from The Daily Beast,[21] Deadline,[22] Entertainment Weekly,[6] the New York Post,[23] New York Stage Review,[24] Theatrely,[25] Time Out,[2] Times Square Chronicles,[26] and Variety.[27] It received mixed to negative reviews from The Guardian,[15] The New York Times,[28] Observer,[29] and The Wrap.[30] Reviews tended to praise the show's comedy and acting. Its music was generally noted as good but not stand-out, with the exception of the number "Independently Owned", which many reviewers called attention to for Alex Newell's exceptional performance.[7] Weak spots in the show seemed to be its plot and its implementation of a moral.[7][29]

Awards
Year Award Category Nominee Result
2022 BroadwayWorld Salt Lake City Awards Best New Play or Musical Won[31]

References
  1. Hall, Margaret (March 8, 2023). "Broadway Gets Corny; Shucked Begins Performances March 8". Playbill. Archived from the original on March 9, 2023. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
  2. Feldman, Adam. "Review: The musical Shucked (★★★★) is deliciously corny". Time Out New York. Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  3. Hall, Margaret (March 2, 2023). "Alex Newell Is Ready to Break Down the Gender Barrier". Playbill. Archived from the original on March 8, 2023. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
  4. McElroy, Steven; Barone, Joshua; Burke, Siobhan; Pareles, Jon; Seibert, Brian; Zoladz, Lindsay; Sulcas, Roslyn (February 22, 2023). "Live Performance in New York: Here's What to See This Spring". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 10, 2023. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
  5. Johnson, Lottie Elizabeth (November 14, 2022). "'Shucked' just had a test run in Utah. Now, the 'unabashedly corny' musical is headed to Broadway". Deseret News. Archived from the original on March 10, 2023. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
  6. Holub, Christian (2023-04-04). "New musical 'Shucked' on Broadway has a corny sense of humor". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  7. Samuel, Brittani (2023-04-05). "Review: 'Shucked' is an original Broadway musical ripe with laughter". Broadway News. Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  8. McEntee, Billy. "Cast Set For Pre-Broadway Tryout of 'Shucked,' New Musical Solving the Corn-Undrum Of A Divided America". The BroadwayBlog. Archived from the original on March 10, 2023. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
  9. Willman, Chris (2023-04-05). "How Broadway Got 'Shucked': The 12-Year Journey to a Riotous Production That Could Be the Musical-Comedy Sleeper of the Season". Variety. Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  10. Newman, Melinda (April 3, 2023). "Will Corny Musical 'Shucked' Pop on Broadway? Hit Country Songwriters Shane McAnally and Brandy Clark Are Counting on It". Billboard. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  11. Jayswal, Palak (June 10, 2022). "A country-filled musical is coming to Utah's Pioneer Theatre Company". The Salt Lake Tribune. Archived from the original on March 10, 2023. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
  12. Russo, Gillian (December 14, 2022). "Everything you need to know about 'Shucked' on Broadway". New York Theatre Guide. Archived from the original on March 10, 2023. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
  13. "Exclusive: Watch Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally Perform First Song From SHUCKED, 'Maybe Love'". BroadwayWorld.com. February 23, 2023. Archived from the original on March 10, 2023. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
  14. Alter, Rebecca (2023-04-05). "What the Shuck Is Happening to Broadway?". Vulture. Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  15. Horton, Adrian (2023-04-05). "Shucked review – corny musical brings country to Broadway". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  16. Evans, Greg (March 14, 2023). "Broadway Newcomers Fill Seats: 'A Doll's House', 'Sweeney Todd', 'Parade', 'Life Of Pi' & 'Shucked' Report Strong Attendance". Deadline. Archived from the original on March 16, 2023. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  17. Fierberg, Ruthie (March 29, 2023). "To launch the new musical 'Shucked,' a producer revives an old strategy: preview pricing". Broadway News. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  18. "Shucked (Broadway, Nederlander Theater, 2023) - Playbill". Playbill.com. April 4, 2023. Retrieved April 5, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  19. Rabinowitz, Chloe. "SHUCKED to Release Original Broadway Cast Recording". BroadwayWorld.com. Archived from the original on March 20, 2023. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  20. Hornik, Caitlin (April 3, 2023). "'Shucked' to release original Broadway cast album". Broadway News. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  21. Teeman, Tim (2023-04-05). "Review: 'Shucked' on Broadway Serves Up So Much Delicious Corn". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  22. Evans, Greg (2023-04-05). "'Shucked' Broadway Review: Corn Comedy Stalks New York". Deadline. Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  23. Oleksinski, Johnny; feed (2023-04-05). "'Shucked' review: Broadway's best new musical". Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  24. Scheck, Frank (2023-04-05). "Shucked: Cornpone Hilarity". New York Stage Review. Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  25. Ramirez, Juan A. (2023-04-04). "SHUCKED Stalks a Great Musical Claim — Review". www.theatrely.com. Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  26. "Great Shucked Bests Bad Bad Cinderella on Broadway - Times Square Chronicles". Times Square Chronicles. 2023-04-05. Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  27. Rizzo, Frank (2023-04-05). "'Shucked' Review: Cornpone Musical is the Surprise Delight of the Broadway Season". Variety. Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  28. Green, Jesse (2023-04-05). "Review: In 'Shucked,' a Glut of Gleeful Puns and 'Cornography'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  29. Cote, David (2023-04-05). "Review: "Shucked" Pops Loudly on Broadway, Despite Some Empty Calories". Observer. Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  30. Hofler, Robert (2023-04-04). "'Shucked' Broadway Review: A Musical That Doesn't Suck". The Wrap. Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  31. "Winners Announced For The 2022 BroadwayWorld Salt Lake City Awards; Winners Include Kristin Chenoweth & More!". BroadwayWorld.com. March 3, 2023. Archived from the original on March 10, 2023. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
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