Review: SHUCKED at the Providence Performing Arts Center

SHUCKED, the 2023 musical comedy, begins its 30-stop national tour right here at the Providence Performing Arts Center. Even though in this this part of the country, shucked is more likely to refer to oysters than the show’s titular corn.

Believe everything you’ve read or heard about Shucked’s relentless one liners, puns, and Dad jokes, because this is absolutely true. Your enjoyment - or not - of such quips will greatly factor into your overall enjoyment of the show. The show’s plot is fairly thin - in fact, much of the dramatic tension is openly solved before intermission. This almost makes one wonder if keeping the audience laughing was done at the expense of crafting a more sophisticated story. While many of the jokes are warranted, others are shoehorned in, sometimes at length, to the point where I sometimes found myself hoping the show could simply move on.

The story blends together many familiar musical theatre tropes. Cob County is our fictional setting, a town which happily cloisters itself off from the outside world, inside a world which revolves around corn and corn products. But when the crops begin to die for mysterious reasons, only the show’s heroine, Maizy (Danielle Wade), is willing to cancel her wedding and venture to the “big city” (aka Tampa, a punchline a bit too similar and done better in The Book of Mormon) to find help. There she finds Gordy (Quinn VanAntwerp), a conman podiatrist whose “Corn Doctor” sign tricks Maizy into thinking he can help. He returns with her to Cob County, primarily because he believes the town may contain valuable minerals that he could use to pay off his mob-related debts. Thus ensues a variety of relationship antics between Maizy, her previous fiancé Beau (Jake Odmark), Gordy, and Maizy’s  strong-willed cousin Lulu (Miki Abraham). A strong dose of homage to The Music Man, and a couple of narrators who aren’t afraid to break the fourth wall (Storyteller 1 and 2, played by Maya Lagerstam and Tyler Joseph Ellis respectively) and you may be able to guess where this is all headed. Hint: sometimes tearing down a few walls, rather than growing them, is the only way to preserve a way of life.

While Shucked’s plot is not the strongest, the show is bolstered with punchy songs and fantastic performances. The songs are an appropriate mix of country-pop and heartfelt ballads, written by Grammy Award winning Nashville music stars Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally. The best of these include the opening number, aptly titled “Corn,” featuring a cleverly arranged corn cob choreography (by Sarah O’Gleby). “I Do,” a number for Maizy, Beau, Lulu and Gordy, offers a welcome moment of sincerity, putting the non-stop jokes on hold. And finally, a moment of recognition for the song with the most earworm “hee haw” chorus, “Best Man Wins.”

Danielle Wade as Maizy and Jake Odmark as Beau have powerful voices and each get to show off their vocal talent in ballads such as “Walls,” and “Somebody Will.” Quinn VanAntwerp perfectly embodies the stereotypical Florida conman Gordy. Maya Lagerstram and Tyler Joseph Ellis are particularly fun as the plucky Storytellers. Because Shucked relies so heavily on its many, many (many) jokes, it’s imperative that everyone’s comedic timing is on point, and happily, that is the case. One could not ask for a stronger cast.

While Shucked will not butter everyone’s corn (sorry), if you’re looking for an evening of entertainment that is light on the drama but chock full of talented performances and one liners galore, this show’s for you.

Shucked plays from now through October 27th at the Providence Performing Arts Center, 220 Weybosset St., Providence. For tickets, visit ppacri.org or call (401) 421-2787.

Pictured: Ashley D. Kelley and Grey Henson from the original Broadway cast of SHUCKED, by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman.

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