Review: SHUCKED at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre

It’s got the juice! Broadway’s corniest musical Shucked has arrived in Hollywood at the Pantages Theatre. Originally inspired by the American television variety show Hee Haw, this “farm-to-fable” comedy takes place in the fictional fields of Cob County: a tightknit rural community surrounded by a mythical wall of corn that none of the residents have ever ventured outside of.

Longtime sweethearts Maizy and Beau are about to get married, but when the whole town’s prize crop starts dying, Maizy sets out on her own for the big city in search of a maize miracle. There she finds a “corn doctor” named Gordy who claims to have the answers to the town’s produce problems, but when she brings him back home with her, all of her relationships quickly implode.

Shuck’s book and lyrics are stuffed to the ears with heavy-handed puns and bits, most especially from its two self-aware young narrators known as Storyteller 1 & 2, who frequently weave themselves into the action and chime in with cheeky one-liners. The comedy spans from racy to ridiculous, but even when it edges on forced, the performers are met with long laughs and audience delight. In particular, the character Peanut (Mike Nappi) elicits huge cheers from the crowd with his recurring tangents and audaciously random statements. Fans of Hee Haw may recognize a few nods to the spirit of the sketch-comedy series, like the pre-show announcement written as a spoof radio station à la KORN News.

The set design by Scott Pask emulates the inner scaffolds of a giant leaning barn, featuring a thoughtfully woven pattern of uncovered wood beams with corn fields and a country sky projected behind them. The ribbed angular feel of the see-through barn is quite striking and in different show might feel ominous or grim, but in Shucked it serves as a simple yet modular backdrop for the turmoil in Cob County. The on-stage corn makes for an a playful prop, particularly in sequences like the opening number’s corncob choreo.

One especially interesting element of the show is its portrayal of Southern culture; in a 2023 Playbill feature about How Shucked’s Songwriters Wrote the Crowd-Pleasing 'Independently Owned', co-composer Shane McAnally admits that the early drafts (then titled Moonshine: That Hee Haw Musical) made fun of the South in a way that was out of touch with the tensions of the post-2016 political climate. The Shucked of today includes a few caricatures like a spaced-out junkie and a guy in a red hat periodically interjecting with comically off-topic opinions, but in several ways also challenges the stereotypes and misconceptions about rural communities. The people of Cob County are certainly Bible thumping, whiskey drinking, and wary of outsiders, but they’re more than just some close-minded countryfolk; these characters also demonstrate feminist attitudes, healthy masculinity, casual queerness, and the ability to admit when they were wrong. Beau in particular displays an unusually mature and gracious response to Maizy’s unfaithful behavior through his songs “Somebody Will” and “OK,” as well as a sweet, genuine bond with his brother Peanut. The bawdy jokes and playful, witty banter reflect a lovable, relatable side of small town communities that makes the characters a little easier to root for.

In this modern fusion of Oklahoma and The Music Man, Maizy is painted as a brave, flawed heroine. (On opening night, one audience member reacted to her choices with an audible “Girl, no!”) The messy romantic quadrangle she ends up in is somewhat absurdly contrived — and in this critic’s opinion, Beau frankly deserved to be treated better — but the story’s ultimately happy ending is fructose syrup sweet.

Shucked plays through September 7 at 6233 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood Pantages Theatre.

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