Overview: ‘Shucked’: How Broadway’s latest comedy subverts theater tropes

The brand new musical comedy follows a girl investigating the abrupt disappearance of corn from a rural American city. When a whole viewers cheers for a plant rising, you’re doing one thing proper.

In an period of Broadway outlined primarily by variations and revivals, any wholly authentic present is certain to face out. Add to that originality a hilarious storyline and rating, a stellar solid, a advertising technique that totally embraces the absurd nature of the present’s idea, and you find yourself with “Shucked.” Broadway’s latest comedy doesn’t disappoint. The truth is, each a part of it astounds — its humor, casting, and its message about custom and progress not being mutually unique.

“Shucked” follows a farmer who leaves city searching for a health care provider who can work out why her group’s corn vegetation are dying. A serious focus of the present’s promoting is to keep away from revealing particulars about its plot. In lieu of opinions, the Nederlander Theater is adorned with quotes from punnily named fictional critics like “Elon Husk,” and the playbill consists of an encouraging assertion from the “Home Maize and Means Committee.” That is solely the tip of the iceberg, because the musical, written by Robert Horn, accommodates each corn pun conceivable, from concepts popping into folks’s heads to its self-described corny ending.

One working gag revolves round side-character Peanut (Kevin Cahoon) sharing numerous amusing-yet-insightful statements, reminiscent of, “I feel in case you have time to leap in entrance of a bullet for somebody, they’ve time to maneuver out of the best way.” One other is the plethora of non-corn jokes, principally from the 2 Storytellers (Ashley D. Kelley and Gray Henson), together with one among my private favorites, “it’s just like the lazy dentist says, ‘brace your self.’”

Henson was a selected standout of the solid, breaking the fourth wall so seamlessly it’s as if it by no means existed within the first place. His efficiency was top-tier, as he seamlessly stepped out and in of scenes along with his high quality deliveries of self-aware, deadpan humor.

Among the finest elements of “Shucked” is its capacity to subvert many basic musical theater tropes, notably with its characterizations of Maizy (Caroline Innerbichler) and Beau (Andrew Durand). Musical theater is a style during which, so usually, the heroic “I Need” songs are sung by male protagonists, whereas the ladies sing in regards to the romantic aspect plot. In “Shucked,” nevertheless, Durand was given not one, however two separate songs about his relationship with Maizy, whereas Innerbichler took on the plot-progressing items of music. Each carry out remarkably nicely.

My sole disappointment with the present was the missed alternative to problem one other basic trope: the necessity for each character to be preoccupied with love. At first, the exception is Alex Newell’s good efficiency as Lulu. They introduced the home down with their unimaginable belt and vary, stopping the present for a chronic applause after singing “Independently Owned.” Because the title suggests, the track is about how Lulu doesn’t want a person to outline her and is completely comfortable on her personal, singing, “sleeping alone is underrated.” However ultimately, Lulu can be topic to the identical romantic trope as so many musical characters earlier than her, and finally ends up with a person. The romance is nicely performed from a storytelling perspective, however the present misses likelihood to show {that a} sturdy, highly effective girl might be completely comfortable with out falling in love. That’s in the end the slightest gripe to have with what was in any other case a flawless manufacturing.

Horn’s beautifully crafted narrative, in addition to Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally’s music and lyrics, saved viewers members slapping their knees and holding again laughter in order to not miss the subsequent joke. However the humor solely labored to additional a good looking, heartfelt story about farmers with conventional rituals and progressive city-types coming collectively to save lots of dying strains of corn.

“Shucked” is the Muppets meet “One thing Rotten” and “The Music Man” — absurd, pun-based, and self-aware. It isn’t based mostly on a film or true occasions — it’s merely a present about corn. (But in addition, a present about progressivism, change, custom, belief, and subverting tropes, inside a splendidly hilarious story filled with coronary heart.)

Contact Gillian Blum at [email protected]