Blood is thick…corn is thicker - Shucked Review by Bella Tucci

-


I knew one thing going into this show: There would be funny jokes about corn. I didn’t know, however, that when I left, I would be mesmerized and uplifted by a story about a small town community. Shucked, now playing at the Orpheum Theatre until Jan. 11, is a new comedy about the smallest town imaginable, Cob County, and its inhabitants. When her way of life in this town is threatened, Maizy (Danielle Wade) sets out to save it and, in the process, explores the importance of relationships, identity, and the lengths people will go to preserve them. 

Written by Robert Horn, this production shines under the direction of Jack O’Brien. The immersive storyline is packed with lots of dark humor and literal comedy in all of the right places. In many shows, the jokes are geared towards specific age groups (usually older adults), and I don’t always catch them. With this show, I was laughing nonstop, something that I haven’t experienced from any production I’ve seen in my lifetime. 

Female empowerment is one of the main themes of the show and is delivered in beautiful ways that allow the women of the story to shine while never dehumanizing the men. Beau (Nick Bailey) is a complex character who, even after facing tough relationship problems, finds worth in himself and learns to move on during “Somebody Will”. Lulu (Miki Abraham) is an “Independently Owned” woman and my favorite character by far. Abraham has a dazzling and authoritative stage presence that, accompanied by her powerful vocals, makes her a standout talent. The two narrators pay homage to memorable characters like Janice and Damien from Mean Girls, creating a sense of familiarity as they guide you through the show.

Fittingly, the music by Brandy Clark & Shane McAnally is folksy, but opens up to include other styles as Maizy explores the unknown world, showcasing her expanding world view. 

“Best Man Wins” had one of the most powerful production values of any song in the show. Its simplicity, paired with high impact, stood out and made me think about the way in which lighting is used to enhance storytelling on stage. After a sudden blackout, the stage was lit solely from the sides, a feature I’ve never seen a production use. It created an ambiance so visually interactive and glowing that even without words, every single raw and battle-ready emotion of the scene was laid bare in front of you. 

Most technical/production elements weren’t outstanding on their own, but taken together, they created a perfect balance, making the show greater than the sum of its parts.

The representation of family within the story paints a picture of the unique human experience we all know but have a hard time depicting: love. The theme looms in the background, serving as a reminder that despite the show's hilarity, love is really what it’s all about. Shucked may not seem all that special on the surface, but it truly is a one-of-a-kind experience that I think, in time, will age into a well-loved musical.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hadestown Review - Katelyn Keyes

-
  My first impression of Hadestown was that this was a party on stage. The show had been talked up to me by many of my friends and the audience was going wild as soon as the lights dimmed, and the production certainly justified all the excitement. Hermes, the host of this party, was played by the exuberant Jaylon C. Crump, who led the audience through the story with a passion that was shown equally in happy and serious scenes. He also introduces each character as they make their grand entrance into the party that is the opening number, “Road to Hell”.  One of the first characters he announces is Persephone, played by Namisa Mdlalose Bizana, who, while having a nice voice, never quite gave the energy and commanding presence needed to play the boisterous Persephone. This was proven in her somewhat lackluster performance of “Our Lady of the Underground” that failed to have the power behind it necessary to make the song effective. In striking contrast, Hades (Nickolaus Colón), th...
Read more

& Juliet: I Don’t Really Want It That Way by Katelyn Keyes

-
Out of all the musicals I’ve seen, I feel that & Juliet is a tough one to find my opinion on. Did it have a powerful impact that left me changed? Not really. Did it have breathtaking dancing, Oscar-worthy acting, or astounding songs? Not really. But, did I have fun? Absolutely.  I began to get a sense for the fun when it opened with a jazzy preshow, where some of the actors come onstage before the official start to dance and liven up the audience. The dancers seemed to be quite talented, and that raised my hopes for the show itself, but sadly, there was no big dance number that showed off the amount of talent in this ensemble. By that beginning, and the general hip-hop vibe of the show, I had thought that it would be a lot more dance-heavy. The dancing that was there wasn’t bad by any means; in “Blow” there was some large-scale choreography to emulate a club, and the ensemble proved to be effective backup dancers in “Problem/Can’t Feel My Face.” But if the dancing had been m...
Read more

‘The Phantom of the Opera’ Lands in Minneapolis, Haunting and Stunning as Ever by Peyton Webb

-
Image
Daniel Lopez as Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny and Jordan Lee Gilbert as Christine Daaé in The Phantom of the Opera North American Tour Photo: Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman Over a year after the conclusion of its record-breaking Broadway run, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera is back to enchant theater-goers across the nation. The North American tour hit the Orpheum last Friday, November 21, the second stop of its highly-anticipated return. Producer Cameron Mackintosh promised “a dazzlingly fresh version of the much-loved original,” and dazzlingly fresh he delivered, indeed. This updated Phantom reopened in 2021 at His Majesty’s Royal Theatre and was applauded by London critics and everyday fans alike. Now, the production has come to haunt American stages, and it’d be a shame to miss the wondrous horrors it brings. The newer version maintains much of the late Maria Björnson’s original award-winning designs. Her magnificent sets feature the grandness and ornamentation of a...
Read more