What’s So Good About Corn? - Harrison Eyngorn

                                 

 "Maya Lagerstam as Storyteller 1 and Tyler Joseph Ellis as Storyteller 2 in The North American Tour of SHUCKED (Photo by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman) 

Shucked is currently delighting audiences with its surprisingly ingenious innuendos and funky musical score at the Orpheum Theatre from Jan. 6th-11th, 2026. While I do love corn, I was suspicious of the show’s obsession with that yellow grain. However, after seeing the production in its opening performance, I too learned to fall head over heels for that versatile veggie.

The show follows the fabled residents of Cob County who are threatened by a corn blight and saved by an unlikely heroine. With a country score by the Grammy Award-winning songwriting team of Shane McAnally and Brandy Clark, the show’s music was incredible. Country music is not a genre I would usually listen to; however, Shucked’s score had an ingenious blend of both country and Broadway styles making its many songs palatable for someone hesitant of the genre. Furthermore, the show made sure to integrate references from other beloved musicals, creating a show that pays homage to productions before them like A Chorus Line, The Music Man, and Oklahoma!.

Shucked is a show that leaves neither “city slickers” nor small-town civilians unscathed from its plethora of rapid-fire comedy.  Costume designer Tilly Grimes spearheads that through her costuming: the small-towners were styled with heavy visible stitch work and denim patches that resembled the styles of “backwoods hillbilly.” Grimes’s styling highlighted caricatures made to look unkempt to the cold urban gaze. In Tampa, however, the fashion became flashy and drenched in distasteful shades of “neon” to mock “city slickers.” Their clothing reflected perceived vanity and fast-paced lifestyle, starkly contrasting the “simple” life amongst the people of Corn County. Grimes’s styling of the show epitomizes its humorous satirization of both “country folk” and urban dwellers enhancing the show’s overall playfulness and eagerness to celebrate diversity.

Shucked dives head first into comic portrayals of female characters’ anti-male dialogues, gender role reversals, and female empowerment under the incredible direction of Tony Award winner Robert Horn (Hairspray). Danielle Wade’s Maizy, the show’s protagonist, bolstered the performance’s feminist undertones through her playful delivery of undermining dialogues with Nick Bailey’s Beau, her fiance. Although Bailey is well-intentioned and attempts to assert his meager confidence, Wade’s immediate and astutely put quips towards him reinforces the performances themes of gender role reversals layered underneath hilarious direction. Similarly, Miki Abraham’s Lulu epitomizes female empowerment with her radiating personality especially during her incredible number, “Independently Owned.” She had me stunned by her effortless yet powerful voice that demanded to be heard. Like Bailey, although Abraham had incredibly profound anti-male dialogues, her witty delivery added levity to what she said making it impactful yet non-confrontational.

While the corny and seemingly simplistic plot of Shucked had me sceptical of its quality, I was completely blown away by its novelty and intellectual themes. Shucked will have audiences smiling ear to ear with witty costuming and poignant yet humorously conveyed themes that speak to modern theatergoers.