OKLAHOMA CITY – Opening night can make or break the success of a show’s run. A packed house and a positive reception are the consistent gambles productions make, week by week, city by city, and for Robert Horn’s 2022 Tony award-winning musical comedy, “Shucked,” the show is betting the farm nightly.
Fortunately, the farm is in the good hands of OKC Broadway running at OKC’s Civic Center Music Hall now through May 17th.
Opening night for this corn-fed show couldn’t have been any sweeter as the production was welcomed with a packed house full of pertinent laughter and good ol’ southern hospitality.
“Shucked” is a chucklesome country musical filled with corny puns, putting a modern twist on old-school country comedy akin to “Hee Haw” and “The Porter Wagoner Show.”
It’s set in Cob County, an offbeat farm town sustaining itself on the profits and nourishment of God’s greatest creation: corn!
The story follows Maizy, (played by the magnetic Danielle Wade) a wonderfully ditsy farm girl soon to be married to lifelong love and town corn farmer Beau, (played by leading man Nick Bailey.) The pairs chemistry can be felt all the way in the nosebleeds making it evident that this comedy will be filled with some steam and I don’t just mean from the corn.
It’s all moved along by Storyteller 1 (played by Maya Lagerstam) and Storyteller 2 (played by Joe Moeller) who constantly shape-shift into external characters only found outside of Cob County, creating a humorous distance between the town and the outside world to the point where we viewers begin to question what is outside Cob County—a question that its residents typically refrain from pondering. That is until the crops mysteriously begin to wither on the day of Beau and Maizy’s wedding.
This incident acts as the catalyst that prompts Maizy to flee the town in search of help leading her on her journey of self-discovery and truth. Like cob county, deep inside the crops of the show’s corny humor lives a timeless story of family and unexpected love, both old and new.
But it’s also a Broadway show, of course, and that’s where Singer/songwriter and Grammy Award Winner Brandy Clark steps in.
Clark teamed up with fellow Grammy-winner and hit-maker Shane McAnally to create some shucking stellar music for this show. As comedic as most of these songs are, there are some real tender tracks such as Maisy’s intimate wish for freedom with “Walls” and Baue’s heartbreakingly powerful “Somebody Will”.
Wade’s charm, pipes, and personality carry the entire show (and actually carry more than a little resemblance to Okie Kristin Chenoweth,) but she’s not alone.
Miki Abraham plays Maizy’s best friend and cousin, Lulu, providing Maizy and others with reason served with a side of humor, bringing logic to unfortunate situations. When tensions get high, Baue’s brother Peanut, (played by Mike Nappi) offers the classic “who’s on first?” style comedic relief.
Nappi was a crowd favorite, sometimes bringing the audience to laughter before he even began to speak.
Finally, the big bad wolf on Maizy’s journey is none other than a slimy conman by the name of Gordy (played by Quinn Vanantwerp).
Gordy is a character that could fit right in a John Waters film, and Vanantwerp’s performance heightens this as he offers the same unashamed humility that gives Waters’ flawed characters so much likability. It is this likability that leads the audience down the same treacherous path as Maizy.
It’s an effect achieved not only by a brilliant performance by Vanantwerp, but also by fantastic direction from legendary Tony Lifetime Achievement Award-winning director Jack O’Brien.
There is no question that O’Brien is a master of his craft as he has directed major shows such as The Coast of Utopia (2006), The Full Monty (2000), and of course, his smash hit Hairspray (2002) based on the John Waters movie of the same name. I can’t help but see a pattern in O’Brien‘s work, that pattern of course being the act of finding good within the flawed. This is something that can be incredibly hard to get audiences to do, but at 86 years old O’Brien manages to achieve this effect time and time again.
Adding to the charmingly flawed is Tony Award-winning scenic designer Scott Pask’s masterful stage design.
The entire show takes place inside a near-ramshackle barn purposefully leaning at a tilt during the show’s entirety. Farm equipment hangs realistically from the wall as light passes through the spaces in between the barn’s wood. Industrial light fixtures hang naturally glowing on the players creating a level of realism that transforms the set into a character all its own.
And complementing that realism is Sarah O’Gleby’s choreography. Each number felt as though you had just walked into a Honky Tonk filled with talented dancers cutting it up with their other cowpoke comrades.
With the final touches being Tilly Grimes’ wonderful costume design adding extra rustic charm to characters already full of it, with paisley-patterned fabric patching up jeans with years of wear, Gingham-clad townsfolk with farm-worn boots, and oil-stained overalls. It was as if these characters had worn these clothes their entire lives.
Everything in the show feels lived-in and rodeo-ready.
“Shucked” will take you on a hayride of emotions and is a great date night experience for both Broadway and country fans alike, but be aware. The show contains some mild vulgar language and is filled with many adult innuendos, but theatergoers ages 13-and-up should be enthralled by the show’s a-maize-ing story
“Shucked” runs through Sunday, May 17th at Civic Center Music Hall.
For times, tickets, and more information, visit okcbroadway.com and okcciviccenter.com.
Gavin Taylor is a writer who explores the lives, work, and events of the people of Oklahoma. He draws his inspiration from engaging directly with the community.
Outside of writing, he is a visual artist, filmmaker, and energetic rock and roll frontman known professionally as The Muffled Siren.
