"Shucked"
Fisher Theatre
Detroit, Mich.
Through Jan. 4, 2026
Corn and dad jokes are not what typically comes to mind when thinking about musical theater. But add in some catchy songs and romance, and you get a perfect recipe for a Tony Award-winning Broadway hit.
“Shucked,” featuring a book by Robert Horn and music and lyrics by Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally, opened its Detroit stop Tuesday on its national tour, and it was glorious.
Set in backwater America, “North of South, South of North,” Cob County is an insulated, small town of corn farmers content in their rural ways and isolation from the rest of the world. But when the corn – their life force – starts to die, extreme measures must be taken to ensure their survival. Young couple Maizy and Beau are on the verge of marriage but split when Maizy takes it upon herself to venture into the city to seek outside help, bringing home a charming grifter that shakes up the town.
With strong vocals, thick Southern accents and perfect comedic timing, cast members balance caricatured, backwards rural stereotypes with smart quips and observations that demonstrate things are not always what they seem. The lead women, in particular, are expertly portrayed. Danielle Wade’s Maizy opens as sweet and naïve before quickly stepping up to reveal a sharp sass and unstoppable bravery as she becomes the town hero. She is one of the most endearing characters I’ve seen on the stage in a long time.
Miki Abraham’s Lulu takes an opposite path. She opens as a no-nonsense, fiercely independent woman, whose big heart is revealed as the show progresses. “Shucked” narrators Maya Lagerstam and Joe Moeller – as Storytellers 1 and 2 respectively – keep the energy up and the laughs continuing from the show’s start to finish.
The songs are catchy, still solidly Broadway-style but with an added country twang. Lulu’s “Independently Owned” is a fierce anthem for proud single ladies everywhere (“Don't need a man for flatteries, got a corn cob and some batteries…”), sung with expert power vocals by Abraham. “I Do” is a sweet, quartet of mismatched couples about the power of love and what it means to fully commit to someone (of course, preceded by a joke that “Marriage is two people solving problems together that they didn’t have before”).
“Shucked” isn’t a big, over-the-top dance show with fancy leaps, jumps and turns. The dancing – complete with a corncob kickline – was charming and exciting just the same. Its hee-haw, bachelor party number “Best Man Wins” featured a fun seesaw-like balancing act of wooden planks on whiskey barrels, ending in an impressive group jump atop said barrels, which everyone landed solidly.
The jokes are cheesy. They’re also clever and often sexual in nature and not kid-friendly for parents thinking a charming show about corn would be a great family outing. Innocent quips like “a paper airplane that doesn’t fly is just stationary” mixes with an – inevitable? – barrage of dick jokes, including several mentions of a corn bris …
It would be very easy to say “Shucked” is a light musical comedy about corn. But as with its subject matter, peeling back its husks reveals layers that go deeper. Wrapped within its barrage of corn-y jokes is an exploration of what can happen when you move beyond your comfort zone and the benefits of breaking down walls and letting others inside.
Like the deceptive simplicity of its title and marketing, “Shucked” is about the importance of looking beyond initial appearances. Sweet, blond Maizey is determined to do what it takes – like braving the scary outside world – in order to save her town, even though she is discouraged and underestimated by everyone around her. Beau, content with a rural Southern life with old-fashioned values and corn farming, tells the big city outsider that simple does not mean stupid, and it’s only stupid people who think that way. His two songs are among the saddest and most intense of the score about the depths of heartbreak and just wanting to be loved. In the same line, his similarly-mannered brother Peanut opens almost every line with suggestively stupid-sounding “I think…” before spouting world wisdom. (“I think diapers and politicians should be changed regularly, and for the same reason.”)
“Shucked” is one of the funniest and endearing musicals I’ve ever seen. It’s right up there with “Avenue Q” and “Book of Mormon,” sharing the same light-hearted façade that gives way to a core revealing much deeper world truths. The corniness of Broadway can be a turn off for some, but “Shucked” reinvents the word in a good way and is a fun entry into musical theater for anyone who enjoys clever humor and good music.
