The Cast (Quinn VanAntwerp pushing the rock) Photo by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman

Shucked, with a book by Robert Horn and music and lyrics by Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally, premiered on Broadway in 2023 and is currently playing at BroadwaySF's Curran Theatre as part of a national tour directed by Jack O'Brien.

The story is about a simple as it gets: Maizy (Danielle Wade) and her beau, Beau (Jake Odmark), are about to get married–that is, until some sort of blight hits the local corn crop. Maizy decides it's up to her to find a solution that will require her to travel beyond the rows that hide their little community from the outside world. (Cob County is sort of like Brigadoon, in that it is a place magically untouched and unseen by the rest of the world.)

Her destination? Tampa. (Don't bother asking why Tampa instead of say, Omaha or Cedar Rapids–with a show this silly, you just have to go with it.) There she meets podiatrist Gordy (Quinn VanAntwerp), a con artist in debt to a couple of mobsters. Maizy, who misinterprets Gordy's sign selling himself as a "corn doctor," falls for his charms. For his part, Gordy sees the stones on a bracelet Maizy's grandfather gave her to remind her of home (and learns there are plenty more back in Cob County) as a potential way out of his situation. So it's back to Cob County, where the plot thickens ever so slightly. (Think of the barest pinch of corn starch in a sauce.)

This being a musical comedy, the tension between Beau and Maizy will be resolved, the corn blight will be cured, and even Gordy will find love. The plot–such as it is–is built around two "Storytellers" (played by Tyler Joseph Ellis, and Maya Lagerstam) who narrate the action and also stand in as ancillary characters. They speak directly to us in the audience, and occasionally provide commentary on a few of life's oddities: "It's an unsolved mystery. Which is just... a mystery." "They were head over heels. Which is just... standing." Fortunately, Ellis and Lagerstam positively lap up the corniness of their roles and lines, practically vibrating with glee during the build up to punchlines.

The characters, thinly drawn as they are, still deliver the laughs. Lulu (Miki Abraham), Maizy's cousin, describes Gordy as having "teeth so white they could join a country club," and informs us that "opinions are like orgasms–mine matter most... and I don't care if you have one." Peanut (Mike Nappi), Beau's seemingly simple-minded brother, regularly stops the action to share his homespun brand of wisdom, usually prefaced with an "I think..." "I think... if you have enough time to jump in front of a bullet for someone, they have enough time to move." "I think... people in China must wonder what to call their good plates." "I think... if you can name four Metallica songs... you're in Metallica."

The voices are generally strong, brassy and bright, belting the country-tinged tunes deep into the farthest recesses of the Curran. I was especially taken by Miki Abraham's marvelous set of pipes, as well as her snarky attitude that adds a lovely bit of spice to the proceedings. The set (by Scott Pask) is a glorious array of weathered wood (faux and otherwise) suggesting the interior of a broken-down barn.

So if you're in the mood for a heaping helping of well-seasoned corn, Shucked might be the pun-laden musical feast you hunger for.

Shucked runs through October 5, 2025, at the Curran Theatre, 445 Geary Street, San Francisco CA. Tickets range from $62-$199. For tickets and information, please visit broadwaysf.com the Curran box office. For information on the tour, visit shuckedmusical.com.