Theater Review – December 3, 2025

“SHUCKED” IS A SILLY BUT CHARMING MUSICAL THAT IS WELL PERFORMED

“Shucked”
Broadway Across America – Arizona, ASU Gammage
Tempe, AZ

By Chris Curcio
Theater Critic

If you like corn-fed frivolity and yuk it up at silly humor, “Shucked” is the show for you.  It plays this week at ASU Gammage as part of the annual Broadway Across America series.  If you prefer more sophisticated musical theater, it is probably best to skip “Shucked” even though it was nominated for eight Tony Awards in 2023.  It only won a single award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical but winner Alex Newell is not part of the tour.

“Shucked” is a pleasant, non-taxing affair that delights theatergoers without asking them to think critically.  It is set in a very small Alabama town in Cobb County as it traces a huckster who arrives and an unlikely hero who calls his bluff.  Town residents have similar problems everybody faces.

Details of book writer Robert Horn’s meandering plot aren’t necessary because, as expected, everything turns out fine.  It’s a parallel plot to the far better musical “110 in the Shade” and “Shucked” is filled with many easily recognizable musical numbers from past successful shows like “Will Rogers Follies.”  Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally’s score is pleasant and fits the show’s setting but you won’t leave humming or remembering any of the songs.

A huge unit set creates the town with roll-on set pieces crafting different locales.  Simple costumes are bland as expected based on the show’s rural locale.  Like the musical, Jack O’Brien’s fast-moving staging and Sarah O’Gleby’s foot-stomping choreography isn’t anything new or creative but it makes the show fun to watch as it moves swiftly through the story.

What makes “Shucked” glistening entertainment is the superlative cast of twangy-voiced singers who move with great agility.  On opening night, town matriarch Lulu was played by understudy Dominique Kent who will play the role through Sunday as the regular lead takes time off.  Kent plays the part with impish delight and below-the-surface cynicism.  She sings with hefty and boisterous vocals.  Nick Bailey is a stalwart Beau while Quinn Vanantwerp is flim-flam con man Gordy with appropriate arrogance.  Danielle Wade is ditzy Maizy while Maya Lagerstam and Joe Moeller are vivid storytellers who keep the plot on track.

There’s not much in “Shucked” that is innovative or creative but it copies the best and puts it into an entertaining framework of clever malarkey that makes “Shucked” an entertaining charmer.  “Shucked” continues through Sunday, December 7.  To order tickets, call the ASU Gammage box office at 480-965-3434 or order tickets online at www.asugammage.com.

Grade: B+