The Fourth Walsh

Broadway in Chicago presents the Tony Award-winning musical comedy, SHUCKED.

Cob County is under a corn emergency. The wedding of childhood sweethearts, Maizy and Beau, is interrupted by crop failure. When the community’s fields of dreams is threatened, they must face survival by slim-pickings. And this kernel of truth exposes them to outside forces. The creative team of Robert Horn (book) and Brandy Clark & Shane McAnally (music and lyrics) serve up a tasty meal of homegrown humor. They’ve produced a musical rooted in fun and corn-inspired wordplay. The results is pretty damn punny!

Horn’s script is non-stop puns and witticisms. Under the masterful direction of Jack O’Brien, the superb ensemble deliver comedy gold! The dynamic duo of Tyler Joseph Ellis and Maya Lagerstam serve as narrators telling the story as a flashback. They keep the pace moving providing scene context and a steady stream of one liners. In a phone scene with Quinn VanAntwerp (Gordie), they showcase their vaudeville chops as both thugs and jewelers. Hilarious!

The absurdity is ever-present yet SHUCKED is also a love story! Beau (played by Jake Odmark) loves Maizy (played by Danielle Wade). Maizy loves Beau and also Gordie. Lulu (played by Miki Abraham) loves her cousin Maizy and possibly Gordie. Peanut (played by Mike Nappi) loves his brother Beau. The relational mishmash sets up both madcap buffoonery and tender or steamy exchanges. Clark and McAnally’s robust song list provides the perfect outlet to nail the gag, express individuality or grapple with love’s complexities.

Odmark bares his soul in “OK.” Wade muses her heart’s desire in “Maybe Love”. Abraham belts out a powerhouse anthem in “Independently Owned.” And VanAntwerp gets smarmy in “Bad.” All these quirky characters not only crack the audience up, they also have the opportunity to evolve. The delightful schtick is clever with unexpected heartfelt moments. There is lots to love in SHUCKED! And nod out to Nappi for riotous soliloquies whenever asked what he thinks.         

Fans of television’s Hee Haw will enjoy the nostalgia of jokes again among the stalks.The musical number “Best Man Wins” even celebrates the long-running country music variety show by incorporating ‘hee haw’ into its lyrics. Others, like myself, will appreciate the rapid-fire humor and the carefree corn-fed merriment. This show is a perfect winter escape to simpler times. There has never been a better time to get SHUCKED up!    

Running Time: Two hours and twenty-five minutes includes an intermission

At CBIC Theatre, 18 W. Monroe

Music and lyrics by Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally

Book by Robert Horn

Directed by Jack O’Brien

Choreographed by Sarah O’Gleby

Music directed by Jason Howland

Performances are:

Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays at 7pm

Fridays at 7:30pm

Saturdays at 2pm and 7:30pm

Wednesday at 1pm

Sundays at 1pm and 6:30pm   

Thru January 19

For more information or tickets

Production photos by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman

For more Chicago theatre information and reviews, please visit Theatre in Chicago