There is a ton of buzz about Shucked: A New Musical Comedy on Broadway. It received nine Tony Award nominations (Best musical, best book, best score, best featured actor, best featured actor, best scenic design, best sound design, best direction, best orchestrations) and nearly every review raves that the show is one of the funniest currently available. 

Shucked came to Broadway via the Pioneer Memorial Theatre in Salt Lake City, Utah, and retained many of the original Utah cast. The casting was phenomenal!

But what kind of funny is it? There is a wide range of humor in the world, and the last time Broadway touted a show as being this humorous, it turned out to be one of the most offensive musicals ever (the Book is way better than, and nothing like, the musical). 

Shucked is first and foremost an evening of standup comedy, and second, a musical. The plot is more of a vehicle for the humor than a deep and meaningful message. Shucked falls into the tradition of many other country music musicals such as Oklahoma, Annie Get Your Gun, and 9 to 5. This helps with the folksy vibe and lends itself to farm humor and language. 

About 95% of the jokes were laugh out loud funny for the audience and about 85% of them were appropriate for families. Yes, you read that right. Would teenagers enjoy it? Maybe. Most of the puns, dad jokes, cultural and musical references would go right over their heads, yet some lines were good enough to be quotable family classics for years. (“Being family means telling someone to go to hell then worrying the whole time they’ll get there safely.”) The language of the show was a solid 1980s PG rating (think Goonies), so if you want a squeaky clean Disney presentation, go across the street to Aladdin. Its vibe is more like a Saturday Night Live episode (if the cast played characters who may or may not have married their cousins).

The vocal standouts were Alex Newell, Caroline Innerbichler, and Andrew Durand.  Alex’s range and intonation shone brightest. Even if the others did not have the chance to showcase their vocal skills, their comedic timing was constantly on display. 

Would I go to Shucked again? The next time I’m in the mood for a down-home quality comedy sketch sprinkled with a few quality musical numbers, y’all will see me ther’.

You can learn more about Shucked: A New Musical Comedy by visiting them online. Make sure to grab your tickets while you are there and plan on taking some of your favorite people with you to see it. Shucked is currently on stage Tuesdays through Sundays at the Nederlander Theatre, 208 W 41st St, New York, NY 10036.

The seeds have been planted.
Now all we need is a little water, a little sunshine, and a whole lotta love.

SHUCKED is the new musical comedy from some of the hottest names on Broadway—and Nashville! Featuring a book by Tony Award® winner Robert Horn (Tootsie), a score by the Grammy® Award-winning songwriting team of Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally, and directed by Tony Award® winner Jack O’Brien (Hairspray), this corn-fed, corn-bred American musical is sure to satisfy your appetite for great musical theater.

^{*we were invited to facilitate a feature, all opinions are our own*}