Latest news with #Airplane!'

Boston Globe

In ‘Shucked,' an impressive rate of puns per minute

Side-by-side with that story is a tale of love lost, regained, and relocated. Tonally, the corn quotient is as high as an elephant's eye, to borrow a phrase, and the humor is as broad as an elephant's butt. If you liked the 'Airplane!' and 'Naked Gun' movies, chances are you'll like 'Shucked.' If you didn't, chances are you won't. The pacing gets a bit sluggish at times, especially at the top of Act Two, but for the most part 'Shucked' careens from scene to scene like 'Hee-Haw' on acid. For some reason, a clownish minor character gets a mystifying moment in the spotlight that stops the show — and not in a good way. Advertisement On balance, though, 'Shucked' delivers the goods. The silly-smart script, by book-writer Robert Horn, is genuinely funny, not just a bridge to the next song, as is so often the case in musicals. Advertisement And in any case the next song is usually a good one: Composer-lyricists Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally have crafted a country-and-pop-flavored score that moves fluidly across the emotional spectrum, abetted by fine work from the orchestra, conducted by music director Nick Williams. Scott Pask's set consists of a large, wooden proscenium-like structure that envelops and looms over the casts. When the corn starts dying, the residents of Cob County mostly dither and fret. But a young woman named Maizy (of course), played with an appealing combination of vivacity and grit by Danielle Wade, decides to take action. She sets out on a search for a cure, leaving behind her miffed fiancé, Beau (Jake Odmark, excellent), his ego wounded. Beau has a bit too much confidence in his corn-growing prowess. When Maizy reaches Tampa, she sees a sign advertising a 'Corn Doctor,' and thinks she has found Cob County's savior. She also thinks she's found a romantic interest to replace Beau. Has she? That sign refers to a podiatrist named Gordy (Quinn VanAntwerp), who has an eye for the main chance — and for the expensive bracelet in Maizy's possession. He envisions a financial windfall if he poses as a man with a plan to get the corn growing again. Quinn VanAntwerp as Gordy in "Shucked." Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman So he and Maizy journey back to Cob County. When Gordy meets Lulu (Miki Abraham), a blunt-as-it-gets whiskey distiller, matters of the heart get still more complicated. Abraham absolutely nails their big solo number, 'Independently Owned,' which is about a lot more than Lulu's distillery. Ditto for Wade's performance of 'Maybe Love,' a meditation-in-song about the mysterious workings of the human heart; and Odmark's defiant rendition of 'Somebody Will,' in which Beau voices his belief that he'll have no trouble finding another romantic partner. Advertisement Maya Lagerstam and Tyler Joseph Ellis prove to be invaluable as the Storytellers who comment upon the action, as is Mike Nappi as Peanut, Beau's endearingly dim brother. Lagerstam in particular reliably delivers bursts of energy and humor. 'Shucked' ran on Broadway from April 2023 to January 2024. On Tony night in June 2023, This production of 'Shucked' won't make history, but it will make you laugh. Or, you know, groan. SHUCKED Book by Robert Horn. Music and lyrics by Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally. Directed by Jack O'Brien. Choreography, Sarah O'Gleby. Orchestration and arrangements, Jason Howland. Presented by Broadway In Boston. At Citizens Opera House, Boston. Through April 20. Tickets start at $40. Don Aucoin can be reached at