Review: ‘Shucked’ tour a hilarious and sweet comedy about America’s heartland

Early in the touring Broadway musical “Shucked,” there’s a terrific joke referencing the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022. But in this disarmingly sweet, laugh-out-loud comedy about corn farming in the American South, the innocent townsfolk of Cob County use what sounds like the case file name only when debating the best way to cross the river.

This show’s apolitical, outrageously silly humor and the warmth of its open-hearted characters make “Shucked ” a balm for the soul in today’s deeply divided America.

Now playing through Sunday at the San Diego Civic Theatre, “Shucked” features a toe-tapping country music score by Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally, a corn pun-filled book by Robert Horn and witty, fast-paced direction by Jack O’Brien (former artistic director of San Diego’s The Old Globe). It also features exceptional choreography by Sarah O’Gleby, particularly in the all-male barrel-dancing number “Best Man Wins.”

Told as a “farm to fable” by two storytellers, “Shucked” begins at a wedding, where the ceremony between the enterprising Maizy and her sexist, corn-growing groom, Beau, is interrupted by the sudden wilting of the corn crop. Determined to save the town’s livelihood, Maizy sets out on a mission to find a “corn doctor” and ends up returning with a con man from Tampa whose secret goal is to steal the county’s gemstone-laden rocks.

One sign of a good tour is when two of the show’s four leads were replaced by understudies on Wednesday night and it was still just as good a show as I remember seeing on Broadway in 2023. I can’t imagine a better Beau than the hillbilly-like, golden-voiced understudy Kyle Sherman, or a more playfully naughty Lulu than the multi-octave power singer Cecily Dionne Davis.

Anchoring the show as Maizy is the endearing Danielle Wade, who sings with a nuanced country twang. Quinn VanAntwerp makes his con man character, Gordy, lovable. Tyler Joseph Ellis and Maya Lagerstrom are engaging stand-up comics as Storytellers 1 and 2. And Mike Nappi is a hoot as Beau’s brother Peanut, who’s   something like one of Shakespeare’s wise fool, spinning out truth-telling one-liners all night long.

The show’s first act focuses on Maizy’s journey, both to Tampa and toward her own independence, and the second act takes place in Cob County, where the full cast takes part in some big song-and-dance numbers, with “Best Man Wins” being the show’s biggest highlight.

One noticeable change since the show left Broadway is the replacement of one of its best songs, the second-act opener “We Love Jesus.” Now in its place is the not-at-all funny and less-tuneful “Ballad of the Rocks.” Perhaps the creators felt the original song’s lyrics about how Cob County folk turn corn into “shine” (moonshine), just as Jesus turned water into wine, may have offended Bible Belt patrons.

While many of the jokes in “Shucked” are quite naughty, they do not offend. “Shucked” embraces the generous, kind-hearted nature of Americans, and not just those in Cob County.

‘Shucked’

When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 14; 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 15; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug 16; 1 and 6:30 p.m. Aug. 17

Where: San Diego Civic Theatre, 1100 B St. downtown

Tickets: $46.75 to $149.25

Online: broadwaysd.com