{"id":166890,"date":"2026-04-15T21:11:09","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T21:11:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/166890\/"},"modified":"2026-04-15T21:11:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T21:11:09","slug":"shucking-fun-and-laughs-from-latest-broadway-offering-in-pittsburgh","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/166890\/","title":{"rendered":"Shucking fun and laughs from latest Broadway offering in Pittsburgh"},"content":{"rendered":"

SCOTT TADY<\/p>\n

PITTSBURGH \u2013 The laughs come fast and frequently at \u201cShucked,\u201d the latest Tony Award-winning musical to grace the Benedum Center stage.<\/p>\n

The mixed-ages audience at last night\u2019s Pittsburgh premiere laughed loudly and regularly at quips, ranging from clever wordplay, to corny dad jokes, to saucy double entendres.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I had a crystal ball\u2026 I\u2019d walk different,\u201d drawls one of the cast\u2019s unsophisticated fellas, Peanut, whose folksy and odd philosophical musings epitomize the non-sophisticated charms of \u201cShucked.\u201d<\/p>\n

Utilizing just two main backdrops, \u201cShucked\u201d is set in a fictional hick town, called Cob County, where residents are content in their isolation until the sudden, unexpected demise of their corn crop.<\/p>\n

Only our heroine Maizy (an endearing Danielle Wade from Broadway\u2019s \u201cMean Girls\u201d) has the courage or conviction to leave Cob County to try to find a solution to what\u2019s killing the corn. Abandoning her simple but kind fianc\u00e9, Beau (a radiant Nick Bailey,) who tries to discourage her from leaving, Maizy ends up somehow in Tampa, Florida, transfixed and befuddled by a big city where she sees adults pushing pets dogs in baby carriages with children kept in control on leashes.<\/p>\n

Maizy is a fish out of water, soon targeted by a scoundrel podiatrist named Gordy (a solid Quinn Vanantwerp, who did 3,000 Broadway performances of \u201cJersey Boys\u201d).Gordy owes the Mob money, and suspects he\u2019s found his salvation in Maizy.<\/p>\n

Once Maizy mentions her shiny jeweled heirloom bracelet is made of gems from a heap of shiny rocks under the soil of her family\u2019s farm, Gordy concocts a plan to seduce her and travel back together to Cob County, confident the bumpkins there\u00a0 don\u2019t recognize they\u2019ve got a fortune in unearthed minerals he can grab.<\/p>\n

Two joke-slinging narrators (the mirthful Maya Lagerstam and Joe Moeller) keep the pace brisk and fill in storyline gaps. As a spectator, you might rightfully question why Maizy\u2019s and Beau\u2019s planned wedding had to end so abruptly, but there\u2019s no time to get bogged down in plot realism, especially with the narrators reeling off wisecracks and puns that bring groans and smiles, mixed with sharp witticisms, like noting how the term \u201cunsolved mystery\u201d is redundant.<\/p>\n

\u201cShucked\u201d might have the most punchlines per hour since Broadway\u2019s \u201cBook of Morman,\u201d opined one critic.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ve got to pay attention to the rapid-fire wordplay, especially in the musical selections, which all were good, with several absolutely spectacular.<\/p>\n

The brawny Bailey, as the heartbroken Beau, earned thunderous applause for his strong and towering singing on \u201cSomebody Will,\u201d complete with enough country music lyrical tropes to sound ready for the album of Nashville\u2019s next big star.<\/p>\n

Acclaimed country music songsmiths Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally composed the music and lyrics<\/p>\n

Maizy\u2019s best friend and cousin Lulu (an outstanding Miki Abraham) did a show-stopping solo vocal performance in \u201cIndependently Owned,\u201d a sassy song about independence with the line \u201cI don\u2019t need a man for emancipation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShucked\u2019s\u201d second act solidifies a message about the uplifting powers of family and love. There are points made, too, on the importance of learning to befriend strangers.<\/p>\n

The Maizy-Beau-Gordy romantic triangle reaches a satisfying if not surprising resolution.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d have liked more depth to the story; and a little less juvenile humor.<\/p>\n

But for two-hours-and-10-minutes, plus a 15-minute intermission, I found myself captivated by the Cob County denizens, with their silly tale a pleasant escape from reality.<\/p>\n

Leaning into its corny-ness, \u201cShucked\u201d stands ready to grow grins and bring joy through Sunday at the Benedum.<\/p>\n

Tickets are at trustarts.org.<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"The Cast of The North American Tour of \u201cShucked.\u201d Photo by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman<\/p>\n

.<\/p>\n

..<\/p>\n

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