‘Shucked’ pops at the Benedum with quick wit and big heart

It may be too easy to label “Shucked,” the musical running now until April 19 at the Benedum Center, as corny, but there’s more than a kernel of truth in describing it that way.

The Tony Award-winning comedy, part of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s 2025-2026 PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh Series, is billed as a “farm-to-fable” musical. The story, centered around corn, is stitched together with witty puns and rapid-fire one-liners delivered by the mostly simple — yet surprisingly sensitive — residents of the isolated Cob County, whose livelihoods depend on their harvest. The humor is relentless and packed with plenty of double entendres.

While the show is about people who love their corn — which may not be a subject that fully resonates with everyone — it ultimately conveys a deeper message that feels especially relevant today.

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As the show opens, Maizy (Danielle Wade) is about to wed her longtime beau, Beau, when the townspeople notice their corn is dying. Maizy bravely ventures out of Cob County and heads to the big city of Tampa in search of a corn doctor. She connects in more ways than one with podiatrist/con artist Gordy (Quinn Vanantwerp), a city slicker out to steal what may be Cob’s most precious resource.

As Robert Horn, the show’s book writer — who has described himself as a “gay, Jewish, optimistically cynical hardcore New Yorker” — told the Detroit Jewish News: “I initially set out to create a fictional town whose inhabitants had closed themselves off from the outside world to protect their singular way of life. They were fearful of anyone who was different, which is why I decided to then bring in someone different. I wanted to write a story where you gently realize that unless you open your hearts to people who are different than you, you never grow.”

“Shucked” is a fun romp of a musical, with an inventive storyline and a strong cast. Wade’s Maizy is sweet, sensitive and sincere, and boy can she sing. Miki Abraham as Lulu, Maizy’s best friend and cousin, provides a dynamic contrast, bringing more street-smarts and sass.

Nick Bailey plays Beau with likeable innocence, strongly connecting with the audience in the second act with his beautiful rendition of “OK,” about the loss of a first love.

Accompanied by the outstanding Shucked Orchestra, the songs, composed by Grammy Award winners, Tony Award nominees and Nashville music superstars Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally, are clever, heartfelt and memorable.

The entire cast of “Shucked” is strong. Standouts include Dominique Kent as Storyteller 1 and Ryan Fitzgerald as Storyteller 2, who narrate the tale through words, song and dance. Their scenes are often hilarious, including leading the ensemble in manipulating a chorus line of corn cobs in the opening number.

The show is imaginative and warm-hearted, but mostly it’s just a lot of fun. PJC

Toby Tabachnick can be reached at ttabachnick@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.