SHUCKED On Broadway - Reviews Thread- Page 13

[Dollypop]

Posted: 4/19/23 at 6:32pm

Saw the show this afternoon and loved it. My only qualm is how uncomfortable those Nederlander seats are in the front mezz!

[dwwst12]

Posted: 4/20/23 at 9:40am

Saw it this past week and thought it was certainly the funniest thing I'd seen since BOM.

I can't quite relate to those who somehow think this is a cheap or dated brand of humor. Everything is cyclical, and all that is old becomes new again. Certainly this is a type of humor and show format that hasn't been attempted much on Broadway -- at least not in a long time. To me (I'm 47), rather than feeling stale, it was a refreshing break from the standard Broadway joke formulas -- a throwback to Naked Gun and Airplane. And to my parents (in their mid-70's), it reminded them of old standup, Vaudeville, etc.

I saw four of the likely five Best Musical nominees, and damned if I don't keep coming back to this one. Not only is it great fun, but in my opinion it also represents the show that is likely to be liked by the largest % of theatergoers, and certainly tour-goers in the heartland. I think it's an opportunity for Broadway to very gently "reach across the aisle," if you will.

Updated On: 4/20/23 at 09:40 AM

[Auggie27]

Posted: 4/20/23 at 10:12am

I was there yesterday afternoon, too, and the whole company was in and on fire.

Truthfully, I went in reluctant to be won over -- a terrible mindset that no show deserves to confront -- but I'll be damned if I wasn't pulled in anyway. Somewhere in the first act, even before Newell stops the show in a kind of love child of Billy Porter and Jennifer Holliday way, the one-joke conceit, the ludicrous sendup of logical romantic plotting (although Twelfth Night used this, too), all begin to work together. There's real craft, and discipline to the farce. No one takes any of it seriously, and yet -- paradoxically and wisely -- it's played straight, so that the power ballads, which have surprising emotional heft, feel organic, with earned places in the storytelling. A keeper of a score, with a second act quartet that's as good as anything this season, and of course that killer showstopper, which starts confident and ends up a lesson in giving people what they didn't even know they wanted.

[BdwayLife]

Posted: 4/24/23 at 5:06pm

Just ended a show trip. I saw:  Funny Girl (w/ Lea), NY, NY, Little Shop, Sweeney, & Juliet, and SHUCKED!

 

SHUCKED! was no question, my favorite show.  The music, thoughtful script, and acting/singing were great. Standing ovation after Alex's number--I would be very surprised if he is not cast as Effie if/when Dreamgirls is revived.

 

This show has heart.
 

Updated On: 4/24/23 at 05:06 PM

[ChorusKitty]

Posted: 4/27/23 at 12:43am

Saw the 7:30 pm.show tonight (definitely a change of pace after seeing the "Sweeney" matinee) and found it enjoyable. The cast definitely sells the show, which to me was the key to its success; with less committed players it could easily start to sink in its own silliness.

Musically I was perplexed a bit at how ballad heavy the evening was for a musical comedy. But the script, such as it is, was light and made me outright guffaw multiple times. The clever resolution of the "Storytellers" own story at the show's conclusion, I felt, was especially effective. 

 

I can definitely see this touring with success and being popular with regional theaters/colleges  (it may be occasionally a bit too blue for most high schools).  I'm guessing this will need some Tony magic to perhaps find a protracted stay in NY though. 

[Mr.Liir]

Posted: 4/28/23 at 4:11pm

They just released tickets through January 2024.

[theaterdrew]

Posted: 5/20/23 at 6:01pm

Well, the audience today sure loved this show.  There was a young woman near me who kept saying, "I love this!" at various points in the show.  On the way out, she was commenting that all she knew about the show was that it was about corn and "it sure delivered" on that.  For me, though, I was amused but found myself not laughing out loud anywhere near as much as I did when I saw its prior incarnation in Dallas.  If anyone is curious about how the two shows relate/diverge:

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

They both feature a young woman who is looking for something beyond her home town.  In Moonshine, she had left and lived in Tampa for a number of years, becoming a TV weather person.  They flipped that to have the character only temporarily leave but kept Tampa.

The "Peanut" character is essentially the same.  Some of his "I think . . ." jokes were recycled but not all.  

They figured out the guy's con in Act 1 in both versions.  "We Love Jesus (but we drink a little)" was in Moonshine, as was a version of "Best Man wins."  I'm not sure about the other songs as I no longer have the program from Dallas.  They used the same plot line in Act 2 of getting Gordy (whose name was the same) drunk to try and trick him into giving himself up.

In Moonshine, Lulu ran a beauty salon but she was sassy like in the Broadway version, and she and Gordy ended up together as well.  I think they signaled the attraction earlier in Shucked than they did in Moonshine and they talked about it so it felt earned, maybe?

I think making it into a fable was an excellent device to overcome the problems with a relatively simplistic plotline.  I thought Andrew Durand was the standout performance, but then I tend to like the emphathic performers more than the diva stylings.  The understudy for Gordy was on and I didn't realize it until intermission because of how they rushed us into seats after making everyone line up in the rain.

It's pretty clear people are taking a chance on the show for the price of a cheap ticket so curious to see what happens if it wins any Tonys.

[jkcohen626]

Posted: 5/21/23 at 8:57am

I also saw this Yesterday and I loved it! I thought it was hilarious, the performances were great, and the score was awesome! 

However, I would be disappointed to see this beat Kimberly Akimbo for any Tonys besides maybe Featured Actor for Newell. Lyrically, musically, and commedically, I found Akimbo to be smarter and deeper. 

[Robbie2]

Posted: 5/21/23 at 12:29pm

jkcohen626 said: "I also saw this Yesterday and I loved it! I thought it was hilarious, the performances were great, and the score was awesome!

However, I would be disappointed to see this beat Kimberly Akimbo for any Tonys besides maybe Featured Actor for Newell. Lyrically, musically, and commedically, I found Akimbo to be smarter and deeper."

Shucked won't be winning over KA and as you say the only possible win could be for Newell. KA is far superior on all counts smarter, deeper and Better!

[Asmeret Stan]

Posted: 5/21/23 at 1:31pm

Saw someone tweet “Is Broadway's best kept secret that @thealexnewell is currently making appearances in TWO Broadway Shows? #iykyk” and then deleted it and posted this instead - “I tweeted something cryptic earlier that I thought was cool but it turns out I was too excited about the cryptic thing to realize that it was indeed a DIFFERENT cryptic thing.”

 

Any idea what this is about?

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 5/21/23 at 1:38pm

Alex Newell recorded the original version of "Kill the Lights," which is featured in Fat Ham, but the one used in the show is a cover by Mykal Kilgore, and there are definitely people out there who mistakenly think it's Newell. Someone must have caught that Twitter poster's mistake, and corrected them.

Updated On: 5/21/23 at 01:38 PM

[SisterGeorge]

Posted: 5/21/23 at 2:08pm

Robbie2 said: "Shucked won't be winning over KA and as you say the only possible win could be for Newell. KA is far superior on all counts smarter, deeper and Better! "

I certainly would prefer to see KA win over Shucked, and I think it will, but let's be clear, "smarter, deeper and Better" doesn't always equal "winner"

 

[NotThatSmart]

Posted: 5/22/23 at 7:12pm

Going Sunday. So excited. Wearing…. Plaid!

For anyone who wants to show some understudy love, Miki Abraham-Grayson will be on for LuLu tomorrow (May 23) while Alex travels home from The Voice. Miki was on Sunday as well. 

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 5/22/23 at 10:21pm

Alex Newell singing "Independently Owned" on The Voice:

https://twitter.com/NBCTheVoice/status/1660826806449225728

Updated On: 5/22/23 at 10:21 PM

[bear88]

Posted: 5/25/23 at 2:46am

Interesting Q&A with Shucked producer Mike Bosner, who outlined the smart publicity campaign for the show, including the recent appearance by Alex Newell on The Voice.

"As soon as the whispers of this strike started happening, I was talking to my business partner on this, my producing partner, Jason Owen, and we had this sit down. We were at breakfast and I said, we got to start thinking about what we can do, because we were booked on Colbert and a bunch of other TV programs that have unfortunately not been able to proceed because of the strike, so we got to thinking about where we could be in other big national exposures, and Jason was the one who brought up the idea of The Voice, and I credit him so much and thank him so much that he fully got this done. It was his idea and he pushed it through, and we’re the first Broadway show to ever have someone appear on The Voice, and it’s going to be a huge thing for us. I’m just over the moon to share Alex’s singular performance and a little bit of our show with the world and to an audience that may not be paying attention to us right now."

https://deadline.com/2023/05/shucked-mike-bosner-tony-awards-deadline-interview-1235375131/

[NicolasYates]

Posted: 5/29/23 at 5:40pm

It's inspiring to see how they're adapting their publicity campaign amidst the strike. The idea of having someone from the show appear on The Voice is brilliant, and it's amazing that they're the first Broadway show to do so. It's a fantastic opportunity to reach a broader audience who might not have been paying attention to them before. Kudos to Mike's producing partner, Jason Owen, for coming up with the idea and making it happen! I can imagine they're thrilled to share Alex Newell's performance and give people a glimpse of their show. You can check the link https://www.getyourguide.com/travel-guides/romantic-things-to-do-in-new-york-for-couples/ as well, it's always great to discover romantic things to do in New York for couples.

Updated On: 6/1/23 at 05:40 PM

[NotThatSmart]

Posted: 5/29/23 at 11:21pm

I saw this yesterday at a matinee on a rare two-show Sunday for Memorial Day.

I cannot get enough of Alex Newell in this. Still, three months later, people are giving this number standing ovations. And it is rightfully deserved. I have never seen a performance quite like what they give in this show. From the moment they entered the opening number, they commanded the space with such force. 

Peanut was the other standout for me. There is just something about Kevin Cahoon that is hard to dislike. He is truly a delight one joke at a time. 

You can never convince me that Grey Henson will ever play a role on Broadway that does not channel Damien in some way: and we love him for it. 

I have been itching for a good musical comedy and this was it. Although I don’t see it winning much Tony wise outside of Newell and the Book, I think it will stick around. I would love to see it tour as well. 

[uncageg]

Posted: 8/17/23 at 12:15pm

I think they just outdid themselves with the new " SUMMER CORNaissance" ad. I can't figure out how to post it here.

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 8/17/23 at 12:17pm

Yeah, their marketing for this is the best I've ever seen in years. 

 

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 8/17/23 at 12:35pm

Add me to the camp just in awe at their marketing campaign. When this was announced, I fully expected this to be a huge flop that closed in weeks. The fact that an unknown new original musical (one literally about corn, no less) with no big names has done as well as it has is a true testament to the brilliant marketing behind the show. Major props to them (and I didn't even like the show).

[dramamama611]

Posted: 8/18/23 at 8:28am

I tried searching the site to no avail.  Can anyone tell me what their nut is?  I know what the grosses are, just curious to compare.  

 

TIA