SHUCKED On Broadway - Reviews Thread- Page 7

[Luminaire2]

Posted: 3/17/23 at 2:53am

Adeliciaboy said: "Have the members of this board completely lost their collective minds??? I was at the show Wednesday night. What is going down at the Nederlander Theatre under the guise of “Shucked” is nothing less than an unmitigated disaster. What’s worse it’s an insult to the heart and soul of country music with a score that is truly duller than dishwasher. I live in Nashville, so I have some idea of what the best of country can be.

Robert Horn’s book has a few sharp lines, but not nearly enough to make up for the idiotic story he concocted to support his brand of humor. It’s too dumb and — yes — corny to even summarize.

Sadly, this show is a harbinger of what most of Broadway is fast becoming — a catch-all for dreck that does nothing more than appeal to the lowest common denominator of audiences who are simply out to hoot and holler. These people could care less if they were in a Broadway theater or a 70,000-seat football arena. They are there to party. Period. And unfortunately, savvy money-grubbing producers see this situation for what it is and are pandering to it in the worst possible way in order to make a buck.

As for the talent on stage, there is just one real standout Alex Newell. She has comic timing and a voice to die for. I kept thinking she would make a phenomenal Effie in “Dreamgirls” if anyone is up for a revival. As for the rest, a couple have decent voices but zero stage presence. What’s worse, they really have no clue how to sell what little humor there is in Horn’s script. Director Jack O’Brien seems to have been asleep at the wheel.

And were the producers of this corn fest really too cheap to pop for a decent orchestra? What there was sounded god-awful, and Jason Howland’s orchestrations do nothing to lift up Brandy Clark’s and Shane McAnally’s instantly forgettable score. And to think these two musical bigwigs are considered hotshots in Nashville.

Well, well, well, well, well well, one thing is certain. They sure haven’t struck oil with this sorry excuse for a musical."


Just say you look down upon others and save us the long post. 

[TheatreMonkey]

Posted: 3/17/23 at 4:20am

RippedMan said: "It's not about what's fun or not, it's about what will people pay a premium ticket for?

For example: Look at any awards show. It always leans towards heavy dramatic roles and not fun Comedy. Same here. It might be a fun time, but is anyone paying for that? It's still a business. That's why I asked when was the last time a musical comedy was a giant hit?"

Based on the top grossing musicals of all time (via Wikipedia, link here), I think Wicked (which is a musical comedy, even with its serious elements) in 2nd place, The Book of Mormon in 5th place, Chicago (it's a satire, which is considered a form of comedy) in 6th place, and Mamma Mia! in 7th place, might beg to disagree.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 3/17/23 at 4:46am

hearthemsing22 said "You don't have to have an opinion on every show."

You look terrific today. Was this really what you meant to say? Anyone that has seen the show has the right to an opinion! They even have the right to express it. 

Updated On: 3/17/23 at 04:46 AM

[Sauja]

Posted: 3/17/23 at 7:36am

I loved this show so much. I was grinning and guffawing. But I can fully appreciate that if you’re not one for lowbrow humor, it could be deadly. That some people will hate it is a given, but what an absolute joy for those of us who want something gleefully silly. Everyone in the cast is a star. The most fun I’ve had at the theater in a hot minute.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 3/17/23 at 8:20am

I saw this recently and found the whole affair to just be rather... exhausting? The jokes are non-stop and are fired out at a rapid rate. I thought for every joke that was genuinely funny, there were at least five or six groaners/ dad jokes in between. By the end of the evening I had just stopped laughing all together.

The cast is great. I loved Alex Newell's big act one number. The set is serviceable - reminded me of a warped cartoonish version of the Hamilton set. I thought it was a little confining at times to have the whole show set in a barn, but that's just a minor quibble. Costumes are what you'd expect.

It's a fun night out, but I did feel that both acts dragged a bit. There are some clever songs and scenes, but overall, I can't necessarily say I'd recommend this to anyone.

 

[hearthemsing22]

Posted: 3/17/23 at 8:33am

bwayphreak234 said: "I saw this recently and found the whole affair to just be rather... exhausting? The jokes are non-stop and are fired out at a rapid rate. I thought for every joke that was genuinely funny, there were at least five or six groaners/ dad jokes in between. By the end of the evening I had just stopped laughing all together.

The cast is great. I loved Alex Newell's big act one number. The set is serviceable - reminded me of a warped cartoonish version of the Hamilton set. I thought it was a little confining at times to have the whole show set in a barn, but that's just a minor quibble. Costumes are what you'd expect.

It's a fun night out, but I did feel that both acts dragged a bit. There are some clever songs and scenes, but overall, I can't necessarily say I'd recommend this to anyone.

"

I thought the same about the set! I totally made me think of Hamilton 

[Tag]

Posted: 3/17/23 at 10:46pm

Is the "we love Jesus, but we drink a little" lyric related to the Ellen guest who famously said that? Or does this show just rip that off?

[RippedMan]

Posted: 3/18/23 at 9:55am

TheatreMonkey said: "RippedMan said: "It's not about what's fun or not, it's about what will people pay a premium ticket for?

For example: Look at any awards show. It always leans towards heavy dramatic roles and not fun Comedy. Same here. It might be a fun time, but is anyone paying for that? It's still a business. That's why I asked when was the last time a musical comedy was a giant hit?"

Based on the top grossing musicals of all time (via Wikipedia, link here), I think Wicked (which is a musical comedy, even with its serious elements) in 2nd place, The Book of Mormon in 5th place, Chicago (it's a satire, which is considered a form of comedy) in 6th place, and Mamma Mia! in 7th place, might beg to disagree."

I think I’d disagree with your opinion on what makes something a musical comedy, and would def not put Wicked or Chicago or Mamma Mia in those categories. Book of Mormon sure. But to my point - and seemingly your point - we haven’t had a big hit musical comedy since Book of Mormon… 

[hollebolle]

Posted: 3/18/23 at 10:26am

I wanted so much to like this, but I have to agree that it felt exhausting. It wasn't long into act 1 that I started getting bored jumping from one-liner to one-liner. And for the most part, the score and book felt like they belonged to different shows. 

[BroadwayNoob]

Posted: 3/19/23 at 3:32am

I was so excited for a new show that had what seemed to be rave reviews from the beginning.

It was fine

Went with my mom who's a Broadway lover like me and she fell asleep at least 4 times LOL. And that's absolutely out of her character. Nothing about it pulled either of us in.

The actors in the show are doing their best, but its such an ACTING! show because it's staged like a fable that it's just hard to get into it at all. Jokes are one liners that made me chuckle, but I anticipated every one and very few were actually clever. 

The book overall is really weak, cliche, and corny (ha ha get it). It didn't have me connecting with any of the characters and the plot is so basic that the storyteller characters are unnecessary even though I think they were my favorite. Its also low stakes and the audience knows more than the characters for most of the show so that doesn't help the book at all. I clicked into the show after the yee-haw number with the barrel choreo about halfway through Act 2, and I really liked the drunk bar scene. I hoped the book would be really good because I loved Tootsie, I was let down.

Ensemble is so under utilized. LuLus song got a standing O, but the song itself wasn't that good. All the music was enjoyable and pleasing to my ears, but forgettable. 

Set could be a lot more inventive, and the brown and corn colored color palette doesn't help that. I think the show could benefit from maybe a curtain or two or just house pieces that slide in from the sides to divide the front porch scenes and scenes that clearly take place outside from the scenes that take place indoors. I also think they should lean more into the fable aesthetic and maybe throw like a book binding on the edge of the stage outside of it or something. The top of it already has a weird slanting divider that seems like it could be obstructing the view of people in the last rows of the mezz. 

I went back and read others reviews in this thread. I wouldn't call the show stupid but it's certainly silly. I see it getting a Tony nom in a handful of categories just because it is original, but I don't think the quality that its at now is lending itself to any awards. The only other new musical I've seen from this season is Some Like it Hot, and I loved that. You can't exactly compare the two because they're completely different styles, but SLIH blows Shucked out of the water in every category. I'm going to try to catch Kimberly Akimbo before the Tony's.


I want to see an entirely new musical succeed and I don't want to tear it to shreds, but it just was disappointing to go in with such high hopes and be met with a flat, basic show.

Updated On: 3/19/23 at 03:32 AM

[phantom1978]

Posted: 3/19/23 at 5:09am

Saw it last night and really enjoyed. No standout songs but I laughed so hard. Totally enjoyable evening of theater. 

[ShowBro]

Posted: 3/19/23 at 9:50am

Caught this last night from a lottery seat and am v glad I did not pay full price for this show. While I give it props for being a new original musical, I found the “jokes” to be so tedious after about an hour I could not help but just roll my eyes every time one of the basic dense and dumb one-liners was hurled. Back to back to back to back. 

I totally agree that the score and book belong to two different shows. While Caroline Innerbichler had stunning vocal moments in some of the ballads, you did not care about her character at all. Horn’s book developed Maizy as such a flimsy and flat character you did not believe these songs could come out of her mouth. This disconnect between the book and score made the mostly enjoyable score completely unbelievable across the board. 

I feel the men in this show overall were the weakest links. Grey is doing his best Damian “Mean Girls” impression up there mugging for the back row, which also gets tired after about 15 minutes.

Alex Newell (the main reason I was excited to see this show) was totally underutilized and their Act 1 number had fire vocals but the song overall was just fine. I would have loved to see this show where Ashley D. Kelley was Storyteller 1 and Alex was Storyteller 2. This would have been far more interesting. 

While I realize humor is totally subjective I thought the sophomoric “blue collar” (as some of you have put it) jokes/puns were monotonous and dull. I did laugh a few times at the beginning, but towards the end of Act 1 I could not wait to get out of my seat. To leave the theatre. It was a packed house, and many of the people around me were letting out deep belly laughs, so I may be in the minority here with the jokes. But I can’t recommend this to anyone. And give Alex more material!

Updated On: 3/25/23 at 09:50 AM

[Anshel2]

Posted: 3/19/23 at 12:50pm

I went last night and while I thought the show was fun, the audience was beyond awful.  Screaming and fist pumping.  It was so over the top and ridiculous.  Watch the effing show and applaud when the song ends.  Shut the eff up.

Updated On: 3/19/23 at 12:50 PM

[Michelle Birnbaum]

Posted: 3/19/23 at 2:39pm

We were at Saturday's matinee.  There was one young woman screaming.  I went with my husband and another couple.  We all enjoyed it.   Kimberly Akimbo is still tops but this was a solid second.  It was highly entertaining.  Not every show needs to be serious.

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 3/19/23 at 3:09pm

phantom1978 said: "Saw it last night and really enjoyed. No standout songs but I laughed so hard. Totally enjoyable evening of theater."

Same. People just want to have fun right now it seems. And the merch is the best on Broadway right now.

[BentleyB]

Posted: 3/19/23 at 7:29pm

I also saw it last night with 11 other people that we bring to see a number of shows each March.  Everyone thought it was hilarious and a fun night in the theater.  They ranged in age from 13 to 65 and were from New York, Los Angeles and Alabama.  I say that, only because it was a range of people with different backgrounds and exposure to Broadway.  Each person said they would go back again if they had the opportunity. 

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 3/20/23 at 10:01am

Shane McAnally posted on his Instagram story that they have started recording their cast album at Power Station today.

[GilmoreGirlO2]

Posted: 3/20/23 at 12:50pm

I really wanted to like this more than I did.

It’s certainly funny and has some great lines, but I agree with those who said they were exhausted by the end (and not in a good, sated way) – at a point, the jokes start to feel like variations of earlier jokes and the humor felt tired by the end of the show.

The characters aren’t really fleshed out at all, which made it difficult to care about any of them. I would have been fine with the show offering only humor and entertainment, but, as mentioned above, once the humor ran out for me…there was nothing else to really keep me engaged.

The songs are fine, but not memorable and didn’t necessarily add anything to the show. I almost think this could have been better as a 90-minute straight play.

The two acts feels off-balance – the second act feels like they are suddenly trying to inject a little depth into the storyline, which I think would serve them well to do from the get go.

[betyourass]

Posted: 3/20/23 at 5:44pm

I was dying to like and enjoy this. Then I was dying to get out of the theater. Funny is great. Irreverent is great. What is not great is a bunch of one liners strung together, for a nothingness plot. Are the one liners funny? Sure. But they have nothing to do with the plot. And its not sketch comedy. 

Audience seemed like a ton of industry friends and family. 

Totally exhausting matinee. 

[perfectpenguin]

Posted: 3/20/23 at 5:50pm

Sutton Ross said: "phantom1978 said: "Saw it last night and really enjoyed. No standout songs but I laughed so hard. Totally enjoyable evening of theater."

Same. People just want to have fun right now it seems. And the merch is the best on Broadway right now."

I never buy merch at any show but I bought a magnet and keychain at Shucked. I’ll be back in May and definitely grabbing a tote bag then. 

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 3/20/23 at 5:51pm

Something just occurred to me and someone who might know, please do correct me if I’m wrong. But this show was originally the Hee-Haw musical right? Because the endless parade of one liners fits in with that, if that style was a holdover from it being Hee-Haw. 

[Bill Snibson]

Posted: 3/20/23 at 5:55pm

Jordan Catalano said: "Something just occurred to me and someone who might know, please do correct me if I’m wrong. But this show was originally the Hee-Haw musical right? Because the endless parade of one liners fits in with that, if that style was a holdover from it being Hee-Haw."

Correct! Originally titled “The Hee-Haw Musical” and since then I believe has had a few other titles til they landed on “Shucked”. 

[Hey, Zelda!]

Posted: 3/20/23 at 6:34pm

Jordan Catalano said: "Something just occurred to me and someone who might know, please do correct me if I’m wrong. But this show was originally the Hee-Haw musical right? Because the endless parade of one liners fits in with that, if that style was a holdover from it being Hee-Haw."

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Interview-What-Is-SHUCKED-Songwriters-Brandy-Clark-Shane-McAnally-Discuss-Broadways-Newest-Original-Musical-20230301

Started as Hee-Haw before drifting away from that particular IP, it seems.

[Fordham2015]

Posted: 3/20/23 at 6:52pm

Jordan Catalano said: "Something just occurred to me and someone who might know, please do correct me if I’m wrong. But this show was originally the Hee-Haw musical right? Because the endless parade of one liners fits in with that, if that style was a holdover from it being Hee-Haw."

Ironic that Hee-Haw is the title of the best song in the show (I think- there was no song list in the Playbill)

[BillyFaulkner]

Posted: 3/20/23 at 11:54pm

I am convinced that they had plants in the crowd on the night that we saw it.  The gentleman sitting behind us was sounded like a fake laugh track from one of the old TV shows.  It was really distracting because he laughed at almost every single joke. 

We were really looking forward to seeing this, and overall it was pretty mediocre.  It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't good either.