Shucked, the hit musical with all the corn jokes and a sneaky little message about inclusion, has drawn raves from audiences. The musical’s upcoming run in Morsani Hall could be extra special because, well, Tampa’s in the show.
Not all of us, like everybody in Tampa, is in the show. But our city, our home, is. And we don’t know why Tampa was chosen.
Shucked mostly takes place in fictional Cob County, where a mysterious ailment is causing the corn to die. Maizy, a young woman from Cob, travels to Tampa seeking help.
Danielle Wade plays Maizy in the touring company of Shucked. She’s excited about the show coming to Tampa but has no idea why Maizy chose our city.
“I think that’s a great question,” Danielle said. “I don’t know why she chooses Tampa but I’m so glad she does. This show really lifts off once she visits Tampa to save the day.”
Once in our town, Maizy meets Gordy, who is a pretty strong candidate for Florida Man. A podiatrist who refers to himself as a “corn doctor,” he’s also a con man and swindler, although not a very good one. He’s into some gangsters for a sizable amount of money.
Gordy’s arrival, and his attempts to con the rest of Cob County, set off a chain of events that threaten friendships, romances and a catalytic converter. Yes, everything works out in the end.
While the emphasis is on humor, Shucked manages to send a message of inclusion through all the corn jokes.
That’s in a large part down to the songs, written by one of Nashville’s most successful songwriting duos, Shane McAnally and Brandy Clark. The two have written hits for Kacey Musgraves, Darius Rucker, Reba McEntire and more.
Clark and McAnally both are gay, and their success has helped make the country music industry ever so slightly more open to gay artists.
The songs the pair wrote for Shucked couch any social relevance in catchy lyrics and corny humor.
For Danielle, the message of Shucked is “don’t judge a book by its cover and all those quintessential messages that you want people to have.”
“I think because the show is so honest, even in its comedy, that its messages tend to be well received,” Danielle said.
Danielle, a country music fan who grew up in rural Ontario, has found the role of Maizy a good fit.
“I don’t really have to act too much in this show,” Danielle said. “I feel pretty aligned with Maizy. She’s from a tiny town that nobody’s ever left. And that’s kind of like my little town that I grew up in. It’s very small. And you stay there for your whole life.”
Danielle, obviously, didn’t stay, pursuing her dream and finding success on Broadway in Mean Girls and in several touring shows.
Right now, she’s immersed in the Shucked tour and loving it.
“It’s not just funny,” Danielle said. “I think the coolest part of the show is that yes, it’s funny and there are 181 laughs or something like that. But it’s also very sweet. And hopefully by the end of the show, your heartstrings have been tugged a little bit. Not yanked, but tugged.”
