Preview: ‘Shucked’ Is a Farm-to-Stage Spectacular That Is Corny in the Best of Ways

The first-ever North American tour of Shucked, a musical comedy centered on corn and all its kernel-lodged-in-teeth glory, gets rooted at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre through September 7th and continues this fall at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa from November 11th through the 23rd.

Featuring a book by Tony Award-winner Robert Horn, score by Grammy Award-winning songwriters Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally, and direction by three-time Tony Award winner Jack O’Brien, this corn-infused American musical is a delicious feast of heart and humor that is sure to satisfy appetites for cream-of-the-crop musical theater.

Shucked is a farm-to-stage fable about Maizy (Danielle Wade), a plucky small-town gal who ventures beyond her community’s cob-covered walls to save her beloved corn crop, only to tangle with a slick city con artist named Gordy (Quinn VanAntwerp). When her idyllic hometown faces a failing harvest, Maizy seeks help in the big city, sparking a whirlwind of deception, romance, and revelations. Joined by her protective fiancé Beau (Jake Odmark), wisecracking friend Peanut (Mike Nappi), and sassy cousin Lulu (Miki Abraham), Maizy navigates Gordy’s schemes in a story that celebrates community and second chances. Packed with side-splitting puns and a jubilant spirit, this musical unearths a grain of optimism for a divided nation, proving that sometimes tearing down walls is the key to preserving what matters most.

After its smash Broadway run, which earned nine Tony nominations and one win for Best Featured Actor in a Musical, Shucked has taken its infectious energy on the road to charm more than 30 cities overall. From its vibrant sets by Tony nominee Scott Pask, to its lively choreography by Sarah O’Gleby, this show is a bumper crop of theatrical delight. Those who miss this singular sensation will lament having chucked a golden opportunity to see Shucked.

To explore the experience of performing in this idiosyncratically hilarious show, we recently interviewed Quinn VanAntwerp who depicts the disarming, albeit conniving, Gordy. VanAntwerp, who made his reputation as the longest-running Bob Gaudio in history with Jersey Boys, and by taking part in multiple TV appearances like The Affair and Better Call Saul, discusses a variety of topics about the sleeper hit of the season, Shucked.

Before we get to Shucked, I must ask about your 3,000 performances as Bob Gaudio in Jersey Boys — what an incredible feat! That’s nearly a decade’s worth of shows! How did you sustain the discipline to be in the moment, day after day, when it would’ve been easy to coast and practically carry out your part in your sleep?

VanAntwerp: Yes! Jersey Boys was my first big job after moving to New York when I was 22 and everything about it changed my life in so many great ways — eight years, four companies, and my Broadway debut. I met some of my best friends, including my wife, and I got to tell such an incredible story each and every day. I always say, ‘There were good years and hard years’ with that show, and it definitely taught me invaluable lessons about doing professional theatre full-time.

You really have to treat yourself like an athlete not just physically, but mentally. Obviously, your body takes a toll doing eight shows a week for years on end but, more importantly, your mind loses sharpness, and small troubles can turn into large ones if you don’t find a way to proactively keep yourself fresh. Being one of the older folks on tour now, I have the rare opportunity to share that experience with people on their first big contract and I always compare it to that lesson of holding a glass of water out in front of you. The glass is not that heavy; you can hold it easily. But if you never put the glass down, that water will feel like a thousand pounds after a while. You have to figure out ways to put the glass down and start again; otherwise, you will lose the joy.

Your character Gordy in Shucked is described as an amoral conman “corn doctor” who can turn on the charm when need be. Since being part of the original Broadway cast and seeing John Behlmann portray the role, how do you think your presentation of the character might differ from his during this ongoing North American tour?

VanAntwerp: Shucked was my first show where I got to be there creatively from the beginning. I started with the show almost four years ago and, from the moment I met this group of crazy clowns, I knew it was going to be a singular creative experience. Everyone in the room was invited to create and bring the best of themselves and we spent so many months just trying to make each other laugh. I think that spirit was what made Shucked so unique when it came to Broadway and that spirit has continued on the North American tour.

Part of the benefits of that mentality (positive spirit) is that each actor brings their own unique comedy and heart to their performance which informs and changes the show. I have loved creating the show once again with this tour cast and, although we are always standing on the foundation that John [Behlmann] and our incredible Broadway cast built, the show has changed as new comedians have taken the reins. I think that freshness is what keeps the comedy of Shucked contagious as it moves across the country.

Thus far, what’s been the most memorable audience reaction to Gordy (or the show as a whole), and have you found yourself perhaps adapting your performance to different crowds that might react a little divergently to the musical’s humor? 

VanAntwerp: I think one of my favorite Gordy moments — and Shucked moments — was our run in Tampa. Getting to take the show back to Gordy’s hometown was so very fun. As soon as that sign turned the audience went wild. But yes, I do feel like the unique part of touring with a show with this many jokes in it is that each city finds different types of humor funny. For example, we have found that Texas for some reason loves our jokes about marriage. I’m not sure why, but those jokes get an outsize audience reaction whenever we are in Texas.

The same goes for Gordy. Some cities are warier of the bad guy to begin with, but part of the joy of playing him is getting to go on that journey each night with the audience — and the more the audience is wary of him in the beginning, the further his transformation.

Your Broadway experience also includes the physical comedy of The Play That Goes Wrong. How does that comedic background influence your portrayal of Gordy, especially within the context of Shucked’s pun-heavy hilarity? Is there a line or moment you love delivering?

VanAntwerp: The year I spent with The Play That Goes Wrong was maybe the most challenging and rewarding year of my career. Working with that team of creatives and actors was a master class in high-stakes farce and physical comedy. It was definitely the most challenging and sometimes harrowing job I’ve ever had — a show that once you have done it, everything else seems easy. It taught me a lot of skills that I use every day in Shucked — how to commit one hundred percent to sometimes ridiculously absurd stakes, how to deliver very funny material without getting in the writer’s way, and how to give and take focus in a show that moves very fast like Shucked does.

Also, speaking of John Behlmann, I first met John when I joined the Broadway cast of The Play That Goes Wrong. John is a master physical comedian, and he has done a lot of trapeze work. The show hired him to consult on some of the more dangerous parts and John and I had a session in Brooklyn where he taught me how to swing across the stage on a trapeze for the end of the show. I think John built a lot of physical comedy into this part and, luckily, most of that physicality lives on. As the outsider, Gordy really drives a lot of the pace and desperation of the show and I think that physicality helps inform that.

What’s it like performing Sarah O’Gleby’s dance sequences, and is there a number you’re especially excited to share with audiences?

VanAntwerp: I was lucky enough to start working with Sarah very early on in the creation of the Shucked choreography. Sarah has become one of my very favorite people to collaborate with and she has an endless arsenal of creative ideas which makes her such a powerhouse in our business. But when I think of our choreography in Shucked, the two sequences that always stick out are the corn kick line in the opening number and the second act boys number, “Best Man Wins.” When I tell you we created at least fifty versions of those sequences before we got it right, I am not exaggerating, but those creative moments are the ones you dream of and look back on with such fondness.

I sadly don’t get to perform those numbers anymore as Gordy, but I still watch them almost every night from the wings because they are two of my favorite moments in the show.

Do you have a favorite song to perform such as “Bad” or “I Do”? And, from a singing perspective, how do you approach Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally’s country-influenced style of music?

VanAntwerp: “Bad” is big vocal number in this show, for sure, but there is something very special about “I Do.” Getting to sing with five other phenomenal singers is really special, but there is so much good and different music in this show. From country radio hits, to gospel, and classic musical theatre songs, Brandy and Shane, along with our incredible arranger Jason Howland, have really created something special. It’s one of the best scores Broadway has had in years.

Lastly, what are you looking forward to the most during your time in Southern California as you continue your tour stop in Hollywood (before a return to the region, specifically Costa Mesa, in November)?

VanAntwerp: Well, I am a California boy through and through. I was born in Northern California, but I went to undergrad at UCI (University of California, Irvine) and lived in L.A. on and off since college. I got my start doing theatre at all the incredible regional theatres in Southern California and was lucky enough to work in places like the Hollywood Bowl and Musical Theatre West — I have so much respect for the theatre community here.

My years at UCI were some of the best in my life and, to this day, Newport Beach is the place I feel most at home. So, getting to play not only the Hollywood Pantages right now, but the Segerstrom in November, is like coming home and singing on the stages where you first fell in love with theatre. It always feels like a big moment in my life to play those houses. Broadway is Broadway and what we always dreamed of, but there’s nothing like coming home.

Cover image caption: (L-R) Maya Lagerstam as Storyteller 1 and Tyler Joseph Ellis as Storyteller 2 in the North American tour of Shucked. Photo by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman.

Shucked plays at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre through Sunday, September 7th. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit broadwayinhollywood.com. 

Shucked returns to Southern California in the fall at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa where it will play from Tuesday, November 11th through Sunday, November 23rd. For further information and tickets to that engagement, visit scfta.org.