Similar to Hollywood, Broadway has spent the last decade mining existing intellectual property for most of its biggest hits. This feels especially obvious to West Coasters because those are the ones that tend to come through on national tours. But every so often a completely original work breaks through.

You might know Shucked as "that musical about corn." And you wouldn't be wrong. The significance of corn to the plot cannot be understated. Still, the show's simple set-up lays ground for a fieldful of goofs and some very catchy songs. You're likely to walk out wondering: Did I just have a blast at a musical about corn?

Don't overthink it! Portlanders have a short window to see this Tony-nominated musical performed live at Keller Auditorium, and it's worth every kernal.

Set in the small rural community of Cob County, the earnest corn-loving citizens are shocked when their prized crop starts to die, setting off a chain of zany events. Young lovers Beau (Nick Bailey) and Maizy (Danielle Wade) even put a hold on their wedding, while Maizy sets off for the big city—of Tampa, Florida—to find a solution to save the corn. There she meets middling con man Gordy (Quinn VanAntwerp) who is desperate to grift the townsfolk to save himself from mobsters. They return to Cob, and hijinks ensue.

The eccentric concept of Shucked comes from serious pedigree. The book is by Tony-award winner Robert Horn, who has been writing for stage and screen for decades (elder millennials may be familiar with his work on the '90’s hits Designing Women and Living Single).  Horn's TV background is very apparent in the joke density of the show—they pop-off relentlessly and run a gamut of puns, black comedy, lewd double entendres, non sequiturs, quippy tête-à-têtes, and self-referential observations.

Country singer-songwriters Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally spent 10 years creating the music and lyrics for Shucked, and the genre's story-telling quality lends itself nicely to musical theatre—both love big feelings. Clark and McAnally blended their sound with more classic show tunes to create a soundtrack with nice variety.

Left to right: Danielle Wade as Maizy and Miki Abraham as Lulu in the North American tour of Shucked.  Photo by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman

As with any Broadway tour, the performances are top-notch. Wade and Baily deliver both on comedic timing and powerful voices, sounding like true country stars in their solos. As the show's unnamed storytellers, Maya Lagerstam and Joe Moeller literally carry the show, and their deft interplay made them feel like a long-running comedic duo in their own right. Miki Abram as Maizy’s cousin Lulu commanded the attention of the audience whenever she spoke and nailed her performance of “Independently Owned,” the standout song from the soundtrack.

Shucked is a production that knows exactly what it is; it’s a romp. It’s an abundance of jokes and some catchy songs hung on the flimsiest of plots. The characters have simple motivations and just enough depth for an audience to feel invested, and everything is wrapped in a gentle nostalgia for small community Americana inhabited by salt-of-the earth people who also are—conveniently, for modern urban audiences—pretty open-minded. Instead of putting on airs, Shucked gives the audience a wink and says, don’t worry about it, wouldn’t you like to enjoy yourself for a little bit?

Broadway in Portland presents Shucked at Keller Auditorium, 222 SW Clay, through Sun Nov 2, $56.40 and up, showtimes and tickets here.