Critics hail the opening of the Silly Season

The Open Air Theatre, Regents Park

The critics couldn’t resist the opportunity to provide corn-ucopia of puns to match the corn-based one liners on stage. This very American story of a self-contained corn-growing town which seeks outside help when their crop fails might have seemed unlikely to travel well. However, The Open Air Theatre‘s new Artistic Director Drew McOnie decided its silly wordplay and rather good country music tunes would appeal to audiences this side of the Atlantic, and he was right. Many, but not all, reviewers wallowed in the silliness. But for some, it was just too silly. The combination of a good rating from the critics and relatively low ticket prices have made this the Best Value Show in the West End, at the time of writing.

[Links to full reviews are included but a number are behind paywalls and therefore may not be accessible]

5 stars  ⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑

After his 1 star experience at 1536, The Times’ Clive Davis clearly needed cheering up, and this was the show to do it. It covered all the bases for him.  ‘The songwriters Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally are steeped in Nashville values, which means that every song, even the occasional straight one, has an authentic ring.’ ‘Robert Horn’s book is a thing of beauty. The storyline may be slender but it’s crammed with in-jokes and sly nods and winks, all stitched neatly into place by the show’s Broadway director, Jack O’Brien. The phallic implications of corn on the cob are never far from anyone’s mind, and the two mischievous narrators, played by Monique Ashe-Palmer and Steven Webb, gleefully chip away at the fourth wall on the designer Scott Pask’s lopsided barn.’

Greg Stewart of Theatre Weekly was in awe of it: ‘What makes Shucked so endearing is its refusal to take itself too seriously. It’s a show that revels in wordplay and absurdity, yet never loses sight of its emotional core. Beneath the corny jokes and humorous asides lies a sincere message about embracing change, challenging tradition, and finding strength in community.’

4 stars ⭑⭑⭑⭑

Alun Hood at WhatsOnStage warned, ‘If exchanges like “what’s happenin’ brother?” “I just passed a huge squirrel…which is odd cos I don’t remember eating one” make you groan not guffaw, Shucked isn’t for you.’ It seemed it was for him: ‘It’s not elegant but if you’re in the right frame of mind, or maybe mindlessness, it’s pretty funny…Like that ubiquitous yellow vegetable, it’s only moderately nourishing but it’s sweet and surprisingly delicious.’

For Chris Omaweng at LondonTheatre1, it was ‘Very silly but very entertaining, it’s a satisfying evening of escapism.’ He explained, ‘There’s plenty of toilet humour, jokes about what goes on down below, and a large collection of puns and random thoughts that range from profound to puerile.’

The Telegraph’s Dominic Cavendish was impressed: ‘Robert Horn’s book chases laughs but its undercutting wit sharpens the experience rather than hollowing it out. Resembling breathing spaces, some songs may be corny in sentiment but also impart homespun truths.’

The Standard’s Nick Curtis said, ‘This knowingly ridiculous story is winningly sold, with a good deal of winking and smirking, by the alchemical double-act of Monique Ashe-Palmer and Steven Webb as Storytellers 1 and 2’.

Matt Wolf of LondonTheatre liked the way ‘the material even at its most outré (which is quite often) always regards its characters with respect.’ And he loved the script: ‘I can’t recall another production in recent years with so many lines ripe for the picking. I remain partial to the proviso from the ever-winning Seadon-Young’s Gordy: “Like the lazy dentist said, ‘Brace yourself’”.’

3 stars ⭑⭑⭑

The Stage’s Sam Marlowe enjoyed its silliness: ‘this is all romantic moonshine and capering nonsense. Make no mistake, it’s super stoopid. But at its best, it’s also sorta super – an uncomplicated good time.’ Alice Saville at The Independent had reservations about the show, finding it ‘very very American’, but the songs were ‘unabashedly gorgeous’ and she concluded it was a ‘dizzying dose of good old-fashioned corn syrup.’

For Chris Wiegand of The Guardian, it was too much: ‘everyone shares the compulsion to deliver bon mots, lollipop stick jokes and small-town homespun humour. It’s ultimately exhausting and not only flattens character but reduces dialogue to the same pattern of setup, pause and punchline (many of which you see coming), slowing down Jack O’Brien’s rambling production.’ But he did like the music: ‘it’s Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally’s songs that often blow you away: hoedowns, lonesome ballads, stagecoach rhythms, loud and proud show tunes, with a five-piece band heavy on the guitars and giving a percussive boost to the humour.’

Cindy Marcolina of BroadwayWorld was underwhelmed: ‘Every inch is tropey and formulaic, with quips that are either the low-hanging cob or the most extravagant sexual innuendo, missing the sophistication of well-calibred humour altogether. It has plenty of moments of brilliance and the company is overwhelmingly excellent, but the material isn’t as dazzling.’

Time Out‘s Andrjez Lukowski enjoyed the jokes but that wasn’t enough for him: ‘Shucked is very, very funny. When the laughter stops, you’re really not left with much of substance, but if you’re in the market for turning off your brain and laughing at corn for two-and-a-half-hours, this is clearly the show for you.’

Critics’ Average Rating: 3.8⭑

Value rating 58 (Value rating is the Average Critic Rating divided by the typical ticket price)

Shucked is at The Open Air Theatre  until 14 June 2025. Buy tickets from the theatre here.

If you’ve seen Shucked at The Open Air Theatre, please add your review and rating below