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[0:00] Miranda Moffat: We're here to tell you a fable.

[0:02] Miranda Moffat: A farm to fable.

[0:19] Miranda Moffat: Like the lazy dentist said, brace yourself.

[0:30] Jess: Hello and welcome to an extra special episode of Theatre in the D and I am joined once again after a small hiatus by my usual guest Miranda Moffat.

[0:40] Miranda Moffat: Hi everyone.

[0:41] Jess: You were greatly missed last time. You missed out on Hell's Kitchen.

[0:45] Miranda Moffat: I know, what a travesty.

[0:47] Jess: Well, you were here tonight for the Korn musical, which is how I pitched this to you and I don't think I misled you in any way.

[0:58] Jess: This musical is about Korn in every conceivable way.

[1:01] Miranda Moffat: It is indeed about Korn and I didn't understand at first how an entire musical could be based around Korn and honestly, I still don't.

[1:10] Jess: So who is the composers and writers behind this, Miranda?

[1:16] Miranda Moffat: I ask because you're the one with the programs.

[1:19] Miranda Moffat: I know Shane McAnally of my namesake is in there somewhere.

[1:23] Jess: Please pause. Please pause.

[1:25] Jess: This is a professional operation we have here.

[1:28] Miranda Moffat: Let's see. We have the book by Robert Horn, music and lyrics by Brandy Clark and Shane.

[1:34] Jess: Is it pronounced the same as yours?

[1:36] Miranda Moffat: It is pronounced the same way.

[1:37] Jess: Okay, Shane McAnally.

[1:39] Miranda Moffat: Spelled the same way, said the same way.

[1:41] Jess: Yes, very much so. Okay, cool.

[1:44] Jess: So this has kind of been on my radar for a bit.

[1:47] Jess: I've listened to the cast recording and it's kind of been like, oh, that's charming.

[1:52] Jess: And you know, that's kind of my review of this experience.

[1:54] Jess: It is a charming, fun show where they are telling a million jokes a minute.

[1:59] Jess: And as a fan of dad jokes and puns, I had a good time with that.

[2:05] Jess: A little light on plot, but I think that's kind of by design.

[2:08] Jess: And the cast and ensemble were truly great.

[2:12] Jess: They built a wall of sound whenever they were singing.

[2:15] Jess: I really appreciated it and I appreciated how much there was a set and how they used their set fairly wisely throughout.

[2:21] Jess: It was not a screen.

[2:26] Miranda Moffat: Yeah, no, I agree.

[2:27] Miranda Moffat: I mean, I think it's a really cool optical illusion, in the sense that the first two kind of like panes are technically a practical thing and then the rest of it sort of further away from you is, I think, I'm pretty sure some kind of screen of some sort.

[2:42] Miranda Moffat: But like a fabric screen, it looked like.

[2:45] Miranda Moffat: It mixes the practical and the otherwise in a good way.

[2:50] Jess: And if you could describe the plot of this musical, Miranda, what would it, how would you describe it?

[2:54] Miranda Moffat: Corn goes bad.

[2:58] Miranda Moffat: Moana from the Hicks has to leave her island slash cornfield to find a solution to the dying crop.

[3:06] Jess: Isn't this just the plot of Moana?

[3:08] Jess: Isn't that the reason she leaves the island is because like the coconuts start to go bad?

[3:11] Miranda Moffat: I'd say it's Moana meets a bug's life because in a bug's life, they bring back people, if that makes sense.

[3:18] Miranda Moffat: Where in Moana, Maui never really comes back to her island.

[3:22] Jess: I suppose so.

[3:24] Jess: But essentially it is the plot of Moana in a cornfield.

[3:29] Miranda Moffat: And in Tampa as opposed to the ocean.

[3:32] Jess: Yes, the mystical land that we have to travel to to find the answer is Tampa, Florida.

[3:37] Miranda Moffat: It's a very American story.

[3:40] Miranda Moffat: And very American in its references and iconography and all that.

[3:46] Miranda Moffat: And it's an original piece.

[3:48] Miranda Moffat: I can't imagine this is based on anything unless you're going to loosely claim it's based on Moana.

[3:52] Jess: But I don't think they're crediting that.

[3:54] Miranda Moffat: No, but it is essentially the plot of Moana.

[3:57] Miranda Moffat: It's the hero's journey, which is every plot.

[4:01] Jess: Luke Skywalker has to leave his planet to bring balance to the force.

[4:05] Miranda Moffat: I understand.

[4:07] Miranda Moffat: But it's like specifically, oh, the crops are dying.

[4:10] Miranda Moffat: Like it's specifically the crops are dying.

[4:13] Miranda Moffat: And as opposed to like a god that you're bringing back, you're bringing back some guy from Florida.

[4:19] Miranda Moffat: A con man, a man that works on feet, corns.

[4:23] Jess: And therefore the confusion is there.

[4:25] Miranda Moffat: Yes.

[4:26] Miranda Moffat: That's a good bit.

[4:27] Jess: It's a good bit.

[4:29] Jess: I love a con man story.

[4:31] Jess: My music man heart was excited for what cons might be ahead of me.

[4:36] Miranda Moffat: And there was not many cons we had.

[4:38] Miranda Moffat: Many corns, but not many cons.

[4:40] Jess: Clever.

[4:41] Jess: That's about what you're getting with this musical.

[4:43] Miranda Moffat: Yes.

[4:44] Miranda Moffat: I think, you know, for me personally, I'm somebody who's, I think we've discussed this before.

[4:48] Miranda Moffat: It's really hard to get a chuckle out of me.

[4:50] Miranda Moffat: It has to be something really, really smart or really stupid, I think.

[4:54] Miranda Moffat: And kind of nowhere in between.

[4:56] Jess: Did you get any laughs?

[4:59] Miranda Moffat: I did get one.

[5:00] Miranda Moffat: I got like one and a half.

[5:01] Miranda Moffat: My very, it's kind of weird because I really like the second act more than the first.

[5:06] Miranda Moffat: Which is not the typical, like usually the first act is like the masterpiece.

[5:12] Miranda Moffat: And then it just sort of falls apart in the second act.

[5:14] Miranda Moffat: But I think in this case, I was like mildly disappointed and like not really excited to find out what was going to happen to like being pleasantly surprised.

[5:22] Miranda Moffat: And I think the part that made me laugh the most was them basically like, there's a bit at the end where they are trying to get the con man drunk so that he will spill his guts about what he's actually there for.

[5:32] Miranda Moffat: And the narrators are essentially like giving a play by play, you know, minute to minute.

[5:41] Miranda Moffat: They're like, you know, 15 minutes later, two minutes later, and they're all like, they're just sort of going through the motions of these different, you know, where they are in these actions and like them getting drunk and then trying.

[5:52] Miranda Moffat: I think the moment I chuckled the most is when they all tried to sing together and they were all just like not saying the same thing.

[5:57] Miranda Moffat: And we're just like so drunk that they were just all slurring different things.

[6:01] Jess: You are a fan of slapstick.

[6:02] Jess: You're not a big fan of wordplay.

[6:04] Miranda Moffat: And that's kind of a big thing that we talk about as well.

[6:08] Miranda Moffat: Yeah, it is.

[6:09] Miranda Moffat: It's a lot of wordplay.

[6:10] Miranda Moffat: It is clever wordplay, though.

[6:11] Miranda Moffat: I mean, it's stuff that makes you like you have to think about it for a second.

[6:14] Miranda Moffat: And like it is it's all very clever.

[6:16] Miranda Moffat: It's just not my particular brand of humor.

[6:18] Miranda Moffat: But this slapstick was very good and was my favorite part.

[6:21] Jess: Yeah. Whereas I love wordplay.

[6:23] Jess: Wordplay is my brand of humor.

[6:25] Jess: That is what brings me happiness and joy.

[6:28] Jess: So hearing the things because usually when I hear like funny witticisms, I've kind of heard them all before.

[6:36] Jess: So new folksy twists on things I've heard a thousand times were nice.

[6:40] Jess: Like, what was it?

[6:41] Jess: When God, when a door opens.

[6:44] Jess: So does a window.

[6:45] Jess: Aside from that, there's nothing wrong with the truck.

[6:47] Miranda Moffat: I think I coughed laugh.

[6:49] Miranda Moffat: That was that.

[6:50] Miranda Moffat: That got me.

[6:51] Jess: That's my kind of stuff.

[6:52] Miranda Moffat: It is good.

[6:53] Miranda Moffat: No, I'm not saying it's not funny.

[6:54] Miranda Moffat: It's just very hard to get.

[6:56] Jess: You are hard to make laugh.

[6:57] Miranda Moffat: Yeah.

[6:58] Miranda Moffat: To get a chuckle out of me.

[6:59] Miranda Moffat: But it is it is all very clever.

[7:01] Miranda Moffat: And honestly, I think my favorite character was his name.

[7:04] Miranda Moffat: Peanut.

[7:05] Miranda Moffat: Is he the grandfather or the brother?

[7:06] Jess: No, the brother.

[7:07] Miranda Moffat: Yes.

[7:08] Miranda Moffat: His name was Peanut.

[7:09] Miranda Moffat: He was weirdly like my favorite character.

[7:12] Miranda Moffat: I think he was just like the most heart.

[7:15] Miranda Moffat: Yeah, the most sincere, I think.

[7:17] Miranda Moffat: I don't know.

[7:19] Miranda Moffat: I might be reading something into this.

[7:21] Jess: What is the name of the main gentleman character?

[7:24] Miranda Moffat: Bo.

[7:25] Jess: Bo.

[7:26] Miranda Moffat: I think the actor's wife might have been sitting in front of us with her family.

[7:30] Jess: Really?

[7:31] Miranda Moffat: I think so.

[7:32] Miranda Moffat: That is it.

[7:34] Miranda Moffat: Truly, this is tinfoil hat territory.

[7:36] Miranda Moffat: I don't really have a good explanation aside from the fact that she was wooting and hollering every time he did something.

[7:43] Miranda Moffat: But the minute he kissed that girl, she got real serious.

[7:46] Jess: Oh.

[7:47] Miranda Moffat: I was like, oh.

[7:48] Jess: She could just be a big fan.

[7:50] Miranda Moffat: A big fan.

[7:51] Miranda Moffat: That may be it.

[7:52] Miranda Moffat: That may be it.

[7:53] Miranda Moffat: But I was reading something into that.

[7:56] Miranda Moffat: As far as the cast goes, for something that doesn't have much pathos to it, you still felt like these were real characters, not just caricatures?

[8:05] Jess: I agree.

[8:06] Jess: Can I do a weird aside while it's on my mind?

[8:08] Miranda Moffat: You can.

[8:09] Jess: OK.

[8:10] Jess: So the Fisher Theater in Detroit is one of my, if not my, very favorite place to go see shows.

[8:16] Jess: There's nowhere else where you're going to get free parking.

[8:19] Jess: It's very spacious.

[8:20] Jess: You're not cramped in with 1,000 human beings.

[8:23] Jess: There's enough bathrooms to meet the needs.

[8:25] Jess: It's one of my favorite places to see theater.

[8:27] Jess: The seats are all good because it's stadium style where it's like there's a grade to the floor.

[8:34] Jess: And we've been to a lot of theaters around Detroit and also in New York City and Chicago and elsewhere.

[8:40] Jess: Modern theater audiences.

[8:43] Jess: I don't care where you are or what show you are seeing.

[8:48] Jess: Please observe theater etiquette if you can.

[8:53] Jess: It is the middle of the winter.

[8:55] Jess: Well, it's the beginning of the winter.

[8:57] Jess: People are coughing, hacking around you.

[9:00] Jess: If you are not well, stay home.

[9:03] Jess: Do not be coughing up the back of my neck so that I can feel it, so that I can feel the stiff breeze blowing the hairs on my head while you let out a loogie, OK?

[9:14] Miranda Moffat: That was not the theater etiquette I thought you were going to be talking about today.

[9:18] Jess: And another thing.

[9:19] Jess: Here we are.

[9:20] Jess: It's a theater performance.

[9:23] Jess: I don't think that you should be sitting there in silence, clap, laugh, hoot, holler, jeer when you need to.

[9:30] Jess: I truly believe that theater is an interplay between the audience and the cast, and that's where the magic happens.

[9:37] Jess: However, you are not in your home.

[9:40] Jess: You are not on your couch watching a movie.

[9:43] Jess: Please do not talk at full volume and comment out loud what you are seeing.

[9:49] Miranda Moffat: Thank you.

[9:50] Jess: That is all.

[9:51] Miranda Moffat: Not only commenting out loud, repeating what was just said.

[9:54] Jess: Just echoing.

[9:55] Miranda Moffat: And not just doing it once or twice, two or three times.

[9:58] Jess: And you know what?

[10:00] Jess: I probably would not have minded it if they hadn't come in 15 minutes late to the show, too.

[10:04] Miranda Moffat: That's another thing.

[10:06] Jess: Please show up on time.

[10:08] Jess: Please plan to come back from the bathroom on time.

[10:11] Jess: I came with drinks and food 15 minutes late.

[10:14] Jess: Please do not be eating something really loud and annoying in the middle of really important parts.

[10:20] Jess: Just please observe proper theater etiquette when you are leaving your home.

[10:25] Jess: Sit there in stoic silence like we did.

[10:28] Miranda Moffat: That's not what I'm saying.

[10:29] Jess: I'm just saying have a little respect for yourself and everybody else around you.

[10:34] Jess: And act like your mama taught you how to act when you leave the house.

[10:37] Miranda Moffat: Okay.

[10:38] Jess: That's all.

[10:39] Jess: There is one man who was having the best time.

[10:42] Jess: I called him the gremlin man who was cackling really loud and hacking and having a blast in the mezzanine.

[10:48] Miranda Moffat: And I love him.

[10:49] Jess: That's different.

[10:50] Jess: I can never truly fault someone for having a really great time.

[10:54] Miranda Moffat: No.

[10:55] Miranda Moffat: But being rude is a totally different thing.

[10:57] Jess: Yeah.

[10:58] Jess: Just have some decorum, please.

[11:01] Jess: Enjoy yourself, but be respectful.

[11:03] Miranda Moffat: I agree.

[11:04] Miranda Moffat: Do not take away from the show that much from me.

[11:07] Jess: This was just something for us to have our little PSA.

[11:12] Jess: As far as the songs themselves, I like when they're trying to be goofy and fun.

[11:18] Miranda Moffat: But when we get to the sentimental ballads, I tend to not be as engaged.

[11:25] Jess: I agree.

[11:26] Jess: I agree.

[11:27] Jess: I think because it is so goofy, the change up and trying to be really wholesome and sincere is a little bit meh.

[11:34] Miranda Moffat: And the thing I will say about this is my pet peeve, which I've expressed before, are musicals that sound like musicals.

[11:43] Miranda Moffat: It has a certain vibe to it that it just is the most theater-y theater sound you've ever heard.

[11:49] Jess: Whereas this was very obviously, like it even says in the description for Mr. Shane McAnally that he has written songs or produced songs for Kelly Clarkson, Casey Musgraves, Dolly Parton.

[12:02] Miranda Moffat: You can tell that these are catchier songs that could exist independent of the show itself.

[12:11] Jess: But I don't love that. This is where you and I differ in taste.

[12:14] Jess: I want my musical theater to sound like musical theater.

[12:17] Miranda Moffat: I like somewhere in the middle, but I prefer this to the songs that sound like, oh, I'm obviously in a theater watching a theater performance listening to theater-y music.

[12:30] Jess: I think what you're trying to say, and I don't disagree with this, is you hate it when theater composers are trying to sound like populist music.

[12:39] Miranda Moffat: And you think when populist people like Sarah Bareilles, Shane McAnally, and folks like that come into the theater space, it kind of feels a little more successful.

[12:48] Jess: Well, yes, because I think it's coming from a genuine place. It's not a facade of something. It's people who actually do that work, sort of melding the two worlds.

[12:59] Miranda Moffat: You've given examples of what the musical theater sound that sounds way too much like musicals. Just remind us of that.

[13:05] Jess: I think Legally Blonde is a good example. Some of Mean Girls to an extent, which is funny because I'm pretty sure the main girl was also in the national tour of Mean Girls that we saw.

[13:16] Miranda Moffat: So, yeah, those songs in particular where it was just obviously a money grab, where it's like, we just have to find a way to make songs out of this movie and just make it sound like a musical. I don't know.

[13:32] Jess: Here's the thing. I am so grateful for this musical, Shucked, getting to Broadway. Because A, I think it's going to do a killing in community theater. Kids will love putting on this show.

[13:43] Miranda Moffat: And it will be nowhere near as expensive as Mean Girls or the other ones. It will be just as fun and probably get you a lot more culture.

[13:51] Jess: And also, it's an original musical and with nothing basis. I was looking through this trying to figure out if this was based on some short story or something, but nothing.

[14:01] Miranda Moffat: This is whole grain, no pun intended, musical right from the source. And yeah, it's playing with familiar themes that we've seen before, but hey, that's fine.

[14:11] Jess: What is any modern art but a mix of worn out cliches presented in a different way?

[14:22] Miranda Moffat: I agree with you. Mad respect for creating something completely original, mostly.

[14:27] Miranda Moffat: That's not based on anything in a world full of prequels and sequels and remakes.

[14:33] Jess: I think this is the first since A Strange Loop, and A Strange Loop was probably the first since Book of Mormon.

[14:36] Miranda Moffat: Yeah, that's not based on some other material.

[14:40] Jess: Yeah, it's wild. Sondheim, RIP in peace.

[14:43] Miranda Moffat: No, I mean, I agree. And that's why I think some parts fell flat for me, but overall I think it was a really good...

[14:48] Jess: I really did not know how they were going to make a story about corn for an entire musical, so I think it is mostly successful and I did enjoy myself. I was surprised that most of it still took place in the corn town. I thought she was going to spend most of it out into the world of Tampa.

[15:07] Miranda Moffat: I agree. I was kind of shocked that that's where we decided to stay planted, but I honestly think that the Tampa parts were probably my least favorite bits of the show, so I wasn't bothered by it. Truly, my favorite bits of the show were the two narrators. They were like the ones that I was just consistently entertained by and I'm like, oh, in a way of like, you guys are going to stop and entertain me for a little bit and I kind of don't have to focus on a story when you're around.

[15:34] Jess: I agree and I think that's why I like the second act so much is just because it feels like I enjoyed their pieces, too, and I think the twist at the end of who the narrators are actually really lands pretty heavy on you and is like very interesting and kind of heartfelt in the ways that they were telling the story, so I don't know. I think the second act really puts a nice bow on it at the end.

[15:56] Miranda Moffat: That could have come off so corny, for lack of a better word. It really could have come off as so ridiculous and eye-rolly and it really didn't.

[16:05] Jess: No, I think it really did land. As far as other things we've seen recently, I feel like this is like one of the better ones, but I get why it didn't get much love at the Tonys at the same time. Like, it reminded me a little bit of Escape to Margaritaville if it was good. I guess, because it does feel like something that is trying to maybe pick at a certain demographic. But it was never making fun of them. It was not being like city versus, you know, the rural or anything like cowboy and the...

[16:38] Miranda Moffat: I mean, it kind of was, but like in a humorous way, not a mean way.

[16:42] Jess: Yeah, it was not like... Something like Parade, which is my favorite musical, but it is very much like these dumb hicks.

[16:51] Miranda Moffat: Yeah, it is making an example of them for good reason.

[16:55] Jess: Yeah, I would agree with that point. It just made everyone feel like a character. And the MVP, as far as like actors that was given not much to play, but did very well as a gentleman that played the con man, could post his name like something Jackson.

[17:10] Miranda Moffat: Oh, that is a good question. I feel like I never... Is it like Dudley or something?

[17:17] Jess: Something like that. It was something... I remember his last name being Jackson. I was like, oh, is it because he's from Florida?

[17:23] Miranda Moffat: From Florida. It is too dark. I can't see what the name is. Hold up. Let's see.

[17:29] Jess: Gordy.

[17:30] Miranda Moffat: Gordy. Gordy Jackson. I mean, he did not read as a man from Florida, but he read as an entertaining character, and he apparently did 3,000 performances of Jersey Boys.

[17:41] Jess: That's what we were... We were trying to calculate out how many years that would be approximately, and I think it was like seven or eight.

[17:48] Miranda Moffat: That's most of the run of Jersey Boys. Or like props for sticking with it. Jersey Boys is like silently one of the most long running Broadway musicals of all time. Like, it's up there. I've still never seen it. One day, maybe.

[18:03] Jess: Nearer, bye. I'm just not a fan of Frankie Valli.

[18:07] Miranda Moffat: Is he the gentleman who's still singing?

[18:09] Jess: Yeah, he's the one that just lip syncs. There was a TikTok meme about him.

[18:13] Miranda Moffat: Right. Right. We're just pulling out his shuffling corpse every now and again.

[18:17] Jess: Yeah. Honestly, go see Jersey Boys. That's probably more of an entertainment than seeing the actual Frankie Valli at this point. I feel really bad for him, though. Anyway.

[18:25] Miranda Moffat: Well, speaking of Frankie Valli, when we saw Wicked, we saw Frankie Valli's granddaughter as Elphaba.

[18:31] Jess: Oh, yeah. I forgot that that was a thing. That was like a couple years ago.

[18:34] Miranda Moffat: No, no. It was just two years ago. Last January.

[18:36] Jess: What is the definition of a couple, Jesse?

[18:38] Miranda Moffat: Fuck you. Eat my ass and talk...

[18:44] Jess: Um, was there any one song that stood out to you? Like, I know we talked about sequences or anything, but as far as songs...

[18:51] Miranda Moffat: I don't know. Let me think about it. I mean, I still think, like, they kind of... they blew their load on that opening number, because I was, like, really into it, and they had, like, the corn dancing, and I'm like...

[19:01] Jess: Oh, yeah. That's what I wanted to bring up. That would have been my favorite number, honestly, of the whole musical. Like, it kind of set it off on a real high. Just, like, the amount of choreography and sort of, like, timing and things that had to be right for that to look the way that it did. It was really impressive. It was a really... yeah. For a musical about corn, I was... that kind of blew my socks off.

[19:24] Miranda Moffat: And it really made you realize, okay, so you're committing to the corn bit. Got it, got it.

[19:28] Jess: Yeah. And they do. And this is not a very dance-y musical, which I know people on the internet and you make fun of me for not particularly liking dance numbers. I didn't miss it. I did not miss long dance choreography moments.

[19:43] Miranda Moffat: Sometimes it's not necessary.

[19:45] Jess: Sometimes you just need two powerhouse singers belting their faces off. I also love seeing, like... and this is something that, as somebody who has acted before and had to watch themselves in playback and on screens and stuff, is the worst thing in the world to realize that you have different, like, eccentricities and tics that you always do. And I always like to see that in singers. Like, some people will sing out of one side of their mouth. Or the gentleman who played Bo, I specifically noticed that he closes his eyes most of the time when he sings.

[20:17] Miranda Moffat: It made me think of an anecdote from The Making of Rent, where Adam Pascal auditioned for Roger, and they almost didn't cast him because he closed his eyes when he sang. I, while watching it, I thought of that anecdote, and I was like, man, no one told him about that. Because they kind of had them singing more, and that's, like, I think by virtue of the way that the songs are, like, they're singing them more like pop songs than they are, like, pop songs or rock songs or, like, more than they would be straight musicals.

[20:46] Jess: Musical theater songs.

[20:47] Miranda Moffat: Musical theater songs. So, like, the way that they're singing them is a little bit different than just, like, a traditional sound. You know, that Carnegie Mellon sound. Not everyone on stage sounded like Josh Groban, so I welcomed that. So I thought that was interesting, and the way that they were singing and the sort of tics that they had were more in line with, like, if you went to a concert and you saw somebody singing, it was kind of like that.

[21:08] Jess: Yeah, and that means that not everyone is a triple threat because of that style, which means I didn't have to watch a bunch of dance kicklines. I'm just leaning into the bit. I'm just leaning into it now. As far as everything else, though, this is such a simple story that, I mean, if you're gonna knit some pics, it's just like, you know where this is going from moment one. You know where we're gonna end up.

[21:29] Miranda Moffat: The surprises are always with the jokes, like, as far as I was concerned. Like, the things that caught me off guard were always, like, the punchlines going in directions I didn't expect, and maybe it's just because we don't make studio comedies anymore, and I just have to rewatch the things I've seen. It was just nice to have expectations subverted with jokes.

[21:52] Jess: It does. It does feel very much like the mid-budget movie of musicals. Like, the very necessary in-between. Like, it's not like Phantom of the Opera, where you have, like, a thousand cast members, and it's gonna, like, knock your socks off every moment of it, and it's like a big, huge production. Like, it is the mid-budget movie of musicals, which I think there is definitely a place for.

[22:16] Miranda Moffat: Please bring back the mid-budget movie.

[22:18] Jess: Yes. Materialists should have done better.

[22:21] Miranda Moffat: Yeah. And I think there is definitely a place for it, and I think, like you said, if you wanna knit pics and things, like, did I love the corn-centric-ness? Hey, that was fun. It was funny. It's a nice, it's a nice, kitschy little touch. I like it. But I think overall, I had a really good time. I think a lot of the humor really lands, and I do think that it does have some surprises in store when you watch it. Like, yes, you're gonna watch something that is based on, like, you know, tropes or cliches or things that you've seen before, but the way that it sort of remixes them and the sort of surprises that it has in store are worth seeing.

[22:59] Jess: And also, it's a good parent musical. Like, there's some shows that you just could not take your parents to. Like, I can't imagine many parents really loving Mean Girls, even though you took your dad to that.

[23:10] Miranda Moffat: But I think most parents, like, this thing Come From Away or, like, The Ultimate Mom musical.

[23:14] Jess: True, true. Although, you did mention, like, community theaters and schools doing it. They would definitely need a junior version, because some of the humor is kind of dirty.

[23:24] Miranda Moffat: I, yeah, but I put on Little Shop of Horrors, and I was swearing like a crazy man, because they let me.

[23:30] Jess: I think we need it. Well, you know, when you're in a, you know, good old Romulus. I mean, people put on Spelling Bee, and it has a song about an erection. I think, like, A Little Edge is fine for high school.

[23:43] Miranda Moffat: I suppose, I suppose. It's somehow not as bad as Back to the Future, where we're talking about heavy incest.

[23:51] Jess: Yeah, I would not recommend Back to the Future. It's a musical for high schools.

[23:55] Miranda Moffat: But Shucked, I think it's fine. You get to hear kids say holy shit, and it's really cute.

[24:00] Jess: A lot of dick jokes.

[24:01] Miranda Moffat: A lot of dick jokes.

[24:02] Jess: Yeah, but, you know, they're PG dick jokes. Like, there's no one saying fuck. There's no, like, direct violent sexual references. Like, compared to Book of Mormon.

[24:13] Miranda Moffat: That's true. That's true. This is kind of still in the kiddie pool, as far as those things are concerned. We're not getting too deep here.

[24:22] Jess: Or even wilder. Like, I don't think anyone's putting on A Strange Loop in high school, but I would like, if you are, I would like a ticket to see it.

[24:30] Miranda Moffat: Please let us know where you are. I will be there opening night to watch The Parents.

[24:35] Jess: Oh, God. So, Miranda, what is your overall thoughts on Shucked and your cheese rating?

[24:42] Miranda Moffat: I think, as I said, my overall thoughts on Shucked are it is a good time overall. I think if you are somebody who likes a jukebox musical, this will appeal to you. Because it has more of a pop sort of theme. And even if you are somebody who likes straight musicals, it's something that will appeal to you because it does lean on a lot of the same sort of tropes and expectations that you have in theater. So I think it's for everyone. It is pretty down-to-earth and relatable for folks that just want to have a good time. And my cheese rating is, of course, corn cheese. Because what other option do I have but to say corn cheese?

[25:19] Jess: That's fair enough. I also thoroughly had a good time. I think that the songs are catchy enough, but the one thing I don't think I really conveyed is I disagree with you. I think Act 2 is a little less effective than Act 1. Because Act 1 is like all jokes and glory ahoy. Where Act 2 is like, oh, the power ballads have come in.

[25:42] Miranda Moffat: That's true. I guess I should say, maybe not that Act 2 was better than Act 1, but that Act 2 had my favorite moments in it.

[25:49] Jess: Yes, I can see that. And it's a lot less songs in Act 2, where Act 1 is kind of like, song a minute, we're going to have fun. And we're telling a lot of story really fast. Where Act 2 is like, let's slow down really slow, and then get really fast at the end. I feel like all musicals are like, let's tell a bunch of plot in the last five minutes.

[26:07] Miranda Moffat: Moulin Rouge is still the worst contender at that.

[26:10] Jess: The worst offenders.

[26:12] Miranda Moffat: Yes, yes, yes. Still had a good time with that. I am giving this cheesy cornbread, because I think that mixes well.

[26:22] Jess: Are you allowed to bring bread into this situation?

[26:25] Miranda Moffat: Literally, last week, we covered RRR, and I gave it cheesy naan, because Indian food.

[26:31] Jess: All right, it just has to have some element of cheese, is that what we're saying?

[26:34] Miranda Moffat: Yes, well, Andrew took paneer, and he said it wrong, because all he did was google Indian cheese. And I was like, you've never even eaten that, you motherfucker.

[26:42] Jess: Paneer is still delicious, by the way.

[26:43] Miranda Moffat: Paneer is fucking good. Talking about it made me order Indian food that night.

[26:48] Jess: I was, yeah. Delicious. I think next we have Spamalot, which is the Monty Python musical. Miranda, correct me if I'm wrong. You claim you've never seen a Monty Python movie.

[27:00] Miranda Moffat: I have not. And as is the age-old story, my boyfriend, well, now fiancé.

[27:05] Jess: Fiancé, fiank.

[27:07] Miranda Moffat: Is going to make me watch it. Not even because I'm like, hey, you have to watch this. I'm like, most of this musical is just going to be references to that fucking movie. And if you haven't seen it, it's really just going to be lost on you.

[27:21] Jess: That's a little bit like watching Airplane, and all of the 70s references are kind of going over my head.

[27:26] Miranda Moffat: Yeah.

[27:26] Jess: Monty Python didn't really do references like that. It's more like, what if a man dresses a lady and did some funny voices?

[27:35] Miranda Moffat: I feel like I get the point then. I can get the point.

[27:39] Jess: There are just so many lines that are like, we're about to say the really iconic line. It's like if you saw Mean Girls, the musical, and you'd never seen Mean Girls, and you're like, why is everyone fucking applauding? She said, fetch.

[27:50] Miranda Moffat: I guess. I guess.

[27:52] Jess: Well, yes, I will sit through it with you. And it's honestly less of a remake of the movie and more of kind of a sequel to the movie or an AU of the movie.

[28:02] Miranda Moffat: AU, oh my god. Did you read fan fiction growing up?

[28:07] Jess: Oh my god. Where did this terminology come from?

[28:10] Miranda Moffat: Oh my gosh, I was on Tumblr in the 2010s.

[28:14] Jess: Alternate universe.

[28:16] Miranda Moffat: What are we going to read some lemons next?

[28:20] Jess: It's MLM.

[28:21] Miranda Moffat: Thank you again for joining me tonight, and we look forward to seeing whatever we got next. Thank you again to Broadway in Detroit for letting us come out and see the show. And if you can, please go see Shuck the Musical at the Fisher Theatre. In our bio, you can learn how to get tickets. Thank you very much, and we'll see you next time in Theatre in the D. Bye-bye.