ARTS & CULTURE
By Anna Buie | Photos courtesy of Walton Arts Center
Shucked Celebrates Community and Comedy This Month
Shucked is the new musical comedy coming to Walton Arts Center on Dec. 17-22 that is turning musical theater on its ear and offering a kernel of hope for our divided nation. Grab your friends and join in for a hilarious yet impactful story that proves sometimes tearing down a few walls, rather than growing them, is the only way to preserve our way of life.
Shucked is the funniest corn-bred musical that everyone’s “stalking” about. Experience the Tony Award-winning production New York Daily News said is “a timely new musical with more gags than every other current Broadway show put together!”
Featuring a book by Tony Award winner Robert Horn (Tootsie, Designing Women), a score by the Grammy Award-winning songwriting team of Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally (Kacey Musgraves’ “Follow Your Arrow”), and directed by Tony Award winner Jack O’Brien (Hairspray), this American musical is sure to satisfy your appetite for great musical theater.
Photo by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman
“Shucked is about people from different cultures who all come together and learn how to love and appreciate each other,” Horn said about the creative team, “and that’s the story of our relationship. We’re all three so different, yet we share the exact same sense of humor.”
One of the main messages in the musical focuses on breaking down walls and letting the outside in, focusing on the idea that everything and everyone just needs a little love. In the musical, an emotional transformation occurs — a questionable outsider turns into a great person with a little bit of love from the community.
"There is this feeling a lot of people have that you’ve got to go to the big city to make it, but there are incredible success stories everywhere,” Horn explained, “and these characters embody that.”
“I am really moved by some of the things about small-town America that have been worked into the show,” Clark said. “It’s the lengths you will go to protect each other that hit me so hard, it reminds me of home.”
Recommended for ages 10 and older. Contains adult themes, moments of adult language and a harvest of corny innuendo. Don’t forget you can also add on a pre-show cocktail class Dec. 19-21 for just $39.
Tickets for Shucked at Walton Arts Center are $42-109 and are available now at www.waltonartscenter.org, by calling (479) 443-5600 weekdays 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. or in person at the Walton Arts Center Box Office weekdays 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.
Show Dates & Times:
Dec. 17 at 7 p.m.
Dec. 18 at 7 p.m.
Dec. 19 at 1:30 and 7 p.m.
Dec. 20 at 8 p.m.
Dec. 21 at 2 and 8 p.m.
Dec. 22 at 2 p.m.
Photo by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman
Winter Nights
Winter Nights returns to Walton Arts Center on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays through Dec. 21! Open 6 p.m. to midnight, this festive, family-friendly holiday bar and gathering space offers both indoor and outdoor areas decked in holly and ready for merry-making.
Reserve an enclosed snow globe for a fun night out or drop in for a festive cocktail, to make a s’more or grab a to-go drink. Walk-ins are always welcome. There are fire pits for roasting and toasting by all outside, and inside Joy Pratt Markham Gallery is additional seating and festive space for gathering.
Winter Nights will be hosting family-friendly activities each night from 6 to 8 p.m., including movie nights, crafts and story times. Then, from 8 p.m. to close, you can enjoy activities such as trivia, karaoke and live music.