Ed. note: The story has been updated from its original post in December to reflect the national tour’s stop in Fort Worth which opens on Tuesday, July 29, at Bass Hall.
As Shucked is about to open in Fort Worth, actor Tyler Joseph Ellis talked about his experience with this touring production. The gay actor plays Storyteller No. 2 who helps narrate the musical’s story. The character’s name may sound unassuming but is most certainly not and he discussed he helped fashion his own character and the payoff moment he and his fellow storyteller share.
But first, the actor never thought that “corn” would be so much a part of his life.
Shucked, written by Robert Horn with music and lyrics by Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally, centers on a small town that’s isolated due to its tall thriving crops of corn. But when the corn begins to die, one has to leave the confines – cornfines? – of the town of Cob County to find help.
So it’s no surprise that the veggie is front and center in Ellis’ life at the moment.
“More than I ever thought it would in my life,” he said. “For my non-theater friends, it’s just general confusion because they think of oysters first. But corn comes up a lot these days and my favorite thing honestly has been introducing this show to friends.”
The show opens on Tuesday, July 29 at Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth and runs through Aug. 3. This is the show’s and Ellis’ second time in North Texas within a year. Shucked opened as part of the Broadway Dallas series at the Music Hall at Fair Park last December which was also the tour’s first performances.
In the show, he and his fellow actor Maya Lagerstam are adjacent to the action as the Storytellers delivering the show along with a few punchlines. Without saying too much, their peripheral roles to the story end with a dramatic payoff. As Ellis’ character begins with a bit of trepidation, he’s discovered a more confident side that helps with that moment.
“I’m terrified because the character doesn’t know how this will work. We’ve never ‘told’ the story successfully, but you can see how I’m getting more confident as the character as the story continues,” he said. “If we do it right, the end is so satisfying. It’s a lightning-in-a-bottle feeling that these characters told this story with such care. But also, we really have to earn that feeling in the end.”
And while there’s nothing inherently queer about Shucked, there’s something about it that feels queer safe. Ellis even added that he opted to make his own character gay even if you may not notice – but pay attention to him as well.
“There is a queer mentality woven into the show and it’s really from a place of love and I thank Robert Horn for being open to the possibilities,” he said. “My role has a queer sensibility that’s nowhere to be found, but it has been a sort of passing of the queer torch each production which is now in my hands.”
For a couple more days anyways and then Ellis will look toward the new year. Is he ready for all the corn dishes at holiday gatherings though? He’s having a good time with the show so it probably doesn’t matter.
“It’s doing so well on the tour and we have all these queer creatives so everything is so much fun and it’s something I’m really proud of,” he said.
For tickets, visit BassHall.com.
—Rich Lopez