Tampa has long been a tidy pop culture punch line. Do you need to count the ways that stick out and stick out everywhere, from stand-up sets to “30 Rocks”? If Florida is the root of all absurdity, then tampa is the juicyest fruit in the tree, uh… mob.
However, the area usually fades from the perpetrator who digs sweaty peculiarity before returning to his West Village apartment with four roommates. The perpetrators often don’t tease us in our faces.
It changed as “Shucked” on Tuesday. This is the Tony Award-winning musical comedy Now On Tour, which opened at David A. Straz Jr. Center for the Performing Arts.
Here’s a music and lyrics show by Brandi Clark and Shane McCanary, and a book by Robert Horn: Residents of the fictional town of Cobb County encounter difficulties when precious corn crops are drooping. Maiji (do you get it?), a simple but difficult young woman, leaves her simple fiancé, seeking help in a big city: Tampa.
I took my spouse. Nebraskan graduated as a Cornhusker before going to Tampa Bay. I was born in Ohio. There, observing the Amish is counted as a decent Saturday activity. We know corn, and we know tampa. Is Florida jokes hit or hurt? Is the Broadway stroke too wide? Was the cheap pouch of popcorn in the lobby really worth $10?
In Tampa, Maizy (played by Danielle Wade) tracks down the “Corn Doctor,” a low-level glyfter named Gordy, who pretends to be a Dowertristist (played by Quinn Vanantwerp). They jump out of the Florida man and return to Cobb County to unravel the chaos.
Before that, Mysy must arrive in our fair city. Tampa is featured under a show stop music number called “Travelin ‘Song.” Everyone knows who wears Tampa people, so they dress in a lime green visor.
“In Tampa, everyone is Tina or Tamara!” she sings. “It’s bleach and a platinum blonde festival! Yeah, everyone is beautiful in Tampa! I’ve never been told. The sand is white, the sun is gold, and everyone is very old.”
I wrote down all the ephemera I could capture while the cast was swirling with tropical prints. This is the show that imagines Tampa:
Piña Coladas, Retired, Steak, Stripper, Bamboo, Beer Helmet, Airbrush T-shirt, Barbie, Athlete, Flamingo, Palm Leaves, Avid Dad Sandals, Steel Drum, Non-Slack Jeweler, Alligator, Southwest Airlines.
Is it a bit accurate? According to us, it’s not that bad. In particular, in the authentic memo, the University of Tampa’s signature minaret is depicted inside the giant T. Meanwhile, Interloppers continue to believe that the city of Tampa has more beachfront property than that.
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Despite its accuracy, the Tampa crowd was engrossed. Deep in double wine and promotional whiskey, they hid onto Stras’ spongy horseshoes. “Shucked” is a sharp and entertaining satire packed with Innuendo and Lightning Fast One-Liners. Plus, most Floridians have been joking about us by now. You won’t move to Florida without expecting it to be a caricature.
But the rude truth of Tampa’s gags is always there, and it seems that we can’t shake up Albatross. Those who are protected as Maisie considers Tampa to be a cosmopolitan city, but the audience knows that it’s not. In the context of the show, Tampa is not a place where serious people may turn, but rather a flashy breeding ground for criminals, eccentrics and opportunists.
That ridiculous line is always stabbed as locals try to evangelize Tampa Bay’s history, diversity and outlook. Currently, over 3.4 million people live in metropolitan areas, of which approximately 400,000 live in Tampa alone. We are a business and creative center with respected institutes of higher education. We have a thrill too! And certainly, we have a share of leather-like con artists wearing pink. But as Tampa Bay continues to grow, comedy writers will need to access deeper cornfields to get inspiration.
“Shucked” has an underlying message to stop assumptions about people and places. That’s a good dream. Maybe that’s going to happen in Tampa.
If you’re going
“Shucked” runs until Sunday. Straz Center for the Performing Arts, 1010 NWC Macinnes Place, Tampa. Tickets start at $61. strazcenter.org.
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