Broadway has been struggling to regain its footing since reopening in the fall of 2021. The initial excitement of seeing new shows such as Six and beloved stalwarts such as The Lion King evaporated when coronavirus variants arose. Shucked, a new musical about corn, may be the show that lifts Broadway out of its post-coronavirus funk. Loosely inspired by the old TV series Hee Haw, the show has one goal: get laughs, as many as possible, as fast as possible. It’s has been kicking around since 2011, when the Opry Entertainment Group, which owns the rights to Hee Haw, hired Robert Horn to write a musical based on the TV show. He met with several Nashville songwriters and picked Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally, whose country-music hits include “Better Dig Two” and “Mama’s Broken Heart,” to write the score. The result is a delightful mix of Brigadoon, Oklahoma!, and The Music Man. And its message is simple: We can all get along. —Michael Riedel