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NEWS
Starke-inspired play finishes run on weekend
By Alice Wallace, "The Gainesville Sun"
They've sung. They've danced. They've stripped. And
all in the name of good-natured, knee-slappin',
southern-fried fun.
And on Sunday afternoon, they will take one final
curtain call as the cast and crew of The Great
American Trailer Park Musical--which has become
the Hippodrome's longest running play in its 33-year
history.
"At the Hippodrome we have a reputation for doing a
really fun, wild and crazy musical during the
summer," said director Lauren Caldwell, who said the
cast and crew will be a little sad to see the play
go.
"There's a certain sentimentality that's attached to
something that runs this long," Caldwell said.
But perhaps even more than the cast, many residents
of Starke might be sorry to see the last of the
Southern-tinged musical, which takes place in a
trailer park called Armadillo Acres and features a
stripper named Pippi.
It just so happens that The Great American
Trailer Park Musical is set in Starke, a small
town of about 5,800 people northeast of Gainesville.
And according to figures from the Hippodrome, at
least one out of every eight Starke residents has
made the 45-minute drive down to Gainesville to see
one of the 95 shows that has played over the past 12
weeks. Starke residents were offered a discount.
The only show to even get close to the Trailer
Park run at the Hippodrome was Honky Tonk Angels
during the summer of 2001 that ran for 10 weeks.
"In a typical show, it's nowhere near 700 people
driving all the way from Starke," said Jessica
Thompson, director of marketing for the Hippodrome,
who put a lot of effort into promoting the show in
Starke to help residents realize the play isn't a
jab at their city.
"I've had a lot of conversations about it," said
Starke Mayor Steve Futch. "About every week,
someone's bringing it up and discussing it - talking
about how funny it was or how much they liked it."
Futch was at the Hippodrome opening night to see
Trailer Park, just to make sure his lifelong
home wasn't being raked over the coals. And, since
he was convinced of the play's good intentions the
first time he saw it, he plans to attend the last
show on Sunday with his daughter.
"I do have to say, most of the people I talked to
who had a problem with it are the people who haven't
seen it," Futch said.
Apart from the occasional four-letter word, and the
fact that there is not a strip club or toll booth
within Starke's limits, as the play portrays, Futch
said he enjoys the energy and story of the play.
"We have a little of that culture here just like
everybody else," he said. "It's not something where
you can't have fun and laugh at yourself a bit."
Caldwell said she expects that is part of why the
play has been such a hit in Gainesville.
What fun is it if you can't make fun of yourself?
"I think it's a great story with a great sense of
humor about it," Caldwell said. "And I think people
love to see stories about themselves, or at least,
about things they recognize."
The last performances of The Great American
Trailer Park Musical will be tonight at 8:15
p.m., Saturday at 5 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., and Sunday
at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Tickets range from $17 to $32, depending on the time
and day of the show. Starke residents can see the
show for $10 a ticket.
Original story located at:
http://www.gainesville.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060818/LOCAL/208180339/1078/news
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