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REVIEWS
Trailer Park a rowdy spoof with heart
By Arline Greer,
"The Gainesville Sun"
Word has it that
when David Nehls and Betsy Kelso set out to write The Great American
Trailer Park Musical, they had no particular setting in mind. After
a recommendation from a friend in Jacksonville and a little random map
scouting, they arrived at the city of Starke.
Thus, it came to
pass that Starke, our neighboring city, has become immortalized in Nehls
and Kelso's rapturous send-up of North Florida's redneck population, a
send-up in music and dance now on stage at the professional Hippodrome
State Theatre.
Any time an author
writes a spoof of a particular people, be they minorities or snobs or,
in this case, small-town South trailer park residents, he has to make
certain that his affection for that group shines through all the jokes
he uses to make us laugh at them.
Kelso wrote the book
for the show, and Nehls composed its music; and one thing is quite
clear: They love the funny, absurd characters they've created for Trailer Park. Every joke is coated with the sweetness of a big slice
of cool, Florida watermelon. The characters make audiences fall in love
with them even as we laugh at their stereotypical, dim-witted problems,
all of them set to music that makes you want to dance.
Just seven
characters rock the trailer park set ingeniously designed by Mihai Ciupe
on the Hipp's stage.
The story is told
through a kind of south-of-Greek chorus: Betty, owner of Armadillo Acres
(the trailer park), Lin (short for Linoleum) and Pickles, who suffers
from hysterical pregnancies. The talented Cindy Thrall (Betty), Jennifer
Anderson (Lin) and MacKenzie Curran (Pickles) serve as singing narrators
who sometimes join the action.
They tell the story
of Jeannie and Norbert, who met way back in geometry class when Norbert
needed Jeannie's tutoring. Subsequently, they married and had a child,
who tragically was kidnapped. (To hear the tale, the kidnapping wasn't
nearly as "tragic" as Jeannie's bad perm.)
Now, 20 years later,
Jeannie is an agoraphobic who cannot even inch past her front door.
Norbert entices her with tickets to the Ice Capades to celebrate their
20th wedding anniversary, and Jeannie really, really wants to go, but
she needs more time getting that toe past the door.
Norbert,
understandably impatient after 20 years, finds himself at a strip club
and meets the very attractive Pippi, who shimmies and shakes and
collects many dollar bills. Turns out, they have a lot in common.
Norbert collects dollar bills, too. He's a toll collector. Jeannie,
Norbert and Pippi form a fateful love triangle, venting their
difficulties through the show's best ballads.
Mark Chambers as
Norbert, Catherine Fries Vaughn as Jeannie and Kelly Atkins as Pippi
move us to laughter and tears as they sing, "One Step Closer," "Owner of
My Heart," "But He's Mine" and "It's Never Easy." Chambers uses his rich
bass-baritone with an emotion that makes his character real rather than
silly. Atkins and Vaughn can belt a song or sing melisma with uncommon
sweetness. Both actresses put their hearts into each song.
If nature abhors a
vacuum, so does a love triangle.
Jumping into the
breach is Duke (Ted Stephens), Pippi's ex-boyfriend, who comes roaring
into Armadillo Acres looking for her. Prior to his arrival, the
other members of the cast, decked out in wild, flashy, turquoise
costumes and very white wigs, sing "Storm's A-Brewin'." It brings to
mind another flashy tune, "It's Raining Men" (Hallelujah!) and makes for
a strong precursor to Duke's entrance.
During Duke's stay
in Armadillo Acres, some mysteries are solved while new ones are
created. Guns go off. Babies are born. True love runs its course. And a
beautiful ending is framed for all as Jeannie and Pippi sing, "I'm gonna
make like a nail and press on."
Choreographer Judy
Skinner did an admirable job showing off the talents of the
protagonists. The costumes and props by Marilyn A. Wall and Lorelei
Esser are amazing in their virtuosity. As musical director, Bryan
Mercer's work makes every song move without a missed beat.
Credit Director
Lauren Caldwell for bringing everything together with impeccable
timing and with a sense of fun that never is disrespectful of the
stereotype on stage.
The Great
American Trailer Park Musical is a keeper.
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