Now THAT'S A Show!!

Wrapping up my week of theatre Roommates K & M and I saw "The Great American Trailer Park Musical" tonight. So much more satisfying than my previous theatre going experience.

Here is a show that shouldn't work at all. Set in a trailer park in Florida it liberally mixes rock, country, and Broadway musical styles, for songs about huffing cooking spray, the joys of watching Sally Jesse Raphael, and what to do when a stripper is sleeping with your husband. Polyester and fake wood paneling are both featured heavily in the design. Somehow though, it all gels. The show is funny, touching, and a pleasure to watch.

The set design features such authentic touches as a tire cover with a naked girl riding a horse airbrushed onto it, an oversized satellite dish on a camper, and a rusty water tower overlooking everything. The designer was clever and innovative in finding ways to shift to other locations, and moving inside and outside the various trailers. Good old fashioned scenic design, that worked.

The plot and execution of the songs was spot on perfect in the show as well. How can you resist a show with lyrics about spray cheese, road kill, and pole dancing? The phrase "Like a nail, I will press on" will forever be a part of my language now.

THIS one, I'll recommend to anyone who'll listen.

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