In Hindsight... The Great American Trailer Park Musical

Review:
The Great American Trailer Park Musical

"It's like an all-you-can-eat waffle bar. You just have to know when to stop," laments Pippi, the new girl in the trailer park in Hart House's 2011 fall play The Great American Trailer Park Musical. Betty, Lin and Donna "Pickles" act as the Greek chorus in this raunchy comedy, carrying audiences through the story of a torrid affair in Armadillo Acres, their Florida trailer park community. Stopping is far from what this musical does - the play first opened in New York and made it to off-Broadway in 2005, touring from there to Florida, the UK, Arizona and Australia. Now, Hart House welcomes the Great American Trailer Park Musical for its Toronto premiere.

The upset of the marriage between high school sweethearts Jeannie and Norbert Garstecki is at the center of the drama, exacerbated by the new girl in town, exotic dancer Pippi. To Pippi’s dismay her crazy boyfriend Duke - played with amazing comedic timing by Justin Bott – makes an appearance, after she tried to escape him by leaving town. The highlight of the show is a scene in which the trailer park girls play the parts of Pippi's fellow exotic dancers, and Duke storms into their dressing room after a manic car trip (whilst sniffing markers the whole way) to come steal her back. In a moment that felt as fresh as the old skits on Saturday Night Live, Lin lurks behind Duke, sniffing him and speaking in the deep voice of a cross-dresser. Moments like these left audiences hysterical long after the scene had ended. Jennifer Morris, a native of - as she puts it - a small "hick" town in New Brunswick, proved superb comic timing as Lin, and it left me wondering if she had come up with the idea to speak in a manly voice herself. Not holding back in the slightest, it was a joy to see these three young women flaunt it on stage. Their costumes were especially well done: most notably during the song "Storm's A-Brewin”, in which they were ordained with skin tight disco-era silver costumes.

Propped with kitschy details such as a pink flamingo and chains of rainbow lights, the set with its three mobile homes captured the essence of stereotypical trailer trash. Let it be noted that the "for mature audiences" warning should be heeded - frequent swearing and a very risqué pole dance come with this tour through the Great American Trailer Park. For those who appreciate the John Waters "Crybaby" and "Hairspray" version of the 50's and beyond, this will hit the spot. It is no doubt Betsy Kelso`s purposefully cheesy and overdone script was written with a nod to camp heroes like Waters. Although the story feels a bit thin at times, this musical offers a perfect escape from back to school blues, providing great comic relief and an exploding level of enthusiasm on the part of its actors. - By Shauna C. Keddy

(Photos by Daniel Di Marco)

The musical plays at Hart House Theatre (www.harthouse.ca) until October 8.

-Written by Shauna Keddy