The Great American Trailer Park Musical
mad Theatre of Tampa, Shimberg Playhouse, Straz Center, through June 21. 8 p.m., Thurs.-Sat.; 2 p.m., Sun. $22-$25, 813-229-7827, strazcenter.org.
The Great American Trailer Park Musical is a trashy, raunchy, hillbilly-hot mess and you need to see it immediately.
Armadillo Acres is a brightly colored trailer park with all of the comforts of home, from empty PBR cans to plastic lawn chairs. Country music plays while you take your seats, getting even the most cynical of city dwellers in the mood for some down-home fun (no one can resist the power of Reba McEntire and if you can, I don’t want to know you).
Trailer Park’s story (book by David Nehls and Betsy Kelso, music and lyrics by Nehls) is centered on tollbooth collector Norbert (Rick Faurote), his agoraphobic wife Jeannie (the outstanding Dionne Christian), and Armadillo Acres’ newest resident, Pippi the stripper (Iris Moon). In Act 1 we learn that Jeannie’s agoraphobia was triggered by the kidnapping of her infant son 20 years ago. Norbert gives Jeannie the ultimate temptation, a 20th anniversary celebration out on the town — two tickets to the Ice Capades. When it seems, despite all of Norbert’s attempts, that Jeannie will never leave their trailer, he falls for their neighbor Pippi.
We’re carried by an eclectic Greek Chorus consisting of trailer park owner Betty (Lisa Stanforth), Lin — short for linoleum, the type of floor she was born on (Jamie Millan), and hysterically pregnant Pickles (the hilarious Kaitlyn Rosen). Listening to the group of them spill the tea on all the drama going down at Armadillo Acres makes you wish they were your girlfriends in real life. Acerbic, sassy and not in the business of taking your shit, they help the audience keep it real.
The songs of Act 1 help give the performance depth, while also just being plain hilarious. A particular high point was “The Great American TV Show,” which lets Norbert and Pippi defend themselves in a dream sequence, while also calling out the pitfalls of American television’s insensitivity toward regular folks.
By the end of the first act, we are reminded why Pippi ran to Starke, Fla., in the first place: Her marker-sniffing boyfriend Duke (Joshua Monsoon) is absolutely psychotic, and not quite ready to give up on their relationship.
Act 2, unfortunately, falls short in terms of plot, though the actors continue to give their all. Messy, complicated lives suddenly become idyllic, except in the case of Pippi, who is ignored as she slinks off from the trailer park. After having journeyed with the residents of Armadillo Acres this far, I wanted a little bit more, because the success of this performance is that you aren’t solely fixated on the residents as rednecks in trailers; you want to know what happens to the people, and see if their lives get any better. Beneath the stream of dicks jokes and insults, there is a current of real emotion. Jeannie’s feelings matter; you root for Pippi to make better choices. At the end, you want good things to happen to them because their lives are hard enough. When you’re laughing, it’s not solely at the expense of their intelligence; the characters are setting their own terms for humor and inviting you to keep up.
The actors of mad are radiant on the small stage of the Shimberg Playhouse at the Straz. From the soulfully performed songs to the enthusiastic performances, you can do no wrong by going to see The Great American Trailer Park Musical.
This article appears in Jun 4-10, 2015.