Frankie Moran

San Diego Arts

"The Great American Trailer Park Musical" at California Center for the Arts

Hurry! National tour makes brief visit.
By Frankie Moran
Posted on Feb 03 2008
Last updated Feb 04 2008

Super Bowl Sunday would seem to be the perfect day for the local premiere of a quirky little show called "The Great American Trailer Park Musical." Too bad those who might appreciate it most were all parked on the couch watching the big game. At least 400 blasphemers such as myself, though, were on hand today to see its opening at Escondido's California Center for the Arts. And if you're reading this soon enough, you just may have time to celebrate (or mourn) your favorite team by taking in a musical celebration of that most all-American of communities -- the local trailer park (there's an evening performance at 8 PM).

(l-r) Lindsay Devino, Doreen Barnard, and Maryanne Piccolo

Copyright©2008 Courtesy of California Center for the Arts

A hit at the 2004 New York Musical Theatre Festival and its subsequent off-Broadway run, "The Great American Trailer Park Musical" is a clever, original little show currently criss-crossing the country on a non-union tour. With a fun score by David Nehls, and a witty book by Betsy Kelso, it spends a little over two hours detailing the exploits of residents of Armadillo Acres Trailer Park in the aptly-named town of Stark, Florida (and that's northern Florida -- the "other" Florida -- just so we're clear; no trendy South Beach or touristy Orlando in sight). Trouble is already brewing, as the highly agoraphobic Jeannie (Erica Livingston) is about to celebrate her 20th wedding anniversary to her husband, toll-booth attendant Norbert (Dave Howard). Thing is, she hasn't left the trailer in 20 years and they've got tickets to the Ice Capades ("everybody knows entertainment ain't entertainment unless it's on ice," a neighbor quips). Along comes exotic dancer Pippi (Sarah Ruzicka) to entice the philandering Norbert, and Pippi's crazed, violent ex-boyfriend Duke (Dane Agostinis) to stir things up, and, well, that's about it. It's not "Faust" -- it's just fun.

Acting as a garish Greek chorus of sorts, the trio of Betty, Pickles, and Lin (short for her birthplace, the linoleum kitchen floor) weave in and out of the story, filling in as nosy neighbors, TV talk show hosts, and kittenish strippers as necessary.

The hardworking cast of seven is excellent. Livingston's mousy wife is endearing, and she gets one of the show's best songs, "Owner of My Heart," a touching duet with Howard. He looks a tad too young for someone celebrating his 20th wedding anniversary, but Howard more than holds his own among the five very talented women of the cast. As newcomer Pippi, Ruzicka doesn't do a whole lot for a while, but when she lets loose in the show's finale ("I gotta make like a nail, and press on."), it's clear the woman has got some pipes. Agostinis has some fun moments as the permanent marker-sniffing Duke, but like too many Act Two openers, his one song, "Road Kill," is relatively unmemorable.

The remaining trio is played by Lindsay Devino, Maryanne Piccolo, and Doreen Barnard. At times, the young Devino tends to disappear amid the larger-than-life performances of Piccolo and Barnard, but her stint as a fast-food worker at the local Stand By Your Flan is hilarious. Piccolo's crass, mouthy neighbor is reminiscent of a young Roseanne Barr. It's the versatile Barnard, though, who steals many a scene she's in as leader of the pack Betty. Her turns as Sally Jesse Raphael and a thickly-accented Latina stripper are among the funniest in the show, not to mention her disco diva, no-it's-really-a-woman drag queen.

Joe Winiarski's set, with its Pepto-pink and teal trailer decorated with ever-present Christmas lights, is terrific, and Jennifer Caprio's trashy costumes complete the tackiness (as Betty says, "Nothing says 'lady' like leopard!").

Steven Smeltzer directed and choreographed, and Florida's Hippodrome State Theatre created the musical track, which actually isn't half bad.

This fresh, original new show is definitely worth a try, and this is the last California stop on the tour, so check it out if you can.

Where else will you hear "Meredith Baxter Birney" rhymed with "gurney"...?

VIEW PROGRAM HERE (PDF)

About the author: Frankie Moran is a graduate of the 2008 NEA Arts Journalism Institute in Theater and Musical Theater at USC's Annenberg School of Communication. He was also a Phi Theta Kappa valedictorian at San Diego's own Mesa College and graduated from UCLA's School of Theater, Film, and Television. Frankie got his start in theater criticism writing reviews of Broadway shows during a short stint at Columbia University. Since then, he has written for the North County Times and the Las Cruces Bulletin.
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Comments

Posted by Kate Barnard	February 6, 2008
I wish the play would come to Norfolk or Virginia Beach, Virginia so our whole family , Doreen's whole family, could get a chance to see how funny this thing really is. We are so proud of her. Kate Barnard, (mom)

Posted by Ann Valentino	March 17, 2008
I saw the play recently at the Lycian Theatre in Sugar Loaf, NY and LOVED it! What talent! I was greatly entertained and would see it again.

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