BWW Reviews: HJT's THE GREAT AMERICAN TRAILER PARK MUSICAL

Boy, what a mess...but definitely the really good kind.

Celebrating sixty four years since Betty Bobp founded a group which would come to welcome theater aficionados of all ages to join and take part in the beauty of the dramatic arts, followed by Producing Artistic Director Nina K. Schuessler's dedication to creating a year-round educational venue on the Cape, the Harwich Junior Theater returns with a triumph with the start of a new, exciting summer season. Audiences have no doubt been telling wondrous tales about The Great American Trailer Park Musical which, simply put, treats audiences to one doozy of a show.

With music and lyrics by David Nehls and a book by Betsy Kelso, Director Robert Wilder must have pondered just a little how to present such a show as The Great Trailer Park Musical to the HJT audience; with its wit, complete lack of charm and wildly comedic nature, this is a musical that needs the right people to make it the right degree of funny while remaining true to the characters it presents. Wilder, the theater's resident musical director, undoubtedly proves with this show that he is as talented a director as he is an international musician, and HJT was right to appoint him in charge of creating a world that can only be described as raw, crude and a downright shame for the audience not to want to become a part of...well, for the night, anyway!

What more of an opportune chance could be given than to begin a show in the presence of a trailer park, nosy neighbors with questionable lives and levels of intelligence, so wrought (but not really consumed by) with troubles of their own that it is amazing they have time to care about others, and a community dealing with agoraphobia, cheating husbands and the lack of any sort of true life purpose. The plot revolves around the lives of three women, the married couple next door, a feisty new neighbor and her relentless ex-boyfriend who will traverse state lines to find his elusive woman.

Linoleum (nicknamed "Lin" and played by the truly awesome, and very fit, Anne Vohs), Betty (played by the very talented Heidi Crawley) and Donna (nicknamed "Pickles" and played by Caroline Clancy, who starred in the Academy's 2014 production of Cabaret and with whom I was equally as impressed with then) are three perpetually curious women living in the Armadillo Acres trailer park, and seem to have not much more to do with themselves than spy on the goings-on around them. This includes eavesdropping in on the lives of their married neighbors, Jeannie and Norbert Garsteccki (Caitlin Mills, who has an absolutely incredible voice, and Matthew Kohler, who is able to consistently act as though each new circumstance in his life has the power to surprise him each time, and his character is so vulnerable and great because of that). Jeannie hasn't stepped foot outside in two decades, ever since the couple's son was "kidnapped," and Norbert desperately tries to lure his wife out for their 20th anniversary.

Things become even more complicated (or tickle the trailer park-ians pink, depending on who you ask) when the promiscuous Pippi ( Kym Edson) moves into the trailer park with the intention of escaping her crazed ex-boyfriend Duke (Danny Price), only to discover that another man within the confines of the park catches her eye. Regardless of what each character faces as a resident of Armadillo Acres, each must deal with the repercussions of living in a community where everyone knows your business, there is trouble (sometimes man-made, sometimes as a result of southern exposure to nasty weather) lurking around every corner, and where there isn't any filter in terms of saying how one truly feels about the situation at hand.

Essentially, though, this is a story about survival in a world that is somewhat cruel to its inhabitants; even if they do not realize how misguided they are or the trouble they make for themselves and for others (take Pickles for example, who is seventeen and has numerous hysterical pregnancies but doesn't know her foot from her elbow), the life of each individual is tried until he or she is forced to do something about it. A story is being told, and although the concept of the show does not seem traditional musical theater, there are upbeat songs about the impending storm and living on one side of the tracks, while there are ballads which tell of one's love for another in a heartbreaking manner. So overall, it is a unique show which WORKS and gives the audience the chance to laugh at some points and contemplate life at others...and then just stare blankly at certain comments made by Pickles who just does too good a job at being an idiot.

There really isn't anything better than this, and what is amazing is how the set (kudos to Guy Trudeau and all that helped out with creating it) tells what a story before the show gives out its first musical note. What the audiences sees before them is the exterior of a trailer park community, complete with lawn chairs, hanging lights and the Armadillo Acres sign which fundamentally says it all: you have entered this community, and there is no turning back until each character on that stage has had his or her story told; it is truly an exhilarating feeling that one will be spending the next few hours in the company of such people. Stage left boasts a beautiful living room interior, and credit must be given for the design, as there is so much story told by looking at the simplicity of a person's living room, especially when looking at something so small that can be so indicative of the character who lives within its walls. Once the music begins, the trailer park lights up to commence the chaos about to occur upon the stage. And boy is there a lot of it!

From the acting to the music to the basic concept of what this story is about, HJT's production of The Great American Trailer Park Musical is beautiful. It is evident how hard each person involved with this production worked to make it what it is, and each has done a fantastic job. Credit must also be given to Suzette Hutchinson (Choreographer/Costume), Tristan Divincenzo (Costume Design) and all those who helped with making all on that stage shine! Not knowing what this musical was about myself before seeing it, I am beyond happy that I was given the chance to not only see the show for the first time, but also to have this mark my very first HJT show. What a way to kick off the summer season, and there is no doubt that Harwich Junior Theater will have even more successes as the warm weather approaches. With shows like The Music Man (opening June 26th) and Aladdin (opening July 17th), there are certainly many fun times to be had over in Harwich.

The Great American Trailer Park Musical, presented by the Harwich Junior Theater (located at 105 Division Street in West Harwich), began performances on May 15th and will continue thru June 14th, which means you only have a few chances more to see it! Tickets are $15-$25 and can be purchased either in person, by calling the box office at (508) 432-2002 or by visiting http://www.hjtcapecod.org/tickets/. Performances take place Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings at 7:30 PM with the option of a 4PM Sunday matinee. HJT also offers a variety of classes and workshops for children and adults alike, so if interested, check out the group's website for all registration information and deadlines.

Enjoy the show!

Photo Credit: Nina K. Schuessler

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