Review: Mechanicsburg Welcomes a Raunchy, Silly TRAILER PARK CHRISTMAS

If there's any group in America at which we're entitled to poke fun, it's some real American originals - rednecks. And rednecks are a group happy to poke fun at themselves - just ask Jeff Foxworthy, who laughs all the way to the bank off of humor poked at his culture. It's this that makes Betty Kelso and David Nehl's GREAT AMERICAN TRAILER PARK shows, which started off as Off-Broadway successes, so delightful. Everyone knows that the humor isn't spiteful, but reflective of both redneck and common American culture.

When a show is popular enough to become a franchise, a Christmas show will happen, and this one is no exception, so welcome to the GREAT AMERICAN TRAILER PARK CHRISTMAS MUSICAL, currently at Little Theatre of Mechanicsburg, where Armadillo Acres trailer park is back, alive and kicking. Director Duane Baker's assembled a team of redneck Christmas specialists, whose goal - well, the goal of most of them - is to win a national trailer park Christmas decorating contest. It looks as if they're in good hands, with tree made of Mountain Dew cans, wreaths fashioned from cans of PBR, and tree ornaments made from cutting down cans of various brews. Kudos to props for the delightfully trashy Christmas ornament design.

More kudos to the cast: ambitious park manager Betty, played by Bryden McCurdy, handyman and bad Santa Rufus, Dustin LeBlanc, Lin(oleum), played by Stephanie Via, the naive Pickles, Amanda Stine, and the delightful "bad guys": Darlene, played by Stacey Werner, and her maybe fiance Jackie, played by Danny Sites.

There's a nod to Dickens, as Christmas-hating Darlene gets an electrical jolt, hallucinates ghostly images, and wakes up - temporarily - to Christmas cheer, and further nods to both Dickens and to Snidely Whiplash as Jackie, who makes money from his Hooters-type restaurants, tries to buy up Armadillo Acres and evict its residents. As it's Christmas, of course, such things can't happen, and everyone winds up happy.

Magical silliness ensues - Rufus as drunk dollar store Santa, Jackie's Elvis-like moments, the Unopened Christmas Present of years past being revealed, and a Bad Drag moment that is worth the price of admission, along with Dustin LeBlanc being forced to wear this outfit again and swing that handbag every year at Christmas parties.

If you have not seen this show, it cannot be imagined. Not a traditional musical, not "heartwarming" or sentimental, purely raunchy Christmas humor. The "raunchy" cannot be understated. If you're easily distressed by bad language, stay home. If it amuses you, you want to be here. If you have children, they probably know the words better than you do and use them when you're not listening - but this is not a good show for the smaller ones. Entire songs are primarily devoted to F-bombing, but they're also ridiculously silly and much more singable than some of the more "artistic" shows' Christmas music. Santa got run over by a cluster of F-bombs here, and if you're not easily offended, you'll love it.

At Little Theatre of Mechanicsburg through the 13th. If you're tired of sentimental Christmas goop, this will make you feel better. as it's completely inexcusable silliness. Visit ltmonlinenet for tickets and information.

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