It's a Trailer Park
Only three shows left for the residents of Armadillo Acres at The Show Palace Dinner Theatre! What a road we took! As Betty Says: We got "off of Highway 301 and went straight into Starke Florida". And what a fun place it is.
We got two great reviews of the show from Broadway World and the Tampa Bay Times (click the links to read the reviews), and also received much applause from all of our audiences. Though the show itself might not be everyone's cup of tea, those who saw our production of The Great American Trailer Park Musical did say that we did the show justice - which is good enough for me!
And to be honest, this show isn't my exact cup of tea either. I remember taking this contract way back in July of 2016 not know much about Trailer Park. My sister had done the show in college, and honestly I thought, "well if Jess [my sister] did it, I don't have a problem". Hmmm..maybe not the best idea. Love ya sis!
You see, my character Linoleum (Lin for short) is what's called a "greek chorus" role. She not only helps further the plot by being a resident of Armadillo Acres, but also narrates and interacts with the audience. She's not technically a "lead", but she is on stage for 75% of the show, participating in most of the numbers in a variety of ways. I love her role in this production. It allows for a lot of freedom, especially when interacting with the audience. I also love that I get to stay busy throughout the entire show. I have very little downtime, and if I'm not onstage, I'm changing costumes, wigs, grabbing one other prop, or downing water to stay hydrated.
Lin, along with her two co-horts, Betty and Pickles, are similar to the urchins in Little Shop of Horrors. Not only are they always there, commenting on the situation, but they do so in a melodic style. It's a sound that is complicated and creates a lot of noise, but must also be pleasant to the ear. Sound challenging? It is! But it really is something I love. I enjoy having to switch from the alto line to the soprano line back to the alto. All while doing some choreography!
So why isn't this show my exact cup of tea? Well, it's because of Lin's other job in the show: to be toilet humor.
The Great American Trailer Park Musical is a straight up campy musical. It is not meant to provide the audience with intellectually stimulating ideas, nor is it there to make great statements about the world or social structure (though one could argue that the fact that Jeanie does let Norbert return to their 20 year marriage after his affair with Pippi is a redemptive moment and not something that society normally preaches). I always equate it to movies such as Hot Rod, The Hangover, or Pineapple Express. Deep down there are redemptive stories in these pieces, but one must wade through dirty humor, crass language, and some down right 'roll your eye' moments first. And that's what Lin's other job is. She is the crass language, the 'roll your eye' moments, and the dirty humor. And for what reason more than to make the audience laugh. Lin, Betty, and Pickles do more of this than the other characters too (perhaps not Duke). Why? Because while they are essential to the story, the story is not about them. The three girls are merely bystanders who participate and therefore became the first point of connection to the audience and the humor of the show. While Jeannie, Norbert, and Pippi are involved in their crisis, the girls bring the sense of campiness by constantly pulling the audience out of the heavens of the situation through the crass language and dirty humor.
For me, I ask myself: "Is all this necessary? Do we really need all these f-bombs, throwaway lines, etc?". Personally, I'd probably say no; but I'll be the first to admit I don't even use many (if any) of those words myself. At least not strung together like so. Nor am I a big fan of toilet humor where it's just inappropriate joke after another. As said before: it's not my cup of tea. But could this show be done without all that? Probably not. Why? Because Trailer Park is meant to make fun of itself. It takes place in trailer park for goodness sakes! The purpose of this musical is to strictly entertain, to have the audience be okay and laugh at the things that they wouldn't normally get to laugh at, to have fun at the same time the characters are having fun (and let me tell you we have a lot of fun).
In the end, I have to weigh my options. Do these words, moments, and crooked remarks outweigh the other benefits of playing a character like Lin or participating in a show like Trailer Park? Obviously, you know my answer. I won't lie - I definitely had to become comfortable onstage with many of these moments (and it took a bit), but hey, that's why it's called acting.
