THEATER REVIEW: The Great American Trailer Park Musical @ 11th Hour Theatre Co.

11th Hour Theatre Co. and Montgomery Theater's production of The Great American Trailer Park Musical reminds me of the slogan on those obnoxious Hooters T-shirts: "Delightfully tacky, yet unrefined."

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THEATER REVIEW: The Great American Trailer Park Musical @ 11th Hour Theatre Co.

POSTED: Tuesday, June 7, 2011, 2:00 PM

11th Hour Theatre Co. and Montgomery Theater's production of The Great American Trailer Park Musical reminds me of the slogan on those obnoxious Hooters T-shirts: “Delightfully tacky, yet unrefined.”

In this comedy, a cast of seven shows an intimate audience at the Arden Theatre what life is like in Armadillo Acres, an “exclusive manufactured home” park in Florida. What follows is a silly but sincere story of a love triangle among Norbert, a toll collector; his agoraphobic wife, Jeannie; and Pippi, the stripper who comes between them.

Over a '50s rock 'n' roll soundtrack, three longtime Armadillo Acres residents serve as a Greek chorus while slipping in and out of their own supporting roles. And just when you’ve had enough of the cast crying in their cowboy boots, the show picks up steam again with a ridiculously campy disco number. Brace yourself for some of the best (or worst, depending on how you look at it) afro wigs you’ve ever seen.

The fact that the people of Armadillo Acres are low-class doesn’t mean their lives have to be low comedy. The jokes are always clever, and although it would be easy to fall back on the setting for laughs, the characters are developed to the point where it’s the people, not their white-trash background, that provide the humor.

The cleverness continues when, at the lowest point of its plot, the show proves itself to be surprisingly complex. Norbert’s darkest hour comes when he finds himself trying to choose between Jeannie and Pippi as Jeannie tries to cope with his betrayal. Meanwhile, Pippi finds herself in mortal danger when her ex-boyfriend Duke hunts her down.

Thanks to the chemistry of the ensemble cast and the juxtaposition of smart humor and dumb situations, you’ll find yourself oddly attached to this band of misfits by the time the show reaches its obligatory (though, thankfully, not entirely predictable) happy ending. Because at their collective core, these characters aren’t simply inhabitants of a trailer park set out for your amusement. They’re lovable people with serious flaws — just like everyone else.

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