An all-American musical odyssey through agoraphobia, adultery, hysterical pregnancy, strippers, huffing, electric chairs, flan, roadkill, toll collecting, spray cheese, guns and disco.
But most of all, it’s a hilarious, heartfelt, raucous and racy piece of Americana about accepting who you are, how you got there and where you’re headed next and why.
The story opens as a new tenant, Pippi, moves in at Armadillo Acres and starts wreaking hurricane-like havoc all over Florida’s most exclusive trailer park. Pippi’s a stripper on the run from Duke, her unhinged ex-boyfriend, and she’s trying hard not to come between agoraphobic Jeannie and her tollbooth collector husband, Norbert.
The storms begin to brew as the story unfolds, guided by a Greek chorus-like trio of trailer park gals who play multiple characters and genders, breaking the fourth wall at whim to air their own dirty laundry.
Mixing trailer park culture and broad comedy with Jerry Springer-worthy confrontations, The Great American Trailer Park Musical is a real treat for mature audiences ready for a raucous good time led by colorful characters and toe-tapping tunes.
The cast of The Great American Trailer Park Musical includes Jennifer Kercher as Lin, Ellie Knoll as Jeannie, Dylan Lewis as Duke, Alyssa Bond as Pippi, Emma Thurston as Pickles, Heather Toller as Betty and Jeff Witt as Norbert.
Jill Sorensen directs the show.
IF YOU GO
What: The Great American Trailer Park Musical, with music and lyrics by David Nehls and book by Betsy Kelso.
When: Sept. 6-28.
Benefit performance: Sept. 11, 7:30 p.m. for Casita Copan. Casita Copan is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing quality care for vulnerable, abandoned and orphaned children in Copan Ruinas, Honduras in Central America. Its vision is to break the cycle of child abandonment by providing essential support services to single mothers, at-risk children and the community to help families stay together. Their work is made possible thanks to individual donations from people like you. You can find out more about them at www.casitacopan.org.
Where: Pentacle Theatre, 324 52nd Ave. NW, off Highway 22, about 6 miles west of downtown Salem, Oregon.
Suitability: The Great American Trailer Park Musical contains crude language, adult situations and is perfect for raucous mature audiences ready to laugh their tails off.
Tickets: Range in price from $29-34.
- $34 for opening night includes a catered post-show party.
- $30 for Friday and Saturday evening performances.
- $32 for Sunday matinee performances.
- $29 for Wednesday and Thursday evening performances.
- Seniors, students and military are eligible for a $1.50 discount per ticket.
- Through Salem for All, Oregon Trail cardholders are eligible for a 50 percent discount per ticket.
Where to Buy: Pentacle Theatre musical performances often are sold out early and we encourage you to buy tickets well in advance. Advance tickets are available at Pentacle’s downtown Salem ticket office at 145 Liberty St. NE or by calling 503-485-4300 from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays, or online anytime at tickets.pentacletheatre.org. Tickets are also available at the theater box office 45 minutes before each performance.
Student Rush tickets: Half-price student rush tickets for remaining open seats are available at the theatre box office 15 minutes before each performance with a school ID.
Sold Out Performance Waitlist: For sold-out performances, patrons may sign up in person on a first-come-first-served waitlist for any “no-show” seats remaining at curtain time.
For more information: PentacleTheatre.org or call 503-485-4300.
