The Great American Trailer Park Musical (8/24/05)

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 8/25/05 at 6:44am

I'll add a full review later, but let me just say this for now: one of the absolute funniest things that I have EVER seen. I laughed so hard that it hurt. The music is fabulous; the book is side-splittingly funny; and the cast is uniformly fine. Go see it!

[sanda]

Posted: 8/25/05 at 3:35pm

waiting for your review, especially Shuler Hensley

[JACXR71]

Posted: 8/25/05 at 3:42pm

Glad to hear you loved the show - I loved it so much I'm seriously considering seeing it again, especially since they're still making changes. I'm really hoping it has a long and successful run.

[ruprecht]

Posted: 8/25/05 at 4:06pm

I can't believe myself, but I've been offered another free ticket tonight and I'm going...AGAIN. I've heard they've been making changes so it'll be interesting to see how it compares to the first preview. Let's hope it's a tad shorter!

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 8/25/05 at 5:32pm

Shuler Hensley is terrific, playing a character that is basically a living, breathing Homer Simpson. Kaitlin Hopkins, as his agoraphobic wife, is both hilarious and heartbreaking. Orfeh is the best I've ever seen her, and should permenantly wear that great brown wig! The Greek Chorus is quite funny. Wayne Wilcox doesn't always seem to gel with the rest of the cast, but I blame that more on the character than him.

All in all, this is a show that I can't wait to see again!

[broadway betty]

Posted: 8/25/05 at 5:52pm

I'm so glad that you loved it! Now I'm even more excited about seeing it on Saturday afternoon. *squeal*

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 8/25/05 at 5:57pm

Betty-Have fun!

Ruprecht-As of last night, the show is running at about 2 hours and 5 minutes.

[ZONEACE]

Posted: 8/25/05 at 6:44pm

well thats the same it was on sunday. I want to go back before it opens to see what changes theyve made since then.

[Al Dente]

Posted: 8/25/05 at 11:31pm

I am rendered speechless MEF! Orfeh must be exquisite and the show must really be something if it (and she, sort of), got a rave from you and I'm absolutely not being sarcastic. I'm going to have to see this one, no matter what.

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 8/26/05 at 7:43am

Al-I've been converted!

She's really wonderful in the show and the role is so perfect for her you'd think it was written for her.

This show better get a cast recording.

[Al Dente]

Posted: 8/26/05 at 10:10am

"MEF and AL, The Peace Treaty Years"

Ruprecht, did you wind up seeing it again, is it going to run long enough for me to get back east and see it?

[ruprecht]

Posted: 8/26/05 at 10:53am

Hey Al.

Glad to hear you and MEF are getting along...

As threatened, I DID see the show again last night and thought there were big improvements since the first preview. Since you guys are talking about Orfeh, let's start with her. Her intro strip number has been greatly expanded to include some inner monologue stuff about her past. It's a HUGE improvement as originally the audience never really knew anything about Pippi. The number now works muuuuuch better. (Did I mention Orfeh looks HOT?!) The scene outside the strip club where she meets Norbert is thankfully much shorter, with less of Wayne Wilcox's unfunny schtick as the sleazy club owner. Other than the cutting of the No-Tell motel song in act two, most of Orfeh's other stuff was the same--only funnier, sexier and more heartbreaking in the end. I REALLY wish that her song "He Is Mine" in act two were either a solo or a just a duet with scorned wife Kaitlin Hopkins. I have NO IDEA what Shuler Hensley is doing in the middle of it. But damn, Orfeh sounds amazing in her solo section. Now that I've seen her as a brunette, I'd love to hear her do Elphaba in Wicked. Could be totally different--and totally amazing.

Shuler Hensley seems frozen in his part, which is okay as most everything he's doing works (I just wish he could sing better). Kaitlin Hopkins still has too many songs screaming out to be cut. She's FINE in her role, but I just feel like she's an actress playing a part rather than being the agorphobic housewife the script calls for. Her Act Two "Panic" song is SLIGHTLY better played outside of the trailer--even if Hensley and Wilcox are awkwardly inserted in the middle--but it still needs to go.

The trio of gals are still fun, even if you sort of lose them half-way through the show. My suggestions to fixing this thing are short and sweet: BRING IN A NEW DIRECTOR. Betsy Keslo did a great job casting the show but it desperately needs a second eye to tighten things up. It's on the right track but needs to make a few leaps to get to the finish line.

Glad to see that all the buzz thus far on the board is positive. Imagine if there were a bunch of great little musicals playing at Dodger Stages all at once? Show queens rejoyce!!
Updated On: 8/26/05 at 10:53 AM

[Al Dente]

Posted: 8/26/05 at 11:44am

How many millions of times have I suggested Orfeh as the only obvious choice for Elphaba? Maybe after this show, she'll get her much deserved shot at the role.

That being said, it seems that my "favourite" land of bitterness, ATC, is having a slightly less warm and fuzzy reception to the show. While they all agree about Orfeh being a bright spot, (well, the cast itself, really), they're a bit less "enthusiatic" about the show itself, which only tells me, the powers that be better start realizing that the ideal age for this show is the UNDER 50 crowd and market it properly. I'm still annoyed at how terribly awry the marketing plan for Altar Boyz went with them skewing it as a "Gay" show. Trailer Park seems to be begging for a young crowd, that is neither bitter, nor jaded.

[fishergirl819]

Posted: 8/26/05 at 12:47pm

I'm seeing this tomorrow afternoon, and I absolutely cannot wait. I've been looking forward to this for quite a few weeks.

[almostxfamous]

Posted: 8/26/05 at 1:23pm

Ah, I want to see this show. The Trailer Park site says there will be a cast recording, so I'm glad that they're planning it now. Orfeh's such an phenomenal performer, I can't take it. I'm glad people are receiving this show well, because I really want to be able to come up there and see it soon.

I really hope this show brings Orfeh the recognition she deserves. Gosh darnit.

I'm glad you guys like it!

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 8/31/05 at 12:18am

I saw the show tonight.

I think the best thing about the show, what makes it worth seeing, is the performers. Kaitlin Hopkins, the love child of Joanna Gleason and Karen Ziemba, has a new devoted fan. What a voice, what a talent.

The unsung heroes of this show are Linda Hart and Marya Grandy. Great voices, fabulously funny and they both segue from character to character with ease and skill.

Orfeh - she is gorgeous, great face for the theater, and her voice is fabulous - reminds me of Pattie Darcy. However, she can't act unless she's singing - otherwise, I was painfully aware of her "acting." I couldn't see her face half the time she was onstage because she doesn't know to cheat out when she's talking to another character, and it was therefore covered by her wig.

Shuler Hensley seemed like he was in a different show - nothing connected at all. And while Leslie Kritzer had her funny moments, mostly she just grated on me.

The show goes for some cheap laughs, a lot of which will be dated in a couple of years. The songs are unmemorable. The sets are wonderful.

They used those Madonna/Britney mics, which are distracting, and I kept wondering why they were needed in that small space anyway. A couple of the performers sang too loudly for the mics and the sound was distorted because of it. I say take the mics off - these singers don't need them.

[ruprecht]

Posted: 8/31/05 at 1:22am

I couldn't disagree with you more about your opinions on the show, who you considered to be stand-outs, who you considered to be "grating" and/or Orfeh's "acting" chops, or lack thereof according to you Raithnait.

I've seen the show twice now and what is in fact so great about Orfeh's acting, is that it's real and not big and grandiose as is so much of musical theatre "acting". I can't even respond to your statement "she doesn't know how to cheat out to an audience" line, w/o laughing out loud, And btw, it's a good thing she can act "when she's singing" as she does *that* about 75% more of the time.

Kritzer has taken what's basically a poorly written, two dimensional caricature and given her flesh and blood. On the other hand, all Grandy does is milk the audience for laughs with unfunny lines, sometimes literally directly addressing and waiting for the audience to laugh. And although I will admit Katilin hopkins is talented, she's the one that looks to me at least, like she's really working hard and I don't mean that in the good way.

Shuler Hensley can recite the phone book and make it work. His scenes with Kaitlin hopkins and Orfeh are the more poignant moments in what could otherwise be mistaken for a sketch comedy show so there again, we disagree. But hey, to each his own.

The problem with the show is it's utter and complete lack of focus and direction. Funny, you completely missed that glaring fact which I would think that as an actress, you would have picked up on long before you decided to pick apart what is, for the most part, a perfect cast, doing incredible work with very light material.

[BreeDaniel]

Posted: 8/31/05 at 1:29am

Leslie Kritzer grated you?!? She's perfect for this kind of camp comedy--much more so than her co-horts. This will be a nice breakout role for her, I think. As for Shuler Hensley and Orfeh, they do tend to be in a different, more touching, less ridiculous show at times but they are DEFINITELY both talented actors and if ANYTHING I appreciated the break they offered from the "look at me, look at me, look at me" comedy "bits" of their co-starss. That's not to say that the comedy stylings of a Leslie Kritzer aren't appreciated by me because they DEFINITELY are. By the way, did they find a director yet?

[homosezwhat]

Posted: 8/31/05 at 1:47am

Okay, I have to give my 2 cents worth of advice:

I think Orfeh, Wayne and Kaitlin should all be let go
(sorry, they just don't get it, and Shuler, as unimpressive as he is, brings the smell of Tony-winner to the ads).

THEN...
Leslie Kritzer should add the part of Pippi to the parts she's already playing.
Linda Hart should add Jeannie to her list of characters (she's the one who does the bit on top of the roof at the end of act I, right?).
Marya Grandy should add Leo/Duke to her bits.
The trio are almost never ivolved with the leads
and the three of them, especially Leslie (she is a REVELATION) and Linda (Just delightful)
could turn this show into a monster hit.
They are THAT GOOD.

They not only consistently nail the right style, and have the vocal chops, comedic timing, and acting versatility to
sell every song they sing and land every funny line...they work brilliantly together.
Orfeh, Kaitlin and Wayne are in another show altogether
and I would much rather watch the show
Leslie, Linda and Marya are in.

When the stripper and the husband and the wife stuff comes in, the show not only stops dead in its tracks...it starts moving in reverse.

The trio is the real star of the show.
Let them SHINE!
Updated On: 8/31/05 at 01:47 AM

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 8/31/05 at 7:39am

I think Orfeh, Wayne and Kaitlin should all be let go

You cannot be serious...Orfeh has the presence of a tornado (and I mean that in a good way), and brings a fiery beauty to all of her numbers.

Whenever Ms. Hopkins was onstage I couldn't take my eyes off of her. Her voice is angelic and she can act wonderfully.

Also, the problem isn't Wilcox, but the character. It's a poorly written character that anyone would stumble on.

[homosezwhat]

Posted: 8/31/05 at 9:07am

I agree with you that Orfeh had some great moments (the stripper-pole bit in the talk show was perfect, and her singing was beautiful)
and that Ms. Hopkins has a beautiful voice and a Joanna Gleason-esque thing going on, but...

I think they're both miscast and/or pitifully misdirected.
Their performances are all about looking/acting/singing pretty,
and the writing needs more than that.
In order to find the funny, and make us care about these characters, the actors need to be unafraid of looking foolish and/or ugly
and neither actress ever got there,
and (I could be wrong)
I doubt they will.
Joanna Gleason is a goddess, but I think there are parts that she is probably wrong for,
like Sally in You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown or
Pseudolus in Forum or any role requiring hammy, vaudevillian shtick.
Gleason is a master of the undersell.
Although, she has so much experience and talent that I think she might actually be able to pull off even these parts.
Orfeh and Ms. Hopkins...not so sure.
I would honestly LOVE to be surprised
because when the show works
(almost whenever the trio are on stage)
it rocks.
It just made me sad to see Hart, Grandy and Kritzer
having to crank up the motor and restart the engine of the show every time they came out.
If there was a way
to keep the motor running...
I think the show could actually travel.

Also...when did you see it?
Maybe Orfeh and Ms. Hopkins have gotten a bit lost, and the trio has exploded since you saw it.

I really want to see this one again.
(fingers crossed that they fix what's broken and don't break what's working)

[JACXR71]

Posted: 8/31/05 at 9:20am

I saw the show again last night (8/30) for the second time, my first time being its second performance. I was eager to see the changes that had been made as well as be able to look for things I might have missed the first time around, as I was completely taken in by the fun and excitement.

I noticed a LOT of changes, big and small, most of which I think were for the best. I guess these aren't really spoilers since it's just stuff that's been added/dropped, but here's a warning just in case...
****
For example, like many others on this board (including myself) predicted, they realized the marker-sniffing was a bit much and downplayed it to the point where it was actually funny each time it came up, and not overdone. They changed Orfeh's song which I wasn't too crazy about, though Leslie Kritzer said that probably won't stay. They dropped Wayne Wilcox's bit as the strip-club owner and gave it to Marya, which I think worked better. Unfortunately, this gave Wayne even less stage time, and I am in complete agreement with MEF that it's the role's fault, not his, that his character isn't more enjoyable. I'd love to see more of him if it were better written...and if you listen closely during his song you'll hear that he actually has a really impressive voice (never heard him do Piazza, but I'd love to). One weird thing I noticed - the audience was great and really responsive, but during the final number, no one (and I mean NO ONE) laughed at "make like a nail and press on"). It was the strangest thing, and the cast noticed it too. Weird.
*****

The girls are still my favorite, and if I didn't favor one in particular before, I would now have to say that Leslie Kritzer rises above the rest (just barely). It's weird - I agree with all the negative criticism surrounding her in terms of her overdoing it, but for some reason it just doesn't bother me...quite the opposite in fact. I don't know, for a show like this it just works, plain and simple. Linda Hart and Marya Grandy continue to shine, and their ad-libs and facial expressions are side-splittingly priceless. "Oh my gay hell" is probably the funniest line in the entire show.

One thing I notice this time around, that I guess I overlooked the first time, was that Shuler stuck out like a sore thumb in terms of singing. I think he's perfect for the role, and if he has been with this show from the beginning, then it's the composer's fault for not writing stuff to better fit his voice. I mean this is a classically trained Tony winner and he just sounds like a complete amateur up there. It's really sad actually, especially when he's singing alongside Orfeh and Kaitlin Hopkins, both of whom are just stellar performers. I just sat there wanting him to be better than he was, but like I said it wasn't all his fault. Don't know how much they can fix that too. He really is a delight to watch, though, as is everyone.

Not too much else new to report, other than to say this show just keeps getting better and better. The cast is just having a blast up there and it makes the experience as an audience member that much more enjoyable. They're all great to talk to after the show, so appreciative of compliments and really interested to hear opinions on the changes (or at least friendly enough to humor me )

If you haven't seen this show yet, I can't recommend it enough - I know I shouldn't hype it up too much as that can only lead to disappointment (cough PRODUCERS cough), but if you just go in expecting funny, enjoyable, lighthearted material and some real powerhouse voices, it's sure not to disappoint. This is probably the last show I'll have seen during my short time left here, and I couldn't have ended my summer on a better note.

[Garland Grrrl]

Posted: 8/31/05 at 9:26am

i heard they're papering the house like mad. any chance of any more frebies? you know what a ho i am for swag.

Updated On: 8/31/05 at 09:26 AM

[Al Dente]

Posted: 8/31/05 at 9:39am

Homosez, thank you for a big fat chuckle that will set the tone of my day. You're my favorite type of reverse shill in that you're completely transparent. I've not seen the show but find it very hard to imagine that Hensley, Hopkins and Orfeh are the problem and that a trio consisting of a newbie like Kritzer, a complete unknown like Grandy and Hart who was the single biggest weak link in Hairspray are mopping the stage with the likes of Hensley and co. Methinks someone is sick of not being mentioned on the boards and is wanting to create a bit of hype where there might not be any. Rup, MEF, am I getting warm?

[ruprecht]

Posted: 8/31/05 at 9:43am

One thing is definitely certain--Marya Grandy could make a career out of playing men!