Therese Cruise of Mount Lawley as ”Pickles” and Joanna Tyler of Gosnells as ”Jeannie”
Camera IconTherese Cruise of Mount Lawley as ”Pickles” and Joanna Tyler of Gosnells as ”Jeannie” Credit: Supplied/Marcelo Palacios

Trailer trash sparkles

Staff ReporterComment News

The Great American Trailer Park Musical is set at Armadillo Acres, Florida’s most exclusive park for mobile homes, where a new tenant wreaks havoc.

Stripper-on-the-run Pippi comes between Dr Phil-loving, agoraphobic Jeannie and her tollbooth-collector husband, and it’s up to their trailer park neighbours to help save the marriage.

Director Lorna Mackie said the show was about ‘love, friendship and the glorious drama that is life, set to some rocking country sounds.’

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‘It has been described as South Park meets Desperate Housewives,’ she said.

‘I’m a huge fan of modern musicals and The Great American Trailer Park Musical has been on my radar for quite a while.

‘Despite surface stereotypes and slapstick comedy, the show actually deals with some extremely complex themes and has a range of subtle layers.

‘I particularly love the very witty and well-written score and book, and was delighted to get the opportunity to direct the show.’

Acting since her teens in the UK, Mackie began her professional career as a jazz singer before performing in Calamity Jane, The Little Mermaid and Africa.

After moving to Australia, she performed with Marloo, Garrick, Roleystone and Blak Yak theatres before her 2010 directorial debut, Reefer Madness, which scored several Finley Award nominations.

Her production Funny Business won the Best Musical Production Finley Award in 2011, and in 2012 she received more nominations for Avenue Q, which regular Roleystone Theatregoers will remember as a polished and screamingly funny show.

The Great American Trailer Park Musical continues her love of alternative musicals, treading the fine line between conviction and melodrama.

‘There will always be a temptation to verge into slapstick and just play for laughs, whereas the true beauty of the show is the relationships between the characters and the moments of truth, which are truly sparkling,’ she said.