The Great American Trailer Park Musical

Now, we didn't really know what to expect when we walked down to the lobby of OnStage Atlanta for this show, but man! That lobby just set the mood immediately! Two women, sittin' in chairs, with their feet in a kiddie pool, sippin on PBR, surrounded by pork rinds and jarred pickles. How outstanding is that?

This was the kind of story I can appreciate: it had a beginning, it had a middle and it had a surprising conclusion. Well done on the art form!

The three "muses", Alli Simpson, Jennifer Hendrickson and Paige Mattox, set the scenes and the story quite well. Norbert, played by Charlie Miller, was such a sad character. Poor thing - he tries to do right and then, in the end, he has a dilemma. Patty Mosley played Jeannie and what a voice! Excellent natural character, excellent voice, excellent pace on stage - she'll be one to watch on the Atlanta stage! Pippi, played by Olivia Kaye Sloan, can definitely play her dancer part well. The wig made every outfit for her stand out. Duke, played by Trey Getz, was the one that helped with the surprising ending. The sniffing of the substances was a bit much after the 3rd or 4th time - we got the point. The waving around of the gun was pretty silly.

Props to director DeWayne Morgan for picking a great cast to tell this story. Very funny choreography created by Colleen Shanon Gaenssley The set was well worked and definitely not too much, thanks to the insight of Set Director, Nadia Morgan. And much love to Sound Designer, Barbara Cole Uterhardt for the pre-show and intermission music. Outstandingly funny to hear "Elvira" after all these years.

One of the best things that could be heard was a patron walking past "I never knew there was a theater here" - and I noticed she applauded the most at the end. Well done for the arts!

All in all a good night for all and it's good to go and just laugh at stereotypes of all kinds along with the reality of a marriage with its own bizarre problems. Definitely a must see, and definitely a re-mount must!

"Rent" - maybe not

It's not my favorite piece of performance art in the first place. I saw it on Broadway in 2004 and didn't like it. Saw the movie sometime later and cried. Agreed to see The Atlanta Lyric Theatre's production because a) some fantastic people are in it and b) I've never been to the Strand Theater.

Now I gotta tell ya - the Strand is beautiful. The lobby reminded me of something out of 1920s/30s style. Very good decor. Didn't realize there was a balcony. Bathrooms could have been bigger, but that's the complaint of every woman who goes to theatre.

So, the show - eh. I agreed with one of my friends who came with me: it shouldn't be billed as a "musical" but more of a "concert." Choreography was fantastic, but what would you expect from Ricardo Aponte, who, btw, is bigger than this town. He's just exceptional!

All the acting was very good, very standard. No one was really standing out - everyone worked as a unit. A group. It was a true ensemble. Angel, played by Adam Carl Peyton, stood out for a while, but even in the ensemble scenes, he didn't steal it - he worked with everyone. There were a couple of places where the music was louder than the actors: one I definitely can remember was Act II when Angel was surrounded by the white blanket cover and he was singing...well, his mouth was moving. The music was just too loud.

Would have loved to have seen more of Googie Uterhardt and Jas Sams, just because I've seen them do other things and their power on stage is fantastic as well. But maybe another time, another show.

It's not the actors' fault. It's not the Lyric's fault. It's not even the Strand's fault. It's just the story - the show itself. The audience reaction was more of what you would find at "Rocky Horror Picture Show" - we all know the music, it's a big hit, it's a legend - and it has no real point to it.

Break a leg is sent out to the cast - may they have a wonderful run, and before they become famous, may I see each and every one of them in another show.