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Love Stories
by Sean Michael O\'Donnell
Trailerville reviewed June 7, 2005
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The Blue Heron Theatre closes out its 17th season with the world premiere of John Dufresne's earnest new play, Trailerville. A small story with big ideas, Trailerville aspires to extraordinary heights, with Dufresne presenting an intimate story of life, love, family, obligation, and the ravages of Alzheimer's disease.
Set against the backdrop of Labor Day weekend, Trailerville follows the intersecting lives of nine characters in a small-town Louisiana trailer park. At the heart of the play are four very different love stories. Merdelle Harris struggles to hold on to love and the man she loves as she cares for her husband Bobby, who suffers from Alzheimer's. Merdelle and Bobby's neighbor, the oft-married Arlis, grapples with his love for Merdelle, longing to pursue her but not wanting to take advantage of Bobby's condition.
Arlis's daughter, the hard-living Pug, is finding love again with the good but ill-tempered Bromo. Pug's young son, Theron, is experiencing the pains of first love with Kristie, a sweet girl who is about to leave town.
Dufresne is an accomplished novelist. With Trailerville, he proves that he has a gift for narration and storytelling. However Trailerville is a play, not a novel, and therein lies the problem. Dufresne has overwritten the play. It's show and tell—with too much tell and practically no show. Characters don't have conversations; they narrate. Every detail is explained, from their feelings to their motivations to their intentions. Dufresne even writes distracting and unnecessary mini-soliloquies for his characters where they rehash the emotions that have already been played out in the scene.
The talented cast is endearing, committing fully to their characters while taking very seriously their responsibility to bring Trailerville to life. Ann Hillary attacks her role with decisive assurance, firmly establishing Merdelle as a woman lost in her own life. As her great love Bobby, Ron Faber creates a simple but haunting portrait of a man wracked by Alzheimer's. It is a thoughtful and poignant performance. As Merdelle's would-be suitor Arlis, Peter Waldren is a quiet pillar of self-restraint.
Saddled with portraying stereotypes (the hard-living, good-time girl with a heart of gold and the beer-swilling hothead), Lenore Zann and Christian Kohn, as Pug and Bromo, approach their roles with well thought out honesty. With their natural chemistry, they skillfully craft the most layered and authentic of the four love stories. Zann and Kohn each give finely nuanced comedic turns peppered with moments of resounding truth.
The rest of the cast, including Miles Purinton, Greta Sleeper, Michele Ammon, and Erik Kever Ryle, do fine work and lend capable support in their superfluous roles, with Ammon turning in a very funny performance as a germaphobic religious zealot, Kitty Bits.
Director Wayne Maugans provides an adequate blueprint for his actors but fails them in moments of complexity. Moments of drama become melodrama, particularly evident in the delicate and difficult relationship between Merdelle and Bobby.
What Trailerville lacks in story and presentation it more than makes up for in aesthetics. Set designer Daniel Ettinger and his assistant, Sarah Phykitt, perfectly capture the play's world, creating a realistic and efficient set complete with two trailers. Ettinger's attention to real-life detail, down to the interior of the trailers, effectively sets the scene, giving the play added dimension. Costume designer Martin T. Lopez's selections are equally precise, evocatively complementing Ettinger's set.
For all its attempt to convey the extraordinary in everyday life, Trailerville never soars above the commonplace. Dufresne's broad narrative and Maugans's rushed direction stand in the way of something better. In the end, it's not a bad show, just simply standard.
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Blue Heron Mainstage Theater
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Category: Drama
Written by: John Dufresne — John Dufresne’s novel Louisiana Power & Light was a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers selection and a New York Times Notable Book of the Year 1994. He is also the author of a two short story collections Johnny Too Bad (2005) and
Directed by: Wayne Maugans
Produced by: Blue Heron Theatre
Opened: June 3, 2005
Closed: June 26, 2005
Running Time: 2 hours
Theater: Blue Heron Mainstage Theater
Address:
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Tickets: $19.00
TDF vouchers accepted
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Creative Team
Written by: John Dufresne
Directed by: Wayne Maugans
Produced by: The Blue Heron Theatre
Light Designer: Jessica Lynn Hinkle
Sound Designer: Vera Beren
Set Designer: Daniel Ettinger
Costume Designer: Martin T. Lopez
Assistant Set Designer: Sarah Phykitt
Cast
Ron Faber as Bobby
Ann Hillary as Merdelle
Peter Waldren as Arlis
Lenore Zann as Pug
Christian Kohn as Bromo
Miles Purinton as Theron
Greta Sleeper as Kristie
Michele Ammon as Kitty Bits
Erik Kever Ryle as Willis
Crew
Production Stage Manager: Issac Scranton
Production Dramaturge: Kimberly Megna
Dialect Coach: Deena Kaye
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