The Great American Trailer Park Christmas Musical

Christmas has come early to Fair Oaks as the Fair Oaks Theatre Festival and American River College present The Great American Trailer Park Christmas Musical, a trashy, tacky season’s greeting.

It’s December 12 in north Florida’s Armadillo Acres mobile home park and that means plastic pink flamingos amidst the hokey holiday décor—somebody actually uses the word décor, pronounced “day-core.” There’s a bout of amnesia, a lot of deception and F-bombs flying like fish in a sharknado. (The show is recommended for those 16 and older.) Of course, “keg nog” is the drink of choice.

This companion piece to the festival’s hit Great American Trailer Park Musical is from the same creative team (music and lyrics by David Nehls and book by Betsy Kelso) and features some of the same characters as the previous show. Karen Bombardier directs and Sunny Smith choreographs.

Strong singers and actors, particularly Deane Calvin, Brianne Hidden-Wise, Corey D. Winfield and Daniel W. Slauson, play out the usual antagonisms of neighbors and friends and the dearly and nearly departed. Among the best “in the spirit” songs are “Christmas Leather Love,” “Black and Blue on Christmas Eve” (a bluesy ballad sung by Slauson) and, uh, “Fuck It, It’s Christmas” by the company.

Hey, low-class is better than no-class.