My Journal Interview

HIT: Alliance turns again to Shores play

By Mary Martin Niepold
SPECIAL TO THE JOURNAL

Del Shores, the Southern playwright with a sharp tongue, has almost become a hometown boy. His plays such as Sordid Lives, Daughters of the Lone Star State and Daddy's Dyin' have been big hits for Theatre Alliance. In the hope of keeping its winning streak going, the company is mounting The Trials and Tribulations of a Trailer Park Housewife by Shores. It will open Friday night.

Trials may be the darkest of Shores' plays. A tragicomedy, Trials examines the chaotic life of, yes, a trailer-park housewife and her strong-armed husband. When the play opened in Los Angeles in 2003, it became the playwright's most critically acclaimed play, winning numerous prestigious awards, most notably the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle's Ted Schmitt Award.

Cheryl Ann Roberts, who takes the lead, is no stranger to Theatre Alliance's audiences. She has also appeared in two other Shores plays for the company, most recently in Sordid Lives last summer.

Roberts projects a palpable presence on stage, a perfect fit for "Willadean," an abused housewife who feels lost, is wondering what to do next and must grow out of her shyness to find the strength to confront her abusive husband. Domestic violence is one of the play's themes.

Willadean is up against "J.D.," her truck-driver husband who likes to hang out at the nearby Spotlight bar. Both of Willadean's teenage children are gone. Her daughter was killed in a car accident at 16; her gay son, 18, was kicked out of the house by his father. Her best friend who lives next door is a black woman named "La Sonia," and J.D. doesn't like her one bit. Naturally, there's also a new woman who moves into the neighborhood and has an affair with J.D.

Put it all together, and you somehow get a tragicomedy musical about serious troubles. Two musicians, a blues singer and piano accompanist, will perform live on stage. The singer weaves songs into the action. Because of the language and some rough confrontations, Trailer Park is not recommended for children under 18.

For Roberts, playing Willadean is a dream come true. "When I read the script for the first time last year, I knew Willadean was one of my dream roles," she said.

"It's me. Willadean grows throughout the play, so a lot of it is about her relationships with J.D. and La Sonia. She struggles with finding a purpose. Since her children are no longer there, she no longer has a purpose. She feels like if she doesn't find that purpose, she's going to shrivel up and die."

Fortunately for Roberts (and the play), the actor who plays J.D. is someone that Roberts knows well and has appeared with in other plays: Mikey Wiseman plays J.D.

"Mikey is from Tyler, Texas, so he's very familiar with these kinds of characters," she said. The two actors have gotten together several times to work out their characters. "We're very comfortable together."

Under Jamie Lawson's direction, you can expect that Shores' talent for exposing Southern stereotypes, mores, hypocrisy, racism -- and down-home humor -- won't be lost on audiences.

"Shores might rip your skin off while you're watching, but you'll be laughing while he does it," Roberts said. "Del Shores always has a message he's trying to get across, and he uses comedy and music to keep you entertained as the story moves along."

When all is said, sung, and done, Trailer Park offers some redemption. Willadean does find a purpose, and Walmart helps her find it.

Theatre Alliance will present The Trials and Tribulations of a Trailer Trash Housewife Friday, Saturday and April 15-17 at 8 p.m.; Saturday and April 17 at 4 p.m.; next Sunday and April 18 and at 2 p.m., at 1047 Northwestern Blvd. Tickets are $16, $14 for seniors and students. Call 723-7777.