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By Terry Morris, Staff Writer 4:34 PM Friday, October 2, 2009

“The Great American Trailer Park Musical” can’t be mistaken for grand opera.

Not with lyrics like these: “I gotta make like a nail and press on.”

Not with characters like this one: a cooking spray-huffing Oklahoman who fled his adoptive family when they tried to turn him into a vegetarian (What! No bacon bits?).

But the happy sold-out audience on Friday, Sept. 25, for one of the final performances in Beavercreek Community Theatre’s season opener wasn’t there for opera.

It wasn’t the equal of other recent Doug Lloyd-directed productions on the same stage — “Bat Boy” and “The Full Monty,” for example. Those shows and the characters they played have more depth for the most part.

But it will be hard to find three busier performers on a local stage this season than Pam McGinnis, Laura Rea and Angela Umstead as Betty, Linoleum and Pickles. They played many roles in many costumes over two acts.

Teresa Connair, whose job as director of Beavercreek’s Youth Theatre includes coaching kids out of their shyness, was an audience favorite for her character and her singing. She played agoraphobic Jeannie, inspired to brave the world outside her trailer for the first time in years. Her incentive? Seeing the Ice Capades.

Shawn Hooks played her straying husband, Norbert. Carly Scheu-Porter, also a strong vocalist, was runaway stripper Pippi and Ben Douglas was her dangerous boyfriend, Duke, who turned out to be the long-lost son of Jeannie and Norbert.

BCT’s next show will be another local premiere, “The Dixie Swim Club” by Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope and Jamie Wooten on weekends Oct. 23-Nov. 1.

Bit parts

Fans of “High School Musical” who haven’t had a chance yet to gorge on Town Hall Theatre’s live double feature, have several more chances.

Here’s the schedule of remaining performances at 27 N. Main St., Centerville.

“High School Musical”: 3 p.m. today, Oct. 4, and Saturday, Oct. 10.

“High School Musical 2”: 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Oct. 9 and 10; and 3 p.m. Oct. 11.

Tickets are $10-$15 at (937) 433-8957 or online at tickets@townhalltheatre.org

Role call

BCT Youth Theatre will have auditions for the Tim Kelly play “Sherlock Holmes” at 7 p.m. Oct. 20 and 21 in the Lofino Adult Enrichment and Cultural Arts Center, 3868 Dayton-Xenia Road, Beavercreek. More information is available at (937) 429-4737 or www.bctheatre.org/auditions.

BCT Youth Theatre will have an auditioning class for ages 8-18 from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 6. Fee is $10.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2377 or tmorris@DaytonDailyNews.com.

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