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
