The Trail To Oregon! - Art In Motion Theatre Company (28 October 2023)

The great westward expansion was one of the pivotal events in mid-19th century America as hundreds of thousands of settlers forged a path to the Pacific coast. One of these Emigrant Trails typically started in Missouri and wound its way thousands of kilometres to Oregon. It was a hazardous journey that, in many ways, defined the character of a young nation. Those brave souls had many obstacles to face - bandits, harsh weather, starvation, disease, wagons with octagonal wheels, deformed oxen, aggressive hand puppets, um, vengeful crustaceans, the whims of a capricious God, and, of course, dysentery. Oh, and a particularly savage and bloodthirsty race known only as The Watchers. It's a wonder any of them survived!

Yes, this comedy musical, based on a video game, takes some basic facts and runs wild with exaggeration and absurdity. It follows a family - surname chosen by the audience, in this case the Spareparts - whose farm has burned down so purchase a wagon in Independence, Missouri to head west to Oregon. The family unit comprises the Father (Matthew Leak), Mother (Lukas Perez), 7 year old Son (Verity Lux), 14 year old Daughter (Brittany Isaia), and Grandpa (Max Leunig), all named by the audience with great enthusiasm. We had a Yo Mama, Woody Woodpecker, Screw Loose, and Seymour Butts while the father's *name was probably an inside joke I didn't quite catch and seemed to change slightly on each utterance. These were incorporated into lyrics and dialogue with generally amusing effect. Riley Merigan plays a variety of characters they encounter on the way, notably the bandit McDoon.

At first I didn't quite know what to make of what was going on. The volume of the performers' mics was quite loud to compete with the onstage band so a lot of the expository lyrics were hard to catch in the early going. The humour was broad to say the least and it was all being played way over the top. Then it started to win me over as I realised what type of show it was and for this main reason - the talented cast was one hundred percent committed to the bit. Anything less and this could have devolved into a slog but they sold the hell out of the craziness with no shortage of charm and, at the end, considerable bravery. 

They were well supported by the cowboy-hat-wearing band who were all visible, corralled behind a wooden fence. There was also a bit of a home crowd feel to the audience who cheered on approvingly so I settled into a night of entertaining silliness. It also helped that the story vaguely reminded me of that great, quirky road trip movie Little Miss Sunshine where a fixated father and practical mother travel to California in a broken-down VW van with their starry-eyed daughter, withdrawn son, and crotchety grandfather. In this analogy Steve Carell is the... ah, blind and horny ox pulling the wagon (sorry, Steve). 

Every performer gets a moment to shine, whether it's Leak extolling the virtues of the journey ahead in The Grind or trying to woo Mother before the portentous Dysentery World; Perez dishing out homespun practicality and sass whilst also delivering the vocal highlight of the show with their solo When The World's At Stake; Leunig leading the cast in the whacky first act highlight Pays To Be An Animal; or Lux, displaying deft comic timing throughout, plunging headlong into the show closer Naked In A Lake where the cast strip down to tan bodysuits and tights as the second part of perhaps the zaniest ending you'll ever witness in a musical. 

The first part of that ending involves the audience selecting the fate of one of the family members. On this night it was Isaia who was tapped to perform a, shall we say, breezy and theatrically aromatic tour de force that saw her throw herself around the stage with the threat of wardrobe malfunctions aplenty. Isaia also has a strong vocal moment at the start of the second act with Lost Without You. Then there's Merigan who is the spare parts man extraordinaire to this Spareparts family. Forget dressing up as Barbie, Ken or Oppenheimer for Halloween... if you're not rocking a full-size Lobster costume (which genuinely had me in stitches) or Ox outfit you're simply not doing it right. Merigan chomps his way through the scenery with a bevy of villains and bizarre characters the family encounters.

The band under Musical Director Joshua Hollander plays an integral part in keeping the tempo upbeat, even rocketing the second act along with the frenetic Speedrun. As befits the mostly mid-west country vibes, it's a guitar (Sam Michael; Erin Steicke, bass) and banjo (Kieran Ridgway) driven score that's a jaunty accompaniment to the antics right in front of them. Hollander and Jennifer Phan play piano with Dylan Boxwell on drums and an uncredited saxophone player makes a cameo when Father is in the mood for lurve. 

Director Michael Carroll allows plenty of room for the cast to "go big" with a sparse set and uncomplicated props including the practical simplicity of the wagon itself. Production Assistants Stella Sawyer and Tashlin Church create effective costumes for the family members with some memorable flourishes utilised for various creatures and villains. Sophie David enhances the eclectic nature of the family members with idiosyncratic choreography that favoured energy over technique. 

In all it's a boisterous show that doesn't shy away from its inherent silliness and one that the cast seemed to enjoy immensely with several corpsing alerts along the way. The audience also had a blast the night I was there and, I admit, I was heartily laughing along to the absurdity. A fun night at the theatre. 

*after inadvertent digital snooping I believe the name bestowed upon Father was Hatsune Miku who is - quick Google search - a 16 year old 'virtual idol'... okay then. *checks notes* I guess I was close with Hotsuemekoo (blank stare).