Enjoy the Ride on The trail to Oregon at South Camden Theatre Co.

by Aimee Renna

Last night at South Camden Theatre Company, I was able to witness a fresh collaboration with new theater troupe, Meraki Productions, where they put on a lively performance of The Trail to Oregon. Meraki Productions is on their third full length performance after starting in 2023 under the direction of Caroline Vollmer. The cast is made of six young performers, four of which have been participating since the troupe’s creation; the other two joined during the second production. The show follows the trials and tribulations of the Oregon Trail, more closely themed to the 1971 videogame of the same name. I personally was traumatized by this game throughout my childhood and was thrilled to have the opportunity to see the satirical Starkid piece in its honor.

The production staff is small but mighty, consisting of four people, two of which are pulling double duty while on stage. Caroline Vollmer (Director, Mother) proves a deep understanding of the material both on and off stage as she leads her family west. She commands the stage well with a lovely vibrato and strong comedic timing that works smoothly with her castmates. I found her song “When the World’s at Stake” to be a moving break from the comedy that C. Vollmer was able to utilize as a demonstration of her range. Natalie Vollmer (Choreographer/ “Everyone Else”) exhibited similar attention to detail throughout her performance, making consistent work in separating the various characters that she played. While the show does not contain a ton of advanced choreography, the smattering of smart moves from N. Vollmer keeps the show quick moving and enjoyable. The two Vollmers work well together thus creating a cohesive piece of entertaining theater. Stage Manager London Fair and Lighting Designer Hunter Mountz complete the production staff with producing credits going to South Camden Theatre Company. Mountz’s lighting design is a huge help in understanding the show, exhibiting the differences in night and day, moments of near-death psychosis, and other key moments of the show. While I was not able to see Fair’s connection to the show myself, I have always considered that a great Stage Manager is one that the audience never gets a chance to see. 

The cast continues with Sophie Johnson (Daughter) and Maria Perez (Son). While both have only recently left childhood behind, they play excellent caricatures of children throughout the show. I was particularly entertained by Perez’s very honest interpretation of a seven-year-old boy and his inability to understand why exactly he does what he does. Johnson and Perez show agility in their roles both physically and in their lines, maintaining the pace that is necessary in a show as camp as The Trail to Oregon. Johnson brings a lively energy to the eldest child as she pines for love along the trail. Her song “Lost Without You” entertains the audience in a similar way to C. Vollmer thus provides the audience with a breath between the laughter. The cast is closed out by Andre Brockenbrough (Grampa/Cleetus) and Oliver Lane (Father). I was particularly impressed by Brockenbrough’s ability to change between Grampa and Cleetus, showing an extremely clear change between the two both vocally and in his presentation of the character. Lane played the “deadbeat dad” well, consistently providing the family’s push-over until his final straw breaks in act two. Lane’s dramatic change in character stuns the audience as well as the characters on stage, finally giving the family the leader necessary to survive on the Oregon Trail.

Overall, I found this show deeply entertaining. In each performance, the names of every character are picked by the audience which gives the show a unique sense of freedom. The end of the show is also voted on by the audience and the winner of the vote gets a special song that they sing as they die of dysentery. In our case, Perez (Son) was the victim to which she gave a beautiful performance. When looking through the production staff, I could not help but recognize that there was no Music Director listed. I believe that in the future, Meraki should consider utilizing one to assist vocalists with more difficult passages and to assist in entrances with the recorded tracks. There were moments of vocal uncertainty throughout the show that would pull me out of enjoying the story but the actors' charisma and charm always brought me back. Every member of the cast was hilariously entertaining and excelled in embracing the camp of the show. You have two opportunities left to see the production on July 12th at 7pm and July 13th at 1pm. Tickets can be purchased at www.southcamdentheatre.org