Trapped: A Musical Reflection on Growing Up
Last week, I serendipitously attended Trapped, a comedic show that begins with an unfortunate but humorous experience when Trevor Strader was trapped in the luggage compartment of a Megabus. All six performances this summer at the Wood Theater were sold out, but I happened to snag a ticket from Trevor’s brother who was unable to attend.
The show was performed in the Wood Theater’s cabaret room, and it had recent upgrades that transformed the space. With an updated stage, lighting, sound system, and air-conditioning, it was a breathtaking experience stepping into the room. The curtains on one wall had lights that created a rainbow hue, while the street-side windows had blackout curtains. There were one hundred and forty seats placed around the room, with a cleared center aisle. As the crowd fizzled into the room, I recognized some friends and neighbors, briefly chatting with them before the show began.
Trevor Strader is a local theater legend in Glens Falls, with many regional acting roles over the past decade. This was his first show as a writer and performer, and with the accompaniment of compositions by Drew Wutke and the directorship of Martha Banta, the show is brilliant. It cleverly weaves his life story, from young kid to adulthood, with musical interludes that showcase his vocal talent and theater enthusiasm.
For Trevor, he loved the spotlight as a budding stage performer. During the performance, he proudly showed digitalized video clips from his childhood in the 1990’s to show his lifelong enthusiasm for theater performances. His unique humility and self-expression are endearing qualities that everyone should look to replicate. Through remixed musical performances from Queen, Little Mermaid, and Celine Dion, Trevor illuminates the struggles and beauty of growing up gay in the early 2000’s. One of his iconic performances during the show involves a song from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, where he wears a gorgeous, sparkly coat with rainbow flair. It was featured in one of the brilliant artworks available in the Adirondack Theater Festival gallery, created by local artist Anthony Richici.
While his journey of self-discovery is uplifting, his life story involves some darkness in 2017 when his father, Dave Strader, unexpectedly passes away at age 62. Dave Strader was a sportscaster for the National Hockey League and won a Foster Hewitt Memorial Award for the Hockey Hall of Fame. He died just over a month before the induction ceremony at the Toronto Hockey Hall of Fame, so his sons accepted the award posthumously. Losing a parent is always tough, especially at a young age. I was reminded of my own father, Dennis Palladino, who passed away recently. I have a personal connection to Trevor’s father as my own father was a lifelong hockey fan. He would take my siblings and I to Philadelphia Flyers games over the years and watch away games on television. I’m sure we remember hearing Dave Strader’s voice over the years.
At the end of Trevor’s fifteen-minute journey trapped in the luggage of the Megabus, there was a humorous surprise that leaves the audience with a message of hope through dark times. A simple, red emergency button was shown to Trevor from the confused bus operator, causing the audience to laugh. But Trevor poignantly used that discovery to brilliantly impart some timeless advice, “When life traps you, the key to finding a way out might be closer than you think, hidden in the darkness.” As the lights filled the room, everyone cheered. This unique performance delivers a reminder that even with life’s difficulties, it can always surprise and delight.
The performances of Trapped may be over during the Adirondack Theater Festival, but there are two more brilliant plays and musicals to see in July and August. This is the final week for Mother, Daughter, Father, Son, directed by Tiffany Greene, which is a funny and deeply human new play about what happens when love, memory, faith, and responsibility collide. In August, the Tony Award Winning musical, Come From Away, stomps into Glens Falls to showcase a true story during the tragic day of September 11th, 2001, where thirty-eight planes were diverted from their original destination to a small town in Gander, Newfoundland.
Since 1995, the Adirondack Theater Festival has been a staple in the Glens Falls region, performing shows at the Lake George RV Park to its current stage at the Charles R. Wood Theater in Downtown Glens Falls. Be sure to check out the rest of the shows this summer and follow them on social media to learn about next summer.
