Anyone who has ever sat in the backseat of the car waiting to go on holiday will instantly recognise the opening scene of Leaving Iowa, Lake Norman High School’s charming if slightly indulgent production about family vacations gone awry. A shameless piece of nostalgia, it’s served up to the audience with a knowing smile and twinkling eye. ‘Come on’, it seems to say, ‘Don’t you remember the good times?’
Don, a struggling journalist who has left his childhood home of Iowa for the city lights of Boston, has returned home to scatter his father’s ashes. Remembering the numerous holidays he endured with his family, Dad behind the wheel, Mom nervously gripping the map, kids fighting in the backseat, he decides to take one last trip with his Dad for old time’s sake. Of course, nothing goes to plan and Don is ultimately forced to accept (assisted by a host of wacky characters he meets along the way) that wrong turns and spontaneous detours are just a part of life’s great adventure and maybe his Dad had the right idea all along.
Switching between Don’s childhood in the family car and his present roadtrip, the production ticks along nicely. The four leads (mom, dad, brother and sister) are all well performed and believable as a family unit. In particular Chris Roberts as Don and Shannon Gallagher as his sister handle their roles well, never taking childish mannerisms too far and keeping their young characters just the right side of obnoxious. The production has a polished feel to it, there were no fluffed lines or missed cues despite multiple character and costume changes.
However, the show could benefit from some pruning, the running time of one hour and fifteen minutes feels longer and there are definitely some characters who could be cut without taking anything away from the plot. A few jokes also failed to make the journey across the Atlantic, with jibes at Missouri and Amish quilt sellers perhaps losing their relevance for a British audience. But overall, Leaving Iowa is a strong production carried confidently on the shoulders of its young cast. An enjoyable slice of small town American charm.
