More Theater Monday - Star Kid's The Trail to Oregon

We received complimentary tickets to Star Kid's The Trail to Oregon for review purposes. Any and all opinions expressed here are our own.

What: Star Kid's The Trail to Oregon

Where: The Wild Project

             195 E. 3rd St.

              New York, NY

Who: Recommended for Ages 16 and Up

When: Through March 22, 2026

If you are looking for a raucously good time at the theater, you are definitely going to want to catch S&L Productions' staging of Star Kid's The Trail to Oregon. This hilariously fun musical parodies the educational video game series of the same name. The show was originally produced by StarKid Productions,  a group formed by a bunch of theater students at the University of Michigan, including future Glee star and Tony winner, Darren Criss. The group is renowned for its parody musicals, which include several Harry Potters among others.  The Trail to Oregon is one of their best.

The show is full of uproariously funny idiosyncratic characters, ranging from a seven-year-old son (played by a grown woman) who likes to throw food supplies off the family's covered wagon just to see how they bounce, to a father who buys a wagon with square wheels. The songs are engaging and delightful as well, and one or two of them actually may stick in your head. They include such crazy titles as "Dysentery World" (if you know anything about the video series the show is based on, dysentery is a big part of it), "Caulk Your Wagon", and "Naked in a Lake." You definitely wouldn't find songs like these in any other show. 

The show is also extremely interactive. Not only does the audience get to pick the characters' names. Some of them can be bizarre, to say the least, depending on the audience. At the performance we attended, the names included Lucifer and Lard, and those are the ones we can actually mention here. Needless to say, we would not recommend the show for young children, as some of the humor is completely inappropriate, and there is a lot of sexual innuendo. 

The current production of the show is a joy.  Every member of the cast shines. Particular standouts include Steven Horn, who, as the father of the clan, does an excellent job of keeping the show really grounded despite its bizarre nature, and Scout Mayberry, as the cheeky, troublesome young son. 

The design team shines as well. The sound, light, and scenery are terrific. The dancing is frenetic and crazy, befitting this wild show.  Just be aware that a lot of dancing takes place on the floor in front of the stage, so if you sit in the front row, be prepared to keep your legs out of the way.  In any case, you won't want to miss this extremely fun musical!

And that's our view. For more about Star Kid's The Trail to Oregon or to purchase tickets, visit thewildproject.org/performances/starkids-the-trail-to-oregon.

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