Leaving Iowa captures the comedy within summer travel
On more than one occasion you’ve most likely found yourself subject to the delightfully awkward community ritual known as the family vacation.
David Craig is all too familiar with the feeling: “The crazy misadventures, the sibling fights, the strange and kitschy tourist traps,” he lists. “The Browning family encounters so many quirky people on the American road, and have so many misdirections on their perfect route.”
“The Browning family” Craig referred to is the center of the comedy Leaving Iowa, premiering at the Mars Theater this Friday.
Leaving Iowa tells the story of writer Don Browning, who returns to his childhood home to scatter his father’s ashes, only to find it’s been torn down and a grocery store now stands in its place. The play follows Browning as he drives down childhood roads, reminiscing about his family’s annual summer vacations.
The play offers an opportunity to reflect on the importance of family, while providing several laughs along the way.
“The reason I picked this show to direct is because it reminded me so much of my own family,” Craig said. “It’s a very fun, relatable story because most of us have had similar experiences firsthand. It’s a quintessential American experience to plan the perfect family trip, but something happens along the way and you end up having an even better trip than you planned, albeit insane at times.”
Leaving Iowa opens this Friday at 8 p.m. and will run for three consecutive weekends.
Tickets are on sale now at backalleyproductions.com.