The Great American Trailer Park Musical, C
****
Plague! The Musical, C
****
Cannibal! The Musical, George Square Theatre
***
The show may have been derailed by fundamentalists, but the spirit of Jerry Springer: The Opera lives on in new musicals gracing this year's Fringe. From the moment a stripper with a past arrives in Armadillo Acres housing complex, it's a safe bet that characters from The Great American Trailer Park Musical will be paying a visit to the studio of a daytime TV show. This look at a uniquely American subculture, with music and lyrics by David Nehls and book by Betsy Kelso, is blessed with a terrific cast and has some toe-tapping ensemble numbers including This Side of the Tracks and the Weathergirls-inspired Storms A-Brewin.

This is a show with the wig budget of a major touring production. The costumes are fabulous, too, and the cheerful trailers (complete with fairy lights) set a suitably affectionate tone for a story touching on such themes as guilt, infidelity, agoraphobia and the inconvenience of waiting for a loved one's execution.

Plague! The Musical is a more traditional affair, with nods to Oliver!, Dick Whittington and Monty Python, but it also features great disco-dancing druids that recall the light-footed Klan members of one of Jerry's more audacious moments. Written and directed by Matthew Townend with music by David Massingham, Plague! tells of a naive man named Clive who travels to London in search of acting work but has to settle for a job as an apprentice undertaker. He then falls in with some manipulative sewer rats and ends up blamed for starting the Great Plague.

It's clear that the show's creators have a respectful appreciation of the genre as well as a love of cult comedy. There are some great gags, and a few terrible puns can be forgiven. What's refreshing is the energy and vocal power of the cast, who have no need for microphones and belt out rousing group numbers with clarity. Infectiously silly late-night fun.

Later still is Cannibal! The Musical, and a cynical critic would suggest the 11.15pm start is geared to ensure a well-lubricated audience for this rough-and-ready presentation based on a student film made by Trey Parker. Fans of the brilliant creator will be tickled by this cheerfully gruesome telling of a mining expedition gone wrong. Despite some fine performances and well-rehearsed harmonies, the show never quite kicks into gear, with scenes cutting off abruptly and no real sense of time or place.