2019 Fringe Fest: Tribe of Fools; Operation Wawa Road Trip

This play had me rolling. One of the best belly laughs that I needed and it still kept its serious element. Operation Wawa Road Trip is a must see!

Lee and Joey are on a road trip from Dayton Ohio to Philadelphia to honor their father’s wishes to have his ashes spread in a meaningful place-a Wawa parking lot. The road is definitely one for the books. To “abscond” their father’s ashes during his memorial service I already knew this adventure was going to be epic. What do you do when you roll on the Turnpike full of emotions? You keep driving until you have to stop…

The stops are hilarious. Each stop came with a lesson. One stop in particular that I know I related to is the stop to Sheetz. I was born in Youngstown Ohio and lived in Central Pennsylvania for most of my life. Sheetz is life! You couldn’t tell me nothing especially when you bite into one of their burritos. Anyway the M.T.O is serious! M.T.O is the Made to Order motto that all Sheetz patrons all love! To have Lee and Joey stumble upon Sheetz as they are on their way to Wawa is hilarious! I laughed so hard watching their interactions.

When I moved to Philadelphia one of the first arguments I had with my husband was about Sheetz vs. Wawa! I mean a real argument. He was like “don’t be in public in Philadelphia telling others about your love for Sheetz over Wawa.” I had no idea what he was even talking about but Wawa is serious business in Philadelphia.

The whole cast was nothing but pure talent. I mean pure light and love. Each actor brought their A game and I was amazed at their ability to switch in and out of character so fluidity. I enjoyed every part.

I thought about the times when you are grieving and how protective you become during those dark times. Seeing how Lee wanted to push through for what was right and moving along with tunnel vision. Joey definitely had his own internal struggle. Sometimes we hide our feelings as a way to avoid. We block and allow in what we think will serve us until something or someone challenges us to think beyond service pain. If we don’t deal with our feelings there’s a good chance they don’t exist….

They do exist. Life can’t just move ahead. You have to go back to move forward. Death always presses questions of the what if’s… So how will Lee and Joey honor their father? Do they make it to Wawa? Family is everything and it’s always a great thing to have someone to lean on but what about dealing with reality?! These questions will be answered but the road there just like the road to Operation Wawa Road Trip is a beautiful blend of life, fun, and a bit loopy.

Oh and always remember when you do make a pit stop make sure it’s for two things-never one!

Life is hard. There’s no reason to keep the tempo of life without slowing down to be sure you reach out. If there is one thing to take away it’s gonna be about making calls and connecting. We spend so much time on go that we need to add a daily and weekly pause for those around us before we can’t!

You can catch Operation: Wawa Road Trip before it ends by getting tickets here! The show will end Saturday September 21st! Let’s always do our part to support the Arts!