Straight from Grace’s Satchel: Possum Trot Brings Small-Town Nebraska to London
Postmark this one “Nebraska (via London)” because playwright Kathy Rucker is posting herself across the pond this November with the world premiere of Possum Trot. And let me tell you, I nearly dropped my satchel when I saw the cast list.
Rucker’s no stranger to award-winning plays (Crystal Springs, Sultan’s Battery, Darling), but this latest gem is rooted right in America’s heartland. Think cornfields, climate chaos, and family farms fighting for survival — but with plenty of sharp laughs served on the side.
At the heart of it all? Maxine — the quick-witted owner of the town’s only diner, played by none other than Sarah Berger (An Inspector Calls, Doctor Who). Poor Maxine’s juggling agricultural giants swallowing up the farms, kids skipping town, and even the odd climate disaster. Add in her family’s dramas and you’ve got a recipe that’s equal parts calamity and comedy.
She’s not facing it alone though. The line-up includes Todd Boyce (Coronation Street), Nikolas Salmon (The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, EastEnders), Dani Arlington (Prima Facie), and Neve Francis (Omnibus Theatre). If that doesn’t keep Possum Trot on the map, I don’t know what will.
What’s striking is how Rucker threads humour through heartbreak. Growing up herself in California’s Central Valley, she knows rural life firsthand. Her inspiration? Her grandmother Alice — widowed young, raising kids through the Depression and World War II, and still cheeky enough to credit her long life to “a sense of humour and a touch of bourbon every night.” Grace tips her hat (and maybe her hip flask) to that.
Directed by Scott Le Crass (Jab, Rose) and produced by Kevin Nolan (Country Music), Possum Trot is equal parts love letter and battle cry. Or, as Rucker herself puts it, it’s “about the birth of a ghost town.” She even had a Springsteen and Dylan playlist on while writing — Nebraska and Shelter from the Storm — and you can feel it in the script: haunting, heartfelt, but defiantly alive.
So, London, polish your boots and save a seat at the diner — Possum Trot is rolling into town this November, and Grace will be there with pie, coffee, and plenty of gossip.
Tickets are available from https://tabard.org.uk/whats
on/possum-trot/ priced £23.50
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