REVIEW: Jimmy Buffett’s Escape to Margaritaville Washes Over You
Through 08/31 @ Mac-Haydn Theatre, Chatham
Photos by Ann Kielbasa
“A brief respite from your worldly concerns with some sand, sun and songs.”
Jimmy Buffett gets the jukebox musical treatment with Escape to Margaritaville now playing through 8/31 at Mac-Haydn Theatre.
The theatre has done its best to welcome parrotheads and instill a bit of island vibes with the staff in Hawaiian shirts and leis and frozen Margaritas available for sale in the lobby. The cast directed by Clint Hromsco is excited to welcome you to a brief respite from your worldly concerns with some sand, sun and songs culled from the singer-songwriter who sold over 20 million records and was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The evening gets off to a haphazard start as characters wander onto the set and Steve Taylor as J.D. trades opening remarks with a recorded curtain speech. Tully and Brick work at the island resort for Marly which is soon visited by Rachel and Tammy who are on a bachelorette trip before Tammy marries the emotionally abusive Chadd. Tully and Rachel and Brick and Tammy enjoy a week of sun kissed romance before the ladies have to return to Cincinnati but not before Tully gets smitten. Act II brings a volcano eruption, sudden stardom for our reluctant troubadour and further complications for our island hoppers.
Rachel as strongly played by Amelia Barr and written by Greg Garcia and Mike O’Malley is the only character who wants something as she has the strongest arc going from driven scientist to fun bride. Mikey Marmann has a great laid back quality and is most affecting in his quiet moments like his opening to “Margaritaville.” Shannon Tsunada is fun and engaging as Tammy and makes a great couple with the enormously appealing Mac vet, Jonah Hale. Anjewel Lenoir as Marly with her strong dialect and Steve Taylor as the drunken J.D. have the potential to make a strong comic couple, if only it were written for them.
The familiar songs are here: “Cheeseburger in Paradise,” “Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes,” “Why Don’t We Get Drunk and Screw” but I wasn’t too impressed with Buffett’s lesser-known catalog. Music director Alex Franklin and bandleader Evelyn Tomaro serve everything in a wonderfully relaxed, kick back manner.
There are some awkward song endings where the audience was unsure or wasn’t given room to applaud and it kind of felt like my reaction to the production. I was left with no one to care strongly about because there wasn’t any character on stage that cared strongly about getting what they want. Things just happened.
Escape to Margaritaville is a pleasant trip with a most appealing cast and is easy to let just wash over you.
Escape to Margaritaville plays at Mac-Haydn Theatre through 8/31. Tickets: www.machaydntheatre.org
