"Escape to Margaritaville" at Marquis Theatre

Production photo by Matthew Murphy

I had to see this show. It was inevitable. I have been a fan of Jimmy Buffett for many years, been to lots of his concerts, know most of his songs by heart, etc. So when they created a jukebox musical based on his songs, I knew I had to see it. I had hope that it might be a good one: Buffett is a really good story-teller, as evidenced not only by his music, but also his best-selling novels an short stories. Indeed, it's the stories that attract me almost as much as the tropical tunes.

Also, Buffett had made a previous foray into musical theater, collaborating with Herman Wouk on a musical stage adaptation of Wouk's terrific novel, "Don't Stop the Carnival." Wouk's book and Buffett's original music made for a great soundtrack, at least, but the show never made it to Broadway, and played out after a few years at a resort in the Bahamas.

The Play

Maybe they should have had Buffett write the book for this show. It's cute enough, but there really isn't much depth or interest in the plot. Tully is a guitar player playing the field at a beach resort in the Caribbean. Brainy scientist Rachel comes down to the resort with her best friend, Tammy, who is about to marry a jerk back home. Tammy falls for the bartender at the resort (aptly named "Brick), and Rachel and Tully fall heavily for each other. Many songs throughout. Rachel and Tammy have to go home at the end of the week. Tully is all broken up about it. Circumstances intervene to bring Tully and Rachel back together. Happy ending. Have another drink.

There really isn't much more to the story line than that. And unfortunately, the songs don't mesh all that well with the story in some places. Buffett had to rewrite quite a lot of lyrics to shoehorn the songs into the plot at all. And frankly, a lot of bits in the show are just cute little nods to the fans in the audience, foreshadowing upcoming songs or referencing other songs in the canon that aren't in the show.

It's cute, it's bouncy, it's entirely predictable, but at least it's fun to sing along.

The Production

The show is well done, at least. Tully (Paul Alexander Nolan) seems a little more LA surfer dude than Caribbean beach bum, and seems like he should have more of a tan or something. He just doesn't quite give off the livin'-on-the-beach vibe. Rachel (Alison Luff) has an amazing voice, and looking at her credits (Les Miserables, Wicked, Mamma Mia) you can see why. She seems way too talented to be stuck in this show.

I give full credit for featuring a number of non-traditional body types, including Brick (Eric Petersen) and Tammy (Lisa Howard), resort owner Marley (Rema Webb) and several members of the ensemble. It's kind of refreshing to see some real-looking people mixed in with the skinny actors and dancers in a musical.

The sound was good, the sets were high-quality. I thought some of the touches, like Brick's ragtop, were a bit cheesy and kind of detracted from the songs and story. The singing and dancing were fine, and sometimes better than that. But even more than most jukebox shows, the show sometimes seemed to be struggling to get to the next song.

Bottom Line

We all enjoyed the show, but we also felt like it should have been more enjoyable. The story just doesn't hold up the rest of the show. If I want to hear Buffett songs, I can go to a Buffett concert. And I can read actual Buffett stories in his books. So it was kind of novel to see it all onstage on Broadway. But the story seemed pretty skimpy even by the standards of the 1950s or so. A modern musical, even a jukebox musical, needs a more complex plot than this has.

I see from the website that they're pulling the plug on this show in a couple of weeks (July 1). So if you're a fan, you can still catch the show, and discounts are pretty deep. Or you can just save up and go see a concert or listen to the albums. The music is good, and doesn't need a cheesy story to tie it together.

Overall, disappointing, but my expectations weren't all that high to begin with. Kind of like the drinks from the bar at the theater. Too sweet, too expensive, and the bartender took way too long to make each one, and was a little too obvious about loudly thanking people who tipped him. I could have had a much better drink at a real bar, probably for less money. Same with the songs, I'm afraid.

Not bad, just not all that good.