ESCAPE TO MARGARITAVILLE


The songs of Jimmy Buffett are colorfully sung and interwoven in “Escape to Margaritaville,” named after Buffet’s hit and exuberantly staged by director Christopher Ashley and choreographer Kelly Devine. The book by Greg Garcia & Mike O’Malley wouldn’t win any prize for sophistication, but it is constructed to work as a showcase for Buffet’s music and lyrics, and that’s the point of it all.

How you respond to the show may have a good deal to do with how you react to Buffet’s numbers, which in his pop-folk style tend to affably stress fun in life. “Cheeseburger in Paradise” glorifies that common treat. “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere” salutes the happy end of a workday. “Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On” is a forward dose of philosophy. “He Went to Paris” glorifies the search for adventure.

Fortunately, an excellent cast is there to embody the Buffet spirit, including the working out of two romances. The primary setting is the fictional Caribbean Margaritaville (set design by Walt Spangler), a happy-go-lucky vacation spot, with a lurking threat of a volcano that might erupt. Given the trajectory of the by-the-numbers book you can be sure it will.

Paul Alexander Nolan, plays Margaritaville’s locally liked guy, whom one can see as a stand-in for Buffet. Nolan sings charmingly and falls for Alison Luff as Rachel, a tourist from Ohio who, with a one-track mind, wants to achieve big things for protecting the environment.

Her companion on the visit is Lisa Howard as Tammy, who is about to get married to sort of a lout whom Rachel doesn’t like. But at Margaritaville Tammy is open to having a pre-marital fling with Eric Petersen as the larger-than-life, very amusing Brick, and both are entertaining as they sing and act their way into a budding romance.

Another plus for the show is Don Sparks as the elderly J.D., who owns a decrepit airplane he hasn’t flown for years, and, we learn, has had some great times in Paris with resulting memories.

That’s a lot of plot to accommodate—and there’s more-- but it works to highlight the barrage of Buffet songs, as well as provide the set-up for enjoyable effects, such as J.D. finally flying a mock airplane with chorus members cavorting as clouds. At one point Tully and Rachel suddenly are seen suspended as if swimming in the sea above the stage. Naturally, there are plenty of explosive effects when the volcano inevitably erupts.

If you take to Buffett’s catchy music and enjoy watching excellent performers and a lively singing and dancing ensemble, “Escape to Margaritaville” may provide you with a momentary escape from New York’s extended winter in springtime. You won’t need a bathing suit—only a ticket and a receptive attitude. At the Marquis Theatre, 210 West 46th Street. Phone: 877-250-2929. Reviewed March 22, 2018.




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