To See or Not to See: Escape to Margaritaville

Escape to Margaritaville was made purely for entertainment. It’s the kind of feel-good, fluffy piece that not only Jimmy Buffett fans will love, but also all those out-of-towners looking for a fun, light show to see while they’re in Nee York. In fact, Escape to Margaritaville would make an excellent dinner theater show.

Most of the action takes place around the Margaritaville Hotel & Bar which is located on an island in the Caribbean. Marley (a delightful Rema Webb) owns the run-down hotel that caters to folks who want to party on the beach and, naturally, have fun. The hotel is full of wacky workers like lovable teddy bear bartender Brick (Eric Petersen) and an old boozer J.D. (John Sparks, perfectly kooky in this role) who writes his memoirs on cocktail napkins and claims to have a buried treasure on the island. Tully (the ever-charming and talented Paul Alexander Nolan) is the lead singer for the hotel’s house band. He’s a laid-back beach bum who charms the bikini bottoms off of pretty much any hotel guest he fancies (and with a voice like butter, he really is irresistible). Until he meets Rachel (Allison Luff).

Lisa Howard and Eric Petersen, “Cheeseburgers in Paradise”

Rachel does not do flings or romance. She’s a pretty environmental scientist who has brought her best friend Tammy (Lisa Howard) to the island for a bachelorette celebration. She’s also going to collect soil samples for a project of her own so, for her, this is more of a working vacation. Of course, sparks eventually fly not just between Rachel and Tully, but also between Tammy and Brick….and even J.D. and Marley. Throw in an emergency island evacuation and having (realistic) dreams come true, the show is like, well, a sweet margarita on a summer’s day.

The songs, consisting entirely of Jimmy Buffett’s well-known tunes, are threaded into the storyline quite well. “My Head Hurts, My Feet Stink and I Don’t Love Jesus” makes a funny hangover scene; “We Are The People Our Parents Warned Us About” is a scene that cements Eric Petersen and Lisa Howard’s ability to be insanely likable (and humorous) supporting characters. The only song (and thereby scene) that really seemed too ridiculous, even for a show like this, was “Cheeseburgers in Paradise.”

Everything else about the production—the cast, the island set, the bright costumes, and the enthusiastic choreography—were all well-done. Many of the audience members happily sang along, laughed, and applauded. So, although Escape to Margaritaville may not be a timeless, mind-blowing Broadway show, it does make the people who choose to see it quite happy. And isn’t that what really matters?

For more information and to buy tickets to Escape the Margaritaville, click here. 

Photo Credit: Matthew Murphy