Jimmy Buffett’s Escape to Margaritaville at Toby’s Dinner Theatre of Columbia, MD

Jeri Tidwell Photography

Jukebox musicals take a collection of already recorded songs and builds a story around them. Sometimes it works (Jersey Boys, Mamma Mia!, Ain’t Too Proud) and sometimes it does not (Summer: The Donna Summer Musical). It takes a lot of finesse to craft a story around a collection of songs that generally have no relation to each other, no storyline to tie them together. But producers keep mounting them because it’s easier to draw audiences in to a show with music they already know than it is to a show with original songs (it’s the same reason Hollywood keeps doing sequels and remakes — familiarity). It’s hard to argue that Jersey Boys and Mamma Mia! are two of the most successful because the former seems to never stop touring, and the latter staged a ‘farewell tour’ a few years ago … and is going back on the road again. Finding the right artist with a fan base large enough to support a major Broadway show is tough, but when you have an entire fandom with their own nickname, ‘Parrotheads’, your music might just be ripe for the picking. And writers Greg Garcia (creator of My Name is Earl) and Mike O’Malley (actor on Yes, Dear and Snowpiercer, and creator of Survivor’s Remorse) hit upon the idea to string together the songs from the Jimmy Buffett catalog for a show entitled Escape to Margaritaville, which alludes to Buffett’s most famous song.

Escape to Margaritaville focuses on two best friends, Rachel and Tammy, taking an island vacation the week prior to Tammy’s wedding to the boorish Chadd, a real cad who is trying to ‘help’ Tammy with a diet so she’ll look and feel her best on the big day. Rachel hates Chadd, but she has to put up with him for the sake of her friendship. Chadd reminds Tammy not to cheat, in more ways than one, while she’s away but when they land on the island she feels free to flirt. Arriving at Margaritaville, a bit more run down than promised on the website, the two women are greeted by Tully, a singer at the hotel, and Brick, a bartender. Tully has a history of romancing the women during their stay and sending them on their way at the end of the week, but he immediately sees something different in Rachel. Tammy finds herself attracted to Brick, particularly because he tells her she’s fine just the way she is. As the week progresses and they all spend more time together, Tammy has to put the brakes on her feelings for Brick, while Tully wants to actually continue a romance with Rachel but she’s the one who lets him down. The women return to Cincinnati right before a volcano erupts on the island, forcing the vacationers and the hotel employees to flee. With the help of hotel owner Marley and grizzled pilot JD, they fly to Cincinnati (the guests and rest of the staff took a boat off the island) so Tully and Brick can reveal their true feelings to Rachel and Tammy. But … are they too late?

Escape to Margaritaville‘s book is the standard island romance story but with the twist that it’s the men who get left behind and have to follow their hearts to pursue romance. Full disclosure time — I’m not a ‘Parrothead’ so I’m not familiar with most of the Buffett songs in the show except for ‘Margaritaville’. I’ve also not seen the original production or tour so I can’t compare and contrast the various productions. I do know that the Toby’s version has dropped some songs and plot points from Act I, and seems to have dropped and added some songs in Act II. Have these revisions made the show better? I can’t say, but what I can say is that what is on stage is a delight. I was not a fan of the national tour of Mamma Mia! because it was more about the songs than the story. The Toby’s production completely reworked that show and actually made it about the story with the songs feeling more organic. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say director Mark Minnick has more than likely done the same thing with Escape to Margaritaville. The show could very easily have just been a vehicle with a little bit of story to move you from one needle drop to the next, but here the songs feel like a natural part of the story. Show after show, I can always see how Minnick really wants the story to be front and center and not feel like an afterthought. When a character breaks into song in a scene, it’s done so that it helps forward the story, and there are some big, fun production numbers as well, like Act I’s ‘Margaritaville’ and Act II’s ‘Grapefruit Juicy Fruit’.

Jeri Tidwell Photography

While Minnick really knows how to make the story the focus, he also knows how to cast the roles and draw out performances that make you invested in their stories. The four leads here are all outstanding with Tammy and Brick really stealing the spotlight. Anna Phillips-Brown, in her Toby’s debut, is just bubbly and fun, and through her performance we really feel for her when Chadd makes comments about her weight. And then we really want her to forget about Chadd and stay on that island with Brick, and while she tries to convince Rachel that Chadd is the man for her, right now, we know she doesn’t really believe it. And girl can sing! Woo, she has some pipes and she pours her heart and soul into every number. Matching her is Jordan P. Stocksdale as Brick. Stocksdale was a hoot as the Soothsayer in the Toby’s production of Something Rotten, and here he gets to show a range of charm, humor and pathos as Brick falls ever more in love with Tammy. The character is really to act as Tully’s side man, but Stocksdale doesn’t allow Brick to be overshadowed. He vocally matches Phillips-Brown, and through both of their performances we want nothing more than for them to be together at the end.

Patrick Gover had more dramatic lead roles in Rocky the Musical and Ghost the Musical at Toby’s, and then got to cut loose a little in a supporting role in Something Rotten at which time I suggested he really needed to be the lead in a comedy. He last took on the role of Danny in Grease — a role that is thankless for any actor who has to compete with the memory of John Travolta in the movie — and as Tully I think he’s been the most relaxed and easy-going as he’s ever been. Gover has taken the advice of Tully and set his mind to island time, and that’s a good thing. Gover is a charming guy off stage and now as Tully he really gets to let that charm shine on stage. Tully could have been any island-living womanizer but when he meets Rachel, Gover really makes us feel his feelings, and it breaks our hearts a little when Rachel says goodbye. And not once, but twice! It seems inevitable that in traditional musical theatre form the characters will finally realize they’re made for each other, but after two rejections we’re on Tully’s side because of Gover’s sweet performance. And I don’t think Gover has sounded better since he’s been with Toby’s. Kathleen West might have the hardest part with Rachel because … she’s just a little too blunt. She does not hesitate to tell Tammy that she hates Chadd, several times, and while she says it with the best intentions, it comes out as hurtful. Rachel is actually on the island to collect soil samples from the volcano for a new clean energy project she’s working on, so rather than relax into the island life, she’s focused on her work. Tully’s charm finally does break down her walls, but at the end of the week she is just as blunt with Tully that she knows what kind of guy he is and she’s letting him off the hook, never giving him that chance to tell her how he really feels. Rachel is almost the ‘villain’ of the show, and really does not deserve Tully. Yes, I said it! But West manages to balance the character’s brusqueness with some tenderness so the audience doesn’t completely dislike her, and that is a testament to her skills. And she also has a lovely voice.

Asia-Ligé Arnold is a hoot as Marley, owner of the hotel and almost mother figure to Tully and Brick. I got the biggest laugh of the show when Tully tells Marley there’s a gossip on the island, and she realizes the gossip is her. She also has some funny moments sparring with JD over his unpaid tab and the past they’re not supposed to talk about on the island (but Cincinnati is fair game). Robert Biedermann is also terrific as JD, comedy relief in Act I but then he gets a really heartfelt scene in Act II when his past is revealed to Tully and Brick. It puts the character in a whole new light and Biedermann nicely balances the cantankerous moments with the more dramatic. Anwar Thomas also gets some laughs as Margaritaville’s cook and masseur with a broken arm, and Brandon Bedore makes Chadd totally reprehensible, completely deserving his comeuppance in Act II. The rest of the ensemble is put through their paces as round after round of hotel guests and in various small roles throughout the show through several costume changes, and not even breaking a sweat during the big tap dance number in Act II. Everyone is fabulous and the fact that they not only perform, but also act as servers during the dinner portion of the evening — sometimes doing it twice in one day — is just mind-boggling.

Jeri Tidwell Photography

On the technical side of things, the scenic and lighting design by David A. Hopkins truly evokes an island getaway. I loved the strings of colored lights criss-crossing the room, the tropical plant displays in the corners lit with blue and green lights, the volcano that lights up and belches out smoke … it just really made you feel you were somewhere else other than a dinner theatre in Columbia, Maryland. Sound effects were tight and completely in sync (I was amazed by a moment with a shoveling sound effect), and the music was nicely balanced with the vocals. By the end of the show, I felt like my mind had reset to island time and I was ready to just hang out there all night (or find my own little Margaritaville getaway).

Oh, and speaking of dinner, the menu for this show is simply delicious. The salad bar is always a favorite, the side dishes — Calypso Carrots, Coral Reef Corn, Paradise Potatoes, and Spinach Phunque — were all so yummy, the potatoes in particular were a winner. The Margherita Pasta was delicious, and the Baked Tilapia was maybe the best batch I’ve had at Toby’s, and it’s always good. There’s also a Cheeseburger Casserole, Sautéed Cabbage and a carving board of ham, roast beef and turkey, a choice of cakes for dessert, an ice cream bar in the lobby, and the special show drink ‘The Coconut Telegraph’, which is a frozen Hurricane cocktail, with or without alcohol, topped with thick whipped cream and a lime-shaped gumdrop slice. Dee-licious!

If you’re looking for an escape from your workday life, or just want a little summer fun, you really can’t go wrong with Jimmy Buffett’s Escape to Margaritaville at Toby’s Dinner Theatre. It’s got music you know, winning performances, excellent direction and production design, and enough food so you won’t waste away in Margaritaville. It’s definitely worth the trip.

Note: Fog, haze and strobe effects may be used in this production. Be advised that the show features some sexual innuendo that may not be appropriate for younger audiences.

Jimmy Buffett’s Escape to Margaritaville runs about 2 hours and 20 minutes with one 15 minute intermission. The show runs through August 20, 2023. Toby’s next production is the musical adaptation of the classic comedy film Sister Act (August 25-November 5).

Jimmy Buffett’s Escape to Margaritaville – Toby’s Dinner Theatre

Toby’s Dinner Theatre

 
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