Regionally, you are crafting a show and you know the audience that you’re going to get. Nationally, especially with Margaritaville, we really get to see how different parts of the country respond to different things. Orlando has been really different than say, D.C. To get to bring it somewhere else helps to keep it fresh. I’ve never been a part of a long run like this. The most I’ve ever done is 20 performances, in Margaritaville, I’ve already done about 35. Being somewhere new really helps to keep it fresh because you see something new every night when you look out at the audience.
Atmosphere
People just want to come to the show to have a good time. I think our show is really good escapism. If you come to the show expecting to have a good time, we’re going to give you that. It’s like a Jimmy Buffet concert in the way that we really embrace that Margaritaville lifestyle. As a cast, we get to show up to work and jam out every night, and that’s a pretty good way to spend a year.
Character — Tully
Bar singer on island, just like the people that come to vacation at Margaritaville, he’s also there to escape things of everyday life that he doesn’t like, like pollution and crime and people constantly on their phones and just things that drive us crazy. He’s really really happy to just live his care-free lifestyle on the island, but then all of a sudden he meets Rachel, the female lead character and a career minded tourist. She pushes him to reach for something more and shows him that life can offer him even more if he just worked a little bit harder to fulfill his potential.
Favorite Song to Perform
It varies between “Tin Cup Chalice” and “Margaritaville” on any given week. There’s something special about getting to play a song as iconic as Margaritaville. It’s also so well crafted in our show, “it starts as a subtle ballad about heartbreak, and it’s cool to notice the audience kind of realize what song it is, sing along, and do the “Salt Salt Salt” back at us. It’s so fun to get to be on the band stand for a song as iconic as that.”
Tin Cup Chalice
“As I’ve done the show more I’ve begun to enjoy his more introspective stuff like “He Went to Paris,’ ‘Tin Cup Chalice,’ and ‘A Pirate Looks at Forty’ just because they’re beautiful songs–one’s like ‘Fins’ and ‘Volcano’ are so fun but I think after doing a show of high energy songs, the moments of honesty and sincerity are rewarding to get to explore.
Audience Expectations of “Escape to Margaritaville”
Something that theater fans and Jimmy Buffet fans have in common is that we come to the theatre for an escape, and I think that that feeling combined with the carefree, easy-going lifestyle of Jimmy Buffet is what the audiences come for. I think typically Buffet fans are things like stockbrokers and lawyers by day, so by night they dress up in grass skirts and coconut bras to listen to Buffet music. They relate to our show’s representation of the balance between work and leisure. I think that they see Rachel–who is career minded, hardworking, and doesn’t take time for herself to relax–and Tully–who is easy-going to a fault–and what they teach each other, showing that you can have that really driven attitude while also taking time for yourself.
Final Notes for Attendees
Come expecting a fun time. Our show is just two hours of a tropical vacation, and typically that sounds more appealing to cold climates, compared to Ft. Lauderdale’s great weather, but it’s two hours on the island–to let your hair down and put your fins up.
My parents are really big Jimmy Buffet fans, my parents grew up listening to him, and it has been so special to get to meet him, play guitar with him, and to tour the country with a show and cast that’s this wonderful–I couldn’t have asked for a better experience and I feel really lucky to have this island time every night, and to bring it to Ft. Lauderdale.
