ADRIAN — Few songs have made an impact like that of “Margaritaville.”
Singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett’s 1977 genre-bending “Gulf and Western” song has since become synonymous with the lackadaisical lifestyle championed by its lyrics, with beach-themed apparel, decor, and more billowing out behind it.
By merchandising his biggest hit to Havana and back, Buffett built himself a legacy that saw him become one of the wealthiest musicians in the nation by the time of his 2023 passing.
Why not add a Broadway musical to the stores, restaurants, and resorts?
But unlike the rest, Escape to Margaritaville needs to sell more than a vibe if it’s going to stand on its own.
First up in the 2024 season for the Adrian-based Croswell Opera House, the 2017 jukebox musical built around Buffett’s most iconic tracks follows two women headed to the tropics for some much-needed rest and relaxation.
With bride-to-be Tammy ( Meg Clark ) battling low self-worth ahead of her impending nuptials to controlling, no-good fiance Chadd ( Jared Freeman ), her friend Rachel ( Ally Szymanski ) brings her for some much-needed R&R while torturing herself over her high-stress job as an environmental scientist with dreams of a potato-powered future.
IF YOU GO: What: ‘Escape to Margaritaville’
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday; 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday; 2:30 p.m. Sunday
Where: The Croswell Opera House, 129 E. Maumee St., Adrian.
Admission: $22-44 for adults, $15-$25 for students.
Website:
croswell.org/margaritaville It takes guitar-playing, flip flop-wearing Tully ( Maxwell Lam ) to show her a better way of life, aided by his friend Brick ( John Lamb ), whose goofy charm reminds Tammy of her own.
The dialogue is flippant, funny, and full of cliches — but it’s hard to find too much fault when those stock tropes refuse to engage with the casual misogyny and other uncritical lines of thinking that often come with them.
Buffett’s work has always rejected toxic masculinity. “Margaritaville,” that most popular ode to the island life, refuses to blame women for its narrator’s malaise, with the protagonist accepting personal responsibility for his lack of ambition.
“Margaritaville” is representative of the rest of Buffett’s work. Take “Cheeseburger in Paradise.” The script twists itself into knots making sure that audiences are on Tammy’s side in her quest for a great big cheeseburger.
The show’s extension of self-love towards everyone, man or woman, is perhaps the most radical thing about it.
Parrotheads — Jimmy Buffett aficionados, called such since 1985 — have known this for a long time. If you don’t have any in your audience, you’re missing out.
One woman was so overcome by her enjoyment that she stood and danced in the middle of her row, but it was the typical Parrothead cry of “Salt! Salt! Salt!” after the line “searching for my lost shaker of salt” that brought the audience together.
At first, only those in the know sang along, but by the end, hundreds of people came together to shout about a salt rim.
By the time intermission came around, I was certainly craving one of the Croswell’s margaritas.
Even a drained glass and a willing heart can’t overcome the faltering second act, which bounces from one storyline to another in search of tension. A repertoire of feel-good music about the ease of island life certainly does not beg for a narrative call to action.
It’s strange that the Croswell picked spring for a show about escaping to warmer waters. Going from a dreary winter day to a tropical beach paradise would have helped land the jokes about the bitterly cold north, instead of returning blinking audiences to a day as nice as the stage they’d left behind.
In a show where individual performances make the difference, the Croswell’s cast was the spark the production needed. With such energetic and committed performers, you could be forgiven for not noticing the show’s flimsy premise and flimsier writing.
The show may never make the Smithsonian, but there’s no crime in having a good time.
Whenever two characters had chemistry, Clark’s Tammy, the lead’s lovelorn best friend, was usually involved, whether it be best friend Rachel or love interest Brick. The rest of the cast coalesced around this bubbly, tongue-in-cheek spirit of “Margaritaville” embodied.
Szymanski was saddled with a difficult lead role, but her charm — not to mention a beautiful, clear singing voice — shone through the Hallmark-esque burden of playing the workaholic resisting a vacation.
The same can be said for Lam’s Tully, whose easy role of likeable beach bum turned into the much harder ask of convincing audiences he could go pro as a singer-songwriter in the vein of, say, Jimmy Buffett.
With strong vocals backed by a consummate orchestra, I wish the show let more than a handful of Buffett’s best music play out in full.
The Croswell’s mistakes were few and far between: I counted a single flubbed line in the whole production. One performer could have been helped with better diction, while another needed to keep his costumes from jostling his microphone.
In an impressive display of technical skill, every inch of that stage was decked out in Buffett’s signature yachtcore.
The Croswell also utilized a projector. It’s become typical for area theaters to incorporate projections into their shows, but underpowered projectors often turn these into distractions. From clips recorded by the show’s actors to comedic flight maps, Croswell’s high-quality, all-encompassing screen showcased how to do the job right.
The set’s piece de resistance was the huge volcano looming in the background, occasionally glowing a fiery orange as it rumbled. How the Croswell production crew accomplished this, I don’t know, but it was a tremendous success.
Panned by critics during its one-season Broadway run, Escape to Margaritaville depends on a cast and crew passionate enough to bring the beach to the theater.
With a dedication to detail and an enthusiasm for the easier things in life, the fine Parrotheads of the Croswell have certainly done that.
Perhaps Midwesterners just understand island time better than the folks in New York.
Coming up:
■ Life Sucks , Friday through Sunday at the Black Swamp Players' Oak Street Stage, 115 E. Oak St., Bowling Green.
■ Once Upon a Titanic , Thursday through Sunday by Children’s Theatre Workshop’s Ensemble Company, The Historic Ohio Theatre, 3112 Lagrange St., Toledo.
■ Steel Magnolias , Friday through Sunday, Monroe Community Players, Studio Theater, The Mall of Monroe, 2121 N. Monroe St., Monroe.
■ Tiny Beautiful Things , Friday through Sunday, at Trinity Episcopal Church, 316 Adams St., Toledo.
■ Man of La Mancha, May 31-June 16 at the Toledo Repertoire Theatre, 16 10th St., Toledo.
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