Jimmy Buffett's Escape to Margaritaville begins performances on Broadway

The Broadway premiere of Escape to Margaritaville begins previews at the Marquis Theatre tonight.

"Cheeseburger in Paradise," anyone? Previews begin at the Marquis Theatre tonight for the Broadway premiere of the new musical Escape to Margaritaville, which features the greatest hits of singer/songwriter Jimmy Buffett.An official opening is scheduled for March 15.

Escape to Margaritaville features a book by Emmy Award winner Greg Garcia and Emmy Award nominee Mike O'Malley, whilst Mr. Buffett has also written a number of original songs for the new musical to accompany his back catalogue of hits.

Synopsis: "Imagine a place where the sun is hot, the ocean's warm, and the drinks are as cold as they are plentiful. Welcome to Margaritaville, the island paradise where city folk get away from it all and the locals get into the kind of trouble you can almost always sweet talk your way out of. This new musical is the story of a part-time bartender, part-time singer, and full-time charmer named Tully who thinks he's got life all figured out. Until a beautiful career-minded tourist steals his heart and makes him question everything."

The cast of Escape to Margaritaville includes Paul Alexander Nolan (as Tully), Alison Luff (as Rachel), Lisa Howard (as Tammy), Eric Petersen (as Brick), Don Sparks (as J.D.), Andre Ward (as Jamal), and Rema Webb (as Marley).

Ensemble members include Matt Allen, Tessa Alves, Sara Andreas, Marjorie Failoni, Steven Good, Angela Grovey, Albert Guerzon, Keely Hutton, Justin Keats, Mike Millan, Justin Mortelliti, Ryann Redmond, Ian Michael Stuart, and Brett Thiele.

The creative team is led by the director/choreographer duo behind hit Broadway musical Come From Away - Tony Award winner Christopher Ashley and Tony Award nominee Kelly Devine, and also features music supervision by Tony Award nominee Christopher Jahnke, scenic design by Walt Spangler, costume design by Tony Award winner Paul Tazewell, lighting design by two-time Tony Award winner Howell Binkley, and sound design by two-time Tony Award winner Brian Ronan.

The musical staged its world premiere engagement at La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego, from May 9 through to June 25, 2017, and went on to play limited engagements in New Orleans, Houston, and Chicago prior to its Broadway premiere.

Escape to Margaritaville is produced on Broadway by Frank Marshall, Mindy Rich, Anita Waxman, and Beth Williams.

Escape to Margaritaville Tickets are available now for performances through to November 18, 2018.

^{(Photo by Matthew Murphy)}