'Floyd Collins' Broadway review — Jeremy Jordan yodels for his life
Read our review of Floyd Collins on Broadway, a folk and bluegrass musical starring Jeremy Jordan and Lizzy McAlpine and created by Adam Guettel and Tina Landau.
“It is a depressing subject for a musical,” my seatmate said to me, and yet, this shouldn’t dissuade you from attending the uneven but ambitious Floyd Collins, a musical based on the attempted rescue of the titular cave explorer in 1925. Director Tina Landau, who also wrote the book and lyrics alongside composer/lyricist Adam Guettel, manages tricky meditative beats in the slow-burn show, whose doomed protagonist is wedged in a cave hole for the majority of the run time.
I imagine that when the musical premiered in 1996 off Broadway, a smaller theatre serviced the claustrophobia of the situation, a tougher sell on the gargantuan stage of the Vivian Beaumont Theater. Jeremy Jordan, as Floyd, lingers on a stony chaise lounge in the open air. While Scott Zielinski’s lighting suggests the darkness that enfolds Floyd, it’s visually silly that he is “trapped” in a chair purposed for relaxation.
The first act may frustrate with its lagginess and scant urgency, and yet it complements the second act’s tragic turns as Floyd’s ordeal inflames a media circus — considered the first one to erupt following the emergence of radio — and attracts opportunistic reporters and vendors who turn the site into a carnival for tourists. It’s the musical’s searing critique of a tragedy industrial complex.
Comedic quips keep the musical from sinking into bleakness, and Guettel’s folksy bluegrass score, complete with yodeling, is a remarkable one. The yodeling is its own indecipherable language, and it's also the sound of Floyd’s communion with the very forces of nature that lured and then trapped him.
Floyd Collins summary
A musical in two acts, Floyd Collins is based on a real-life tragedy where a Kentucky explorer crawls into a cave, planning to carve it out into a fortune-making attraction called the Sand Cave. An unlucky slip ends up wedging his leg into a hole for days. His brother Homer (Jason Gotay), reporter Skeets Miller (Taylor Trensch), and other community members can only visit and argue over how to free him safely, all while the town and the Collins family process the imposing media circus.
The stakes ratchet up when a cave-in cuts him off from any potential rescue route. Pinned in isolation, he tries to make sense of his thwarted dreams and his near-certain death.
What to expect at Floyd Collins
Audiences have anecdotally called Floyd Collins “the yodeling musical,” but people may be surprised the show is actually a sobering procedural-rescue musical. In an early number, Jordan’s Floyd impressively spelunks around the dark of the cave, letting Jordan exert physical action before his character becomes stuck and then seated for much of the show, occasionally leaving this prison in a few fantasy numbers.
Ruey Horng Sun’s projections are modest colors of sky. By the second act, the stage floor is muddy and sandy, conveying the public and the media’s trampling of the town. My performance had spurts of jumbled sound mixing in the ensemble moments.
What audiences are saying about Floyd Collins
As of publication, the review aggregator Show-Score displays a 67% average audience rating based on 139 member reviews.
- Show-Score user aka says the musical is "not an easy watch... you have to embrace the somber story to appreciate how exquisite it is."
- Show-Score user JoeyFranko describes the show as "a country, folk operetta."
- “Jeremy Jordan is crushing it. All the actors are good. I really liked it — excellent score, definitely a contemplative musical without too much plot, but I really enjoyed Act 2, particularly when they leaned into the ethereal dream sequences.” - My +1 at the show
Read more audience reviews of Floyd Collins on Show-Score.
Who should see Floyd Collins
- Those curious about history-based musicals may like to check this out and learn a piece of media history.
- The emotional turbulence of Floyd Collins makes for of Jeremy Jordan’s finest performances, so this will more than please his fans.
- Floyd Collins is a worthy companion musical to Dead Outlaw, which similarly has the lead actor staying virtually still throughout the production to symbolize their objectification by the outer world.
- Fans of Tina Landau’s directorial work, like SpongeBob SquarePants, will likely admire Floyd Collins. Landau’s work in SpongeBob and this season's Redwood also feature the adrenaline of climbing.
- Fans of folk-pop musician Lizzy McAlpine will like to see her Broadway debut as Nellie, Floyd’s sister, who shares yodeling duets with Jordan.
Learn more about Floyd Collins on Broadway
In spite of unevenness, the scope and score of Floyd Collins give meaning to the title character's journey.
Photo credit: Floyd Collins on Broadway. (Photos by Joan Marcus)
Frequently asked questions
Where is Floyd Collins playing?
Floyd Collins is playing at Vivian Beaumont Theater - Lincoln Center Theater. The theatre is located at 150 West 65th Street, New York, 10023.
How long is Floyd Collins?
The running time of Floyd Collins is 2hr 35min. Incl. 1 intermission.
How do you book tickets for Floyd Collins?
Book tickets for Floyd Collins on New York Theatre Guide.
What's the age requirement for Floyd Collins?
The recommended age for Floyd Collins is Ages 12+. Children under the age of 5 are not permitted..
What is Floyd Collins about?
See the six-time Tony Award-nominated Floyd Collins musical, finally coming to Broadway. A classic and distinctly American story, Floyd Collins in New York arrives at Lincoln Center this spring.
What are the songs in Floyd Collins?
Audiences can expect gorgeous orchestrations supporting a bluegrass-inspired score with one of musical theatre's favorite anthems, "How Glory Goes."
Who wrote Floyd Collins?
Adam Guettel, the songwriter behind The Light in the Piazza, wrote this musical, and Tina Landau wrote the book.
Who directed Floyd Collins?
Tina Landau, who directed the original production, returns to stage this one at Lincoln Center.
Is Floyd Collins good?
The 1996 Off Broadway production was nominated for six Drama Desk Awards including Outstanding Musical; also, the show won Best Musical at the 1996 Lucille Lortel Awards.
Is Floyd Collins appropriate for children?
Children under age 4 are not permitted in Broadway houses.
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