What better time for a beach party than the middle of August with the need for cool breezes and iced alcoholic drinks are so tempting. It’s time for some Caribbean casual, coconuts, cheeseburgers, chilling out, charm, comedy, clever catchy tunes and cheer that are all characterized in the sand and shores at Ivoryton Playhouse until Sunday, September 15.
Grab your flip-flops, an island flowered shirt and a frothy frozen drink to get in the leisure mood as Jimmy Buffett’s “Escape to Margaritaville” lures you to forsake work and play, play, play. Punctuating Buffett’s chatty tunes, the musical comedy is by Greg Garcia and Mike O’Malley and is semi-auto-biographical in nature. Buffett started out playing for drinks at a bar in Key West, Florida. Now the story is island-bound and revolves around Tully, a swinging Sam Sherwood, successfully singing and playing the guitar part-time while he pursues women full-time, whether they want to be caught or not.
His latest target is Rachel, a studious scientific Margaret Dudasik, who is focused on her potato and volcano project and her career and is resistant to his charms. A lack of romantic chemistry and Rachel’s uptight manner do nothing to dissuade Tully from his goal. Meanwhile Rachel’s best friend Tammy, Maggie Bera, is about to be married back home in Ohio and is using her island time to have a last fling and escape her culinary restrictions. She discovers Brick, Beau Bradshaw the bartender, may be the salty rim to her drinking glass. Get your frozen drink, a beach ball, a comfy lounge chair and a Parrothead hat, if you dare, and you’ll be ready for some island time relaxation. Best to keep an eye on LaDonna Burns’ Marley as she works hard to avoid the advances of Don Noble’s J.D. who may or may not be penning his memoirs and searching for some long buried treasure. Also keep an eye on the island's dormant volcano that may be ready to blow.
Tunes like “Cheeseburger in Paradise,” “License to Chill,” "It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere,” “Margaritaville,” “It’s My Job,” “Fins” and “Son of a Son of a Sailor” are sure to have your juices flowing. Jimmy Buffett’s music has appeared on many different charts. He’s been on the Hot 200, the Top Country Albums chart, the Easy Listening chart, and more. Talk about being a bit of a musical chameleon! So how does Jimmy describe his music? Well, in the late 70s he called it “Drunken Caribbean Rock ‘n’ Roll!” These days, however, “Gulf and Western” is the preferred descriptor for fans—and even Buffett himself! So what is Gulf and Western music? Well, it combines elements of rock, pop, folk, and country with Caribbean music and adds in a dash of tropics-inspired lyrical themes. Sounds like perfection to me!
Clint Hromsco designed the fun choreography and also directs the romantic action. For tickets ($60, seniors $55, students $25), call the Ivoryton Playhouse, 103 Main Street, Ivoryton at 860-767-7318 or online at ivorytonplayhouse.org. Performances are Wednesday at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.,Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.
Your ticket to fun in the sun in the tropics awaits you.
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