Theater Review: ‘Escape to Margaritaville’ is fun, tropical getaway from the winter cold

“Escape to Margaritaville” has come just in time for the first cold fronts of the impending holiday season here in Orlando, but for the rest of the tour’s stops, I’m sure it’s a breath of fresh hot tropical air as Jack Frost has already visited the majority of the country.

escape to margaritaville

While I enjoy the occasional Jimmy Buffet song, I wouldn’t come close to calling myself a Parrothead or Parakeet (for those who don’t know, those are the self-appointed terms for hardcore Buffet fans). I’d still say I had a really fun time watching this show.

The plot follows two women on a getaway trip to a little resort in the Caribbean called Margaritaville. Rachel (Sarah Hinrichsen) and her best friend Tammy (Shelly Lynn Walsh) meet two residents of the tourist trap island, the singer Tully (Chris Clark) and the bartender Brick (Peter Michael Jordan). The two ladies struggle with balancing their obligations and work lives with the temptations and serenity of island life, and of course, the temptations of the attractive men that live there.

There were only a couple sets throughout the show, but the main setting, a beach bar of course, really made me feel as though I was in a Margaritaville restaurant. The show does a great job of weaving all of Jimmy Buffet’s most popular songs into one coherent plot, from a man who constantly can’t find his lost shaker of salt, to Tammy who is on a diet of sunflower seeds and carrot juice, and could really use a cheeseburger (in paradise).

Whether you’re a Parrothead yourself, or just wanting to feel the rays of a Caribbean beach resort, “Escape to Margaritaville” is a fun show. There are quite a few sexual references throughout the show and a musical number about “getting drunk and screwing,” so consider leaving the kids with a sitter for this night out.

“Escape to Margaritaville” is playing at the Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center in Orlando now through Nov. 17, and you can find out the rest of the tour dates and locations at EscapeToMargaritavilleMusical.com.

In The Parks

While Margaritaville can be found in many places around the world, there are restaurants at both Universal Citywalks in Hollywood and Orlando. There’s also the new Margaritaville Orlando Resort.

MouseFanTravel

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *