Review: JIMMY BUFFET'S ESCAPE TO MARGARITAVILLE at The Forum Theatre

Get ready to kick off your flip-flops, relax, and soak up the island vibes as Jimmy Buffet’s Escape to Margaritaville is onstage at The Forum Theatre. The show runs through May 11. With a book by Greg Garcia and Mike O’Malley, this upbeat jukebox musical is filled with the beloved hits of Jimmy Buffett, transporting audiences to a tropical paradise where love, laughter, and endless margaritas are always on the menu. The show premiered on Broadway in February 2018, and a tour launched in 2019. Showcasing iconic songs like “Cheeseburger in Paradise,” “Come Monday,” and “Margaritaville,” this feel-good production is fun, lighthearted, and breezy with plenty of beachy charm. It’s the perfect vacation without ever leaving town!

Under the direction of Kathy Page Hauptman and music direction by Garrett Welch and Anjelica McRae Breathett, The Forum is transformed into a tropical paradise where laughter and love are the keys to “growing older but not up.” Leading our tropical visit is Tully (Zachary Garraway), a charming beach bum and part-time bar singer who is happy with his going-nowhere career and thinks he has life all figured out. That is, until he meets business-savvy Rachel (Nora Graham), a beautiful tourist from Cincinnati traveling with her Best Friend and soon-to-be-wed, Tammy (Courtney Wages). We learn that Tammy is escaping her controlling fiancé, Chadd (Denver Fankhouser). Marley (Anjelica McRae Breathett) owns the seedy Margaritaville Hotel and Bar, where all the locals hang out and where visitors meet Brick, the other part-time bartender and Tully’s sidekick (Jackson Dorris). 

Audience favorite Alexander Ogburn delivers a sweet and heartfelt performance as J.D., an old coot who drinks on endless credit and claims to be writing the memoirs of an amazing life that he has led. (Note: Before the show, Director Hauptman shared that this is Ogburn’s last show at The Forum as he is moving to Chicago. Wichita audiences will miss him.)

Standout performances by Lorenz Looney, Zeke Thompson, Lexye Collins, Haylee Couey, and Jerry Wehry add vibrancy to the production. Dancing ensemble members Abigail Lutrell, Madison Underkofler, and Tyler Treat are especially fun to watch.

The biggest highlight of the show is Courtney Wages’ original choreography. It’s quirky, energetic and flawless, specifically the unexpected tap dance routine in Act Two.

Ben Juhnke’s set design lulls audience members into the island vibe with its vivid color palette of orange, yellow, and warm reds. Lighting design by Tim Sidebottom and Phillip Sidebottom is seamlessly soothing and appropriate.

Jimmy Buffet’s Escape to Margaritaville isn’t aiming to revolutionize theatre. True, the storyline isn’t great, and the erupting volcano is silly, but it’s a fun escape that invites audiences to slip on their beach jams, grab a margarita, and join in the limbo dance. Whether you’re a Buffett fan or just searching for an entertaining evening, this show will leave you smiling.