Those waiting for the Broadway debut of the Jimmy Buffett’s Escape to Margaritaville will have to hold while people in San Diego, New Orleans, Houston and Chicago sample the musical first.
It’s a bit of an unusual road to the Great White Way for a show. While most will play a Chicago or Toronto to work out any kinks in the production, the producers of Margaritaville decided to hit a number of Buffett’s biggest markets first.
Buffett said of the show “It’s always been a dream of mine to make it to Broadway! After our world premiere this May in La Jolla, we’ll set sail from California on a pre-Broadway national tour stopping first in the city that gave me my start-New Orleans, then to some of my other favorites – Houston and Chicago – before arriving at that port of all ports, Broadway and New York City.”
According to a press release:
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 pre-Broadway run:
05/09 to 06/25 – La Jolla, CA – La Jolla Playhouse
10/20 to 10/28 – New Orleans, LA – Saenger Theatre
10/31 to 11/05 – Houston, TX – BBVA Compass Broadway at the Hobby Center
11/09 to 12/03 – Chicago, IL – Oriental Theatre
