Stage Door: Broadway's Beach Vacations
Monday, April 2, 2018 at 10:00PM by Dancin' Dan
It may be April, but New York City is once again covered in a blanket of snow in a winter that won't stop. But thankfully, Broadway is providing not one, but two beach vacations you can take for (slightly) less than a plane ticket to somewhere warm. Escape to Margaritaville and Spongebob Squarepants could not be more different on the surface (although both feature a volcanic explosion as an important plot point), but they do provide some pretty wonderful escapism for anyone longing for warmer climes...
At first listen, the songbook of Jimmy Buffett seems like an odd fit for the jukebox musical adaptation treatment given to ABBA in Mamma Mia. And it is. There's a sameness to this group of songs that makes for a rather uninteresting listen for much of the first act. The plot is so boilerplate rom-com that it's barely even worth mentioning (workaholic girl meets layabout boy on island vacation, he teaches her how to relax for a bit, they and their perfectly-matched best friends fall in love).
But Escape to Margaritaville works, thanks in large part to the strong streak of self-aware humor running through it, courtesy of book writers Greg Garcia and Mike O'Malley. The show never takes itself too seriously, but more than that, it's also smart: Everyone knows all the songs that are coming, but the way the book threads key lyrics through the dialogue is so subtle that when the songs do show up, it feels like a genuine surprise. If you're in the mood for it, you'll enjoy how thoroughly the show has played you.
The other thing elevating Escape to Margaritaville is the cast: Paul Alexander Nolan is perfectly charming as laidback songwriter/band-leader Tully, and Alison Luff has a lovely voice that cuts through Rachel's more annoying character traits. Lisa Howard and Eric Petersen are wonderfully matched in the stock best friend parts, bringing lots of personality and a delightfully off-kilter sense of humor, respectively. Rema Webb steals the show as Marley, the proprietor of the decidedly-less-than-five-star Margaritaville resort (she hired a Russian firm to bury all negative Yelp reviews), and Don Sparks amiably hams it up as the requisite bar regular.
But Escape to Margaritaville has nothing on Spongebob Squarepants in the department of light and colorful fun.
The scenic design for Spongebob (by the genius David Zinn) is a wonder, full of clever solutions for the problem of bringing a cartoon that takes place entirely underwater to the Broadway stage. It's a bit overstuffed, but always fun to look at. As the show goes by, there's constantly something else new (or that you missed) to marvel at.
Of course, the worry with something so overtly designed is that all that razzle dazzle is making up for problems with the show's book and songs. That's not exactly the case here. The songs, while certainly not new classics, are delightful and, despite having been written by a cadre of different pop-rock stars, actually sound like a cohesive whole. The book takes a standard hero's journey plot and adds a layer of political satire on top that is wholly surprising, and gratifying to see in a musical very much meant for kids. The political humor is ambitious, but broad enough to land with audiences of all ages, and the message (we shouldn't fear those that are different from us, and should be suspicious of those who want us to) couldn't be timelier.
The diverse cast is very winning, walking a fine line between playing the characters exactly as presented for years in the popular cartoon and adding their own personality. Ethan Slater gives a true star-is-born performance as the titular sponge, and Danny Skinner and Lilli Cooper are great fun as his best friends Patrick Star and Sandy Cheeks. But it's Gavin Lee as the surly Squidward who steals the show, bringing a true vaudevillian's knack for a punchline to match his four-legged pants, especially in his show-stopping tap number.
Neither Escape to Margaritaville nor Spongebob Squarepants are great musicals. But they could have been considerably worse. Directors Christopher Ashley (a recent Tony winner for Come From Away) and Tina Landau (most known for her work with Chicago's Steppenwolf Theater Company) know what they're dealing with and what their respective show's aim is. They work with minimal fuss to provide two-hour escape from the hustle, bustle, and gray-ness of city life. They also make sure that these shows feel at home on Broadway; they're more than the slightly upscaled theme park shows they might have been.
We probably didn't need a Broadway musical based on Jimmy Buffett's back catalog, or one based on any Nickelodeon cartoon. But, since we have them, be glad that they're pretty much the best we could have hoped for.
Reader Comments (10)
this is literally the first nice thing i've read about MARGARITAVILLE so i was surprised to hear your response. Also, i agree that the set design of SPONGEBOB is rather inspired/multi-faceted but I just didn't get that show at all.
Oh and yes on Gavin Lee's tap number with his multiple legs. Easily the peak of the show for this non-believer. Hope he's Tony-nominated.
SPONGEBOB was much too aimed for children for me to really get into. With that said, I also thought the set was great and Lee as the MVP. Whenever he spoke, I couldn't help but laugh. Though Slater does A LOT and does it really well. I also loved the novelty of different (acclaimed) artists writing the songs... some better than others.
Glad to hear that Rema Webb is on Broadway! She was in City Center's production of "A New Brain" back in 2015 or '16 and I've never forgotten her since.
Evan -- i'm not sure i know who that is and i saw A NEW BRAIN. Who did she play?
Nathaniel - I was SHOCKED at how much I enjoyed Margaritaville. My best friend won lottery tickets on the day of one of those terrible midweek snowstorms we had at the beginning of March and I wouldn't have gone otherwise, but I was really glad I did. I certainly wouldn't pay full price for it, but I had an absolute blast. It's not very good, but it's very nudge-nudge wink-wink about how not-good it is, and it played like gangbusters for me.
I think both Gavin Lee and Ethan Slater have VERY good chances at Tony noms, but I'm not sure either of these will be up for Best Musical... although other than The Band's Visit, I don't think anything's a sure thing in that category. Reactions to these two and Frozen have been mixed, Prince of Broadway was also mixed and is closed, and Mean Girls and Summer haven't opened yet.
I have no desire to see either one of these, though I have friends who assure me that Spongebob is great fun. I'll take everyone's word for it.
This appears to be the first year in a while during which Broadway hasn't seen a single new musical which has been a critical and commercial hit.
dancin dan & Troy -- yeah, i can't understand what's going to be nominated for the Tony. There certainly couldn't be 5 nominees could there with so many poorly reviewed or less than breakout musicals in the mix. I feel pretty good about the chances of only two of them
OBVIOUS NOMINEES TO BE
The Band's Visit
Mean Girls
THEN TWO OF THESE THREE THOUGH NONE WOULD SURPRISE ME AS MISSES EITHER AND IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO IMAGINE ANY OF THEM WINNING.
Frozen
Spongebob
Summer
i JUST CAN'T IMAGINE IT
Escape to Margaritaville
Prince of Broadway
I know that in the past there have been seasons when the American Theater Wing has nominated only 2 or 3 new musicals instead of filling the entire category the way they typically do, and that was when there were only 4 nominees per category.
Denny: I'd disagree on the idea that none of the Nickelodeon cartoons being unworthy of any sort of musical. If Trent Reznor would be willing to make an Invader Zim musical? That could be cool.