Creative Team of Escape to Margaritaville. Left to right: Christopher Ashley (Director), Greg Garcia (Book), Jimmy Buffett (Music & Lyrics), Kelly Devine (Choreography) and Mike O'Malley (Book).
John Ganun
This coming February, Broadway audiences will get the chance to see Jimmy Buffett’s first-ever musical, Escape to Margaritaville.
But Parrotheads and theater fans alike the world over will be able to hear the show’s songs the same day as its first Broadway performance (Feb. 16, 2018) when the Escape to Margaritaville cast recording is released digitally on and on CD on Buffett’s Mailboat Records, the label and producers Frank Marshall, Mindy Rich, Anita Waxman and Beth Williams announced exclusively through Billboard today.
The cast recording — which will be recorded this month in Chicago and features original Buffett songs alongside classics like “Come Monday,” “Volcano” and “Cheeseburger in Paradise” — is the first of its kind on Buffett’s Mailboat label.
“I always felt that an album should be a musical journey, and I have made a few of them,” Buffett says in a statement. “The amazing thing to me about this project is that the collection of classic and new songs, chosen from a treasure chest of material, never perceived by yours truly as such a journey, became one. It is a strange and wonderful feeling to hear your songs sung by others with the new and exciting mission to create a melodic ship on which the story of Escape to Margaritaville can sail.”
Calling out producers Mac McAnally, Mike Utley, and Chris Jahnke as his “veteran captains,” Buffett adds, “I have been listening to the cast sing these songs from the front of the house, which is a strange seat for me, for the past several months. From LaJolla, to New Orleans, Houston and Chicago, I marvel at how our crew and their interpretations of both classic and new songs, are taking the good ship Margaritaville towards a new and exciting port of call — Broadway.”
“We at Jimmy Buffett’s Mailboat record label are thrilled to be a part of this recording of all Jimmy’s classic music, put into one album, with incredibly talented actors singing these iconic songs,” says director of development Mike Ramos.
Buffett’s musical comedy, directed by Come From Away Tony-winner Christopher Ashley, boasts a book by Emmy-winner Greg Garcia (My Name is Earl, Raising Hope) and Emmy-nominee Mike O’Malley (Shameless) and choreography by Tony-nominee Kelly Devine (Come From Away, Rock of Ages).
Escape to Margaritaville, which started its life at the La Jolla Playhouse in May before premiering recently in New Orleans and Houston, will play Chicago’s Oriental Theater Nov. 9- Dec. 2 before arriving at Broadway’s Marquis Theatre; previews begin Feb. 16, 2018 and the show officially opens Mar. 15.