Another jukebox musical, this one uses the party-friendly music of Buffett as a reason to put on the island t-shirts, the flip flops and dance to steel drum beats.

A love story is the center of the musical. An island hotel’s main entertainer, Tully (Chris Clark) is quite the ladies man. He’s not the settling down type. Not until a tourist named Rachel (Sarah Hinrichsen) enters the pictures and seems to disappear. It seems perhaps he might just have a soft spot in his heart after all.

Escape to Margaritaville began its life in 2017 at the La Jolla Playhouse directed by its Artistic Director Christopher Ashley. The show went to Broadway in 2018 where it ran for 124 performances.

The book was written by Mike O’Malley (Shameless) and Greg Garcia (Raising Hope.) Kelly Devine, who choreographed Come From Away, created the choreography for this show. Amy Anders Corcoran, who was associate and resident director of Escape to Margaritaville for Ashley, assumes the directing responsibilities for the tour.

For tickets at the Dolby Theatre go here.

Photo: The touring company of Escape to Margaritaville (Photo by Matthew Murphy/Courtesy of Segerstrom Center for the Arts)

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Diana officially opened last week after several weeks of previews. Jeanna de Waal (Kinky Boots) plays Diana. Prince Charles is played by Roe Hartrampf (Off-Broadway’s The Bad Guys). Camilla Parker Bowles is played by Erin Davie (Side Show) and Queen Elizabeth is played by Judy Kaye (Souvenir, Anastasia).

As befitting a musical about the world’s fairytale princess, the show opens with a song called Once Upon a Time. Of course we know it won’t end with a song entitled Happily Ever After. But it doesn’t end with Paparazzi either. (Actually the last song is called If.)

Christopher Ashley, the Artistic Director of the La Jolla Playhouse and also the director of Memphis, helms Diana. The choreography is by Kelly Devine (Come From Away). David Zinn (SpongeBob SquarePants) is the production designer and six-time Tony Award winner William Ivey Long (Hairspray) created the costumes.

It is probably a huge task to play someone as beloved as Princess Diana was. We all have our own ideas of who she was and how she acted. Queen Elizabeth, however, has been played memorably by multiple actresses. In the hands of the sublimely talented Judy Kaye, I wouldn’t be surprised to see her steal the show.

The La Jolla Playhouse has regularly seen its productions move to Broadway. There are very good odds Diana finds itself a home on the Great White Way next season.

Production Photos by Little Fang/Courtesy of La Jolla Playhouse

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