Review Roundup: Broadway-Bound ESCAPE TO MARGARITAVILLE Opens in Chicago

The Broadway-bound ESCAPE TO MARGARITAVILLE just opened at Broadway In Chicago's Oriental Theatre for a limited three-week engagement through December 2, 2017. Let's see what the critics had to say below!

ESCAPE TO MARGARITAVILLE is the musical comedy getaway featuring both original songs and the most-loved Jimmy Buffett classics, including "Come Monday," "Volcano," "Cheeseburger in Paradise," and many more. With a book by Emmy Award winner Greg Garcia ("My Name Is Earl," "Raising Hope") and Emmy Award nominee Mike O'Malley ("Survivor's Remorse," "Shameless"), this rousing and refreshing new production is choreographed by Tony Award nominee Kelly Devine (Come From Away, Rock of Ages) and directed by Tony Award nominee and La Jolla Playhouse Artistic Director Christopher Ashley (Come From Away, Memphis).

Imagine a place where the sun is hot, the water'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. Take a break from your troubles, make some new friends at the bar, and kick back to the soothing sounds of the kettledrum. It doesn't get much better than this.

Misha Davenport, BroadwayWorld: Chekhov it ain't. With that thought in mind, the show succeeds in staying true to the tone of much of Buffett's work. That is to say that you shouldn't think too much about the predictable plot or stereotypical characters and just go in and have a good time. And, much like "Mamma Mia!," if you are even a casual fan of Buffett's music, a good time is guaranteed...Luff and Nolan share a lot of chemistry onstage and their voices blend together exceptionally well...The book by TV writer Greg Garcia...and TV writer/actor Mike O'Malley...might be a tad predictable, but Christopher Ashley's direction keeps things moving along to the plot's inevitable conclusion...Much like its title suggests, the show is pure escapism. Escape to Margaritaville is sunny, silly and should delight the Parrotheads.

Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune: If, like me, you consider Jimmy Buffett one of the narrative musical giants of his era and an inclusive, populist genius who blended rock, pop, country and reggae with his roots in protest folk music, and whose unique and massively influential songbook lies at the complex intersection of released sexual repression, impecunity and profound existential angst, then you'll likely lament the musical's seeming lack of interest in any of that...it is rooted in, and ultimately bogged down by, its conception of Buffett's hakuna matata lifestyle brand...Garcia and O'Malley's script is penned with efficacy...At times, there is real comic artistry from director Christopher Ashley.

Steven Oxman, Variety: "Escape to Margaritaville," now in Chicago as the last stop on a pre-Broadway mini-tour, successfully pulls off the laid-back attitude while delivering a paint-by-numbers, frequently goofy romantic comedy replete with many of Buffett's most popular tunes. This show is superficial but enjoyable, a happy-go-lucky entertainment that, much like its namesake beverage, goes down easy, tastes good, and leaves you with a pleasant feeling and a sudden urge to plan a vacation.

Hedy Weiss, Chicago Sun-Times: For the record: "Escape to Margaritaville" is not about to change the face of musical theater. But it might just turn out to be the perfect antidote to the current chaotic state of the universe as it deals with love, loss, ambition (or the lack of it), and some crucial lessons about "living in the now" while not entirely neglecting to build for the future...Written by television veterans Greg Garcia and Mike O'Malley, the show's book has a paint-by-number quality, but to their credit the pair has found a way to incorporate a good two dozen mood-shifting Buffett classics...in a way that seems wholly organic...And Tony Award-winning director Christopher Ashley ("Come from Away") has tapped into just the right tone - a mix of goofy whimsy and realistic life lessons.

Barbara Vitello, Daily Herald: If Jimmy Buffett fans have anything to say about it, his buoyant, Broadway-bound "Escape to Margaritaville" will run for years...With its breezy, bouncy score (featuring more than two dozen Buffett favorites plus a couple of new tunes); jokey, sitcom-style book (peppered with quips and inside Buffett references) by TV scribes Greg Garcia ("My Name is Earl") and Mike O'Malley ("Shameless"); and a near irresistible feel-good vibe, this tropical-themed, jukebox tuner has the necessary ingredients for an extended stay on the Great White Way...A sunny confection with a wafer-thin plot, sketchily drawn characters and a predictable conclusion that races headlong into happily-ever-after, "Escape to Margaritaville" is pure escapism.

Photo Credit: Matthew Murphy