Review: Silly and Sunny ESCAPE TO MARGARITAVILLE

Lost shakers of salt, margaritas, a sun baked beach and...tap dancing zombies.

I wish I was making that last part up. ESCAPE TO MARGARITAVILLE, which opened last night at the Oriental Theatre before it transfers to New York, might just be the first musical to make it on the Great White Way to feature an ensemble of the reanimated dead.

Yes, the one thing clearly missing from Jimmy Buffett's iconic musical catalog was a kickline of corpses.

Or, to be more specific, a dozen or so deceased life insurance salespeople who previously died when a volcano erupted on the Caribbean island that is the setting of the new jukebox musical that features Buffett's tunes.

Forgive a reviewer for fixating on said zombies. They are entirely unexpected whether you are familiar or not with Buffett's style of upbeat music that glorifies beach life. The whole point to many of Buffett's songs is to stop thinking and stressing and just enjoy life -preferably with an adult beverage in hand. 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 "Mama Mia!," if you are even a casual fan of Buffett's music, a good time is guaranteed.

Paul Alexander Nolan stars as Tully. He's an island transplant from the East Coast working in a Caribbean tourist trap called Margaritaville. When he isn't onstage playing his feel-good island music, he is wooing an endless line of women for the week they are there on vacation. Tully could easily be an unlikable character, but Nolan's Tully is charming, sensitive and sings with a voice that might make a woman melt.

He meets his match in scientist Rachel (Alison Luff). Business-focused Rachel is vacationing there to collect soil samples from the volcano and hopefully talk her best friend Tammy (a delightful and big-voiced Lisa Howard) out of marrying her controlling, louse of a fiancé when their bachelorette week vacation is over.

Luff and Nolan share a lot of chemistry onstage and their voices blend together exceptionally well. The plot is essentially a beachfront "Taming of the Shrew." At one point, Rachel point blank asks Tully what he is running from, but the show really doesn't answer the question (fear of abandonment over the loss of his mom is my guess, but -again, such material is probably too heavy for a Buffett musical).

Despite the fact that Rachel spends most of the week with Tully, Tammy doesn't seem all that upset about being abandoned by her best friend. Instead, she spends most of her time flirting with Tully's best friend, the resort's bartender Brick (a goofy, but lovable Eric Petersen). Brick is none-too-smart, but he laughs at Tammy's terrible puns and -unlike her fiancé back in Cincinnati-thinks she's beautiful and doesn't need to lose some weight.

And speaking of the most southern of Northern cities, as someone who lived a number of years in Cincinnati, it is perhaps worth noting that it snows a great deal more in the on-stage Cincinnati than it does in the real city. Also, Tammy's boyfriend is obsessed with hockey and the town doesn't have a NHL team (baseball and football are far bigger draws). Again, I am probably thinking too much about this, though. Stop me before my "License to Chill" gets revoked.

Rounding out the main cast, we have the surly Jamaican resort owner Marley (Rema Webb, who tries to make the most of what she's given -which isn't much) and would-be author, barfly and frequent loser of salt shakers J.D. (Don Sparks).

The book by TV writer Greg Garcia ("My Name is Earl") and TV writer/actor Mike O'Malley (who scripted "Shameless" and played Kurt's dad on "Glee") might be a tad predictable, but Christopher Ashley's direction keeps things moving along to the plot's inevitable conclusion. Kelly Devine's energetic choreography also helps to keep the party going. Paul Tazewell's costumes and Walt Spangler's set design feature bright and tropical colors that also keep things upbeat.

The score of 27 songs features many of Buffett's greatest hits and Parrotheads in the audience are encouraged to sing along at various points in the show (as if anyone could stop them). The songs are listed in the program in alphabetical order. It's a calculated move; to list them as they appear in the actual show would only add to the predictability of the plot.

There are a few genuine surprises with the song placement, though. "Fins" and "Margaritaville" particularly appear in unlikely places in the score (Devine's choreography in the former is especially creative and fun).

Much like its title suggests, the show is pure escapism. ESCAPE TO MARGARITAVILLE is sunny, silly and should delight the Parrotheads.

ESCAPE TO MARGARITAVILLE runsthrough Dec. 2 at the Oriental Theatre, 24. W. Randolph. Tickets $35-$115. Call 800.775.2000. www.broadwayinchicago.com

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