Interview: Jazley Genovese Helps Audiences ESCAPE TO MARGARITAVILLE at Moonlight Stage

What do you get when you have a Caribbean island,  a cast of quirky characters buried treasure, and even a volcano?  You get “Escape to Margaritaville” the Jimmy Buffett jukebox musical that brings the beach to the Vista.  Jazley Genovese plays Tammy in the musical and made the time to talk about the show and what fun it is to bring Margaritaville to the Moonlight Stage.   

Equal parts musical and party, “Escape to Margaritaville” starts with Tammy (Jazley Genovese) and her friend Rachel (Ashely Moniz) who take a trip to the Caribbean island to celebrate Tammy’ds upcoming wedding. When they arrive at their hotel, a rundown hotel called Margaritaville, they soon find themselves experiencing adventures with the resident singer Tully (Andrew Polec), the bartender Brick (Fischer Kaake), and even more colorful island residents.  

“This show is a two-act party with incredible characters that seek love and escape!

I play Tammy, a character with a big heart who discovers her self-worth in the most unexpected of places — Margaritaville! My character gets to explore joy—the difference between spreading it and finding her own. The aspect of pure joy taking center stage of this story is a big reason why I was so excited to take on this role.” 

Genovese, who is a  San Diego native who is now living in New York, is excited to bring this piece to life back home in San Diego for everyone to enjoy and work with this amazing cast onstage and off.

“This show at its core is designed for people who are looking for a night of laughter.  When the opportunity to come back to Moonlight arose, I of course came running because there are always two guarantees when working at this theatre.

Number 1: the show is going to be incredible, from the talent onstage to the amazing people making it happen offstage/in the pit/and on the creative team. Number 2: I am going to be surrounded by some of the most fun and kind people in the business—Moonlight sure knows how to bring together good-hearted people!”

Set on a tropical island with a volcano, this is not your average musical and Jazley is excited for audiences to experience all of the fun and performances of the actors and musicians that bring this show to life at each performance.

“There are so many moments that I can’t wait for the audience to see! To name a few: I am so excited for people to see "Cheeseburger in Paradise"! This is a huge number for my character and to sing this iconic song in a new way is a blast and a half!  One of my favorite moments of the show has to be Andrew Polec (Tully) and Ashley Moniz (Rachel) singing the Coast of Marseilles.  Their vocals on this song sound like an absolute dream, the vulnerability they bring to this moment is beautiful to watch. 

Whenever I can, I love to watch our Music director Tamara Paige conduct the incredible band! She doesn’t just conduct, she dances along with the music and it brings us a lot of joy onstage. And last but certainly not least — the DANCING! These dancers and the amazing choreography by Jimmy Locust will truly blow you away!

Overall, I am excited for people to laugh! Our director extraordinaire, Noelle Marion, brilliantly found ways to lean into the joy of these characters. I hope the audience has as much fun as we have getting to tell this story together."

How To Get Tickets

Moonlight Amphitheater invites you to “Escape to Margaritaville” with Jazley and the rest of the cast and crew under the stars through June 22nd.  For ticket and showtime information go to www.moonlightstage.com

Photo credit: Moonlight Stage 

To post a comment, you must register and login.