Jack Bevans and Andy Sederquist in Escape to Margaritaville
The Hawaiian shirts and leis were out in full force on Friday night for Quad City Music Guild’s premiere of Escape to Margaritaville, directed by Luke Vermeire. If you’re “growing older but not up” or have “a Caribbean soul you can barely control,” this show’s for you. Based on the songs of Jimmy Buffett, the musical follows resort singer and chronic heartbreaker Tully (Jack Bevans) and his whirlwind romance with Rachel (Kirsten Sindelar), a no-nonsense tourist. With Tully’s help, Rachel starts to “forget her blind ambition and learn to trust her intuition,” but when her intuition leads her back home, Tully has to decide whether he wants to keep “wasting away in Margaritaville” or make some “changes in latitudes.”
Kitty: Hallmark-movie season just recently ended, and I’ve really been feeling a void in my life.
Mischa: Could it be … a void that can only be filled by a story about a big-city career woman –
K: – preferably one with a dirtbag fiancé –
M: – who travels to a remote location where she meets a handsome, salt-of-the-earth guy who shows her how to embrace life to its fullest?
K: That’s what I want! And if we could just throw in a catchy soundtrack … .
M: I think I’m catching your drift, and that weirdly describes Quad City Music Guild's Escape to Margaritaville pretty well! But two things: First, no one really goes to a jukebox musical for the plot, do they? And second, that dirtbag, Chadd (Evan Gagliardo), is actually the fiancé of the other main female character, Tammy (Madison Duling) – the trip to the island is her pre-wedding blowout. Tammy and her bartender love interest Brick (Andy Sederquist) represent the secondary love plot. But again, no one's here for the story, are they?
K: No, we’re in it for the escapism! And fortunately, that’s exactly what this show is all about.
M: There is, of course, a whole lot of party atmosphere. Vermeire's ensemble works hard (ironically!) with the main cast members to create a boisterous island-resort setting (“It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere”; “Why Don’t We Get Drunk”). They clearly have a lot of fun with it, and bring the audience along into that feeling of fun.
K: For sure! Plus, there are so many quirky, over-the-top characters that you can’t help but smile at the sheer goofiness of it all. I think you’re totally right when you say that the fun begins with the cast and kind of spills over into the audience. From the very first number, “License to Chill,” most of the performers are on stage having a literal party, and the energy of the show never really drops from there.
M: The high point of that exuberant silliness, for me, was Duling’s biggest number, “Cheeseburger in Paradise,” which featured physical comedy and a great, unexpected costume to showcase Tammy’s liberation and burgeoning love for Brick. Unless, maybe it was … the tap dancing?
K: Loooved the tap number! Sederquist has such natural exuberance onstage, and he was hilariously delightful during that surprise tap sequence in “Grapefruit-Juicy Fruit.” He and the ensemble members killed it! That number had a surprise involving the costumes, too. I don’t want to spoil the moment, but it might've been my favorite bit in the show. Costume designer Storm Marie Baca definitely got to stretch her creative muscles here.
M: Coming back to the main love story – okay, it was more earnest, less zany, but it showcased the excellent singing and character portrayals of Bevans and Sindelar. Bevans, playing the fun-loving musician modeled after Buffett himself, brought great versatility and ease to his performance. I was especially happy he played the guitar himself. And Sindelar is no slouch, either!
K: Her voice is so clear, with a wonderful, piercing tone. She’s such a strong vocalist that she doesn’t really need the assistance of a mic. So it was kind of a shame that on opening night, there were a few technical kinks involving the microphones.
M: Agreed. There were some issues with feedback and overall balance in the sound. It was great, though, to have live musicians playing visibly in the upstage area; it was perfectly appropriate for the resort-bar setting. Robert Crist’s set established that location simply yet effectively, and evoked other locations with roll-out pieces – including a jungle backdrop that was put in place amazingly quickly. Oh, and there was a lighthouse!
K: And a volcano!
M: Which played a pretty important role in the plot, as it turned out.
K: No spoilers! But also, it’s kind of like Chekhov’s gun. Buffett’s volcano? You can’t just put a volcano on stage and not expect it to explode at some point.
M: That was also the cue for a musical number, the inevitable “Volcano,” that gave one more resort employee, Gary Mayfield's Jamal, the chance to show off some great vocal chops.
K: That number was also entertaining because it was so ridiculously chaotic. You had Mayfield steadily singing in the foreground while the ensemble went comedically berserk in the background. And yes, Mayfield has a great voice, so that combined with the cast's through-the-roof frenzied energy made that a solid opener for the second act.
M: Things were really hitting their stride at that point. In the first half, there were times in which some elements felt not totally locked into place. But in the end, a good time was had by all!
K: Parrot Heads and party people, this is your sign to escape to Margaritaville this weekend!
Quad City Music Guild's Escape to Margaritaville runs at the Prospect Park Auditorium (1584 34th Avenue, Moline IL) through April 13, and more information and tickets are available by calling (309)762-6610 and visiting QCMusicGuild.com.
