As Deadline reported a few weeks back, a new musical built around the songs and fuzzy logic of singer/songwriter Jimmy Buffett will start it its day-boat voyage to Broadway in 2017. The plan was confirmed today, with a tryout slated for May and June 2017 at the La Jolla Playhouse — no surprise since the show’s director Christopher Ashley is also the nonprofit’s a.d.
It will tell the story of a part-time singer, part-time bartender and fulltime good ol’ boy named Tully who suddenly finds himself in uncharted territory — falling in love with a beautiful, career-minded tourist.
Producers Frank Marshall, Mindy Rich, Anita Waxman and Beth Williams say the as-yet untitled musical, featuring Buffett’s songs (including new songs written for the show) and new book by Greg Garcia and Mike O’Malley, will kick off the Playhouse’s 2017/2018 season. Performances are slated to begin on May 16, 2017, with an official opening night of May 28, and run through June 25. The commercial partners will be enhancing the production, which is nonprofit-ese for paying the bills in exchange for the rights to transfer the show to Broadway.
“Jimmy Buffett’s music has embedded itself in our national consciousness — his songs are not only anthems of popular culture, they’re practically a way of life,” Ashley said in the announcement. “I couldn’t resist the chance to visit Margaritaville with this team to bring his singular spirit to the stage in a brand new Playhouse musical.”
Additional information, including casting, will be announced shortly.
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