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The hot weather so far this July could be leaving some in the Tri-Valley feeling stuck watchin’ the sun bake and aching for a relief from a little piece of heaven on Earth — with or without that onion slice.
The Las Positas College theater arts department is tapping right into that summer vibe the next two weekends with its production of “Jimmy Buffett’s Escape to Margaritaville” in the Livermore community college’s outdoor amphitheater. Co-director Dyan McBride called the musical comedy set to the familiar tunes of the late singer-songwriter a “fun party … with a ton of heart”.
“It’s a very sweet story about self identity, falling in love and figuring out what you really want,” McBride told Livermore Vine ahead of opening night. “It’s such a funny show too and the music will knock you out. It’s a perfect show for summer, for romantics, for Parrotheads.”
Written by Greg Garcia and Mike O’Malley and debuting in 2017, the show follows life and love around a hotel bar in a island vacation destination tied together by songs made popular by Buffett throughout his career, including hits like “Cheeseburger in Paradise”, “Volcano”, “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere” and of course the titular “Margaritaville”.
“It’s been incredible to introduce the music and legacy of Jimmy Buffet to our young actors and technical staff. Maybe they knew a few songs, but his catalog is deep and this show is a beautiful exploration of his songwriting craft. We are honored to bring this show to the Tri-Valley area,” McBride told Livermore Vine.
The cast features Daniel Gilmer, Jackie Garcia, Savannah Franson, Brandon Sandner, Anna Wolde, Xander Struckmann and Renn Ma among its 21 actors.
“This experience has been an immensely valuable learning opportunity for me, a perfect sendoff after graduating our Actors Conservatory this spring,” Gilmer, who plays Tully, said in a press release from LPC.
McBride said the cast and crew have been working hard in rehearsals and can’t wait for opening night this Friday (July 19) to unveil their production to local audiences.
“You can sense their camaraderie onstage, which is wonderful because this show has a lot of scenes where friendship is key. Rehearsal has been filled with laughs and high standards toward theatrical and musical excellence,” McBride said.
“Las Positas College Theatre has beautiful production values. We want audiences to be blown away by what we can do in our outdoor theater,” she added. “We have designs that rival any major regional theater. We also have a killer live orchestra. We don’t use recorded music at Las Positas Theatre and we think that’s pretty special.”
Joining McBride as co-director is Titian Lish, LPC’s theater arts and performing arts coordinator as well as the producer of the show. Ben Prince is the music director and Staci Arriaga and Morgan Mulholand are the choreographers.
“We know how much our audiences love to sit under the stars and experience escapist musical theater for our outdoor summer productions. We invite audiences to show up in their favorite island attire, enjoy our food trucks or bring a picnic, buy a glass of wine from our own winery and settle into our local ‘island’ vibe,” Lish said in an LPC press release.
“Escape to Margaritaville” runs for the next two Fridays and Saturday (July 19-20 and 26-27) at 8 p.m. at the Mertes Center for Arts Outdoor Amphitheater at the LPC campus at 3000 Campus Hill Drive in Livermore. Seating is first-come, first-served. For tickets or more information, go to lpc.ludus.com or laspositascollege.edu/theater.
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