The Broadway Theatre Review: Lincoln Center Theater’s Floyd Collins
By Ross
Floyd Collins is a soaring, musically delicious testament to the importance of institutions like the Lincoln Center Theater because, without their financial structure, it’s hard to imagine a commercial venue that could or would stage such an impressive production with such an expansive horizon. The ambitious and musically gorgeous Floyd Collins is truly awe-inspiring, as it’s not the easiest piece of musical theater to either engage with or stage. Without a doubt, it really is a stunning and beautifully written musical, penned expertly by Adam Guettel (The Light in the Piazza; The Days of Wine and Roses), who never seems to shy away from difficult journeys or structures. Much like our titular hero, played with wide-eyed spunk by the gifted Jeremy Jordan (Newsies; The Great Gatsby).
With a thoughtful, patient book (and additional lyrics) by the production’s director, Tina Landau (Redwood; SpongeBob SquarePants), this musical piece of art centers its narrative on the slow-moving tale of a cave explorer trapped under a rock deep inside a cave in the year 1925. Based on a true-to-life experience, Floyd Collins climbs down deep into the earth, searching the underground tunnels to find his carnival fortune. “It’s calling me,” he states, as Floyd sings a beautiful echo duet of one into the vastness of the Vivian Beaumont stage at the Lincoln Center Theater, and those glorious tones hang in the air with tension and precision that made me to hold my breath waiting for the heavy shoe to drop on this “lucky” soul. He sees himself as a worm, slinking through the tightest holes through magical passage ways hoping to find his side show attraction gold, and in an unconscious and abstract way, he finds it, before and after he literally becomes stuck between a rock and a hard place, unable to save himself from his own exploratory self.
Trapped underground, in darkness with the crickets, Floyd Collins manages somehow to maintain an optimistic edge, believing in his gift of luck while meditating on the hopeful idea that his kin will come and find him. And they do, eventually, after sitting up top discussing his discarded jacket and his willful, wild self. It’s a slow-burning engagement, this compelling, tough tale, before his spectacularly compelling brother, Homer Collins, portrayed by the handsome and charming Jason Gotay (PH’s Teeth), dives down into that same cave with lantern in hand to try to pull his brother out. All the while his sister, Nellie Collins, stunningly well-portrayed by Lizzy McAlpine (“Give Me a Minute“), waits, and waits, after being denied her own entry into the tunnel. Floyd’s father, Lee Collins, played forcefully by Marc Kudisch (Broadway’s Finding Neverland), also stands by with his wife and step-mother to his children, Miss Jane, lovingly portrayed by Jessica Molaskey (Broadway’s Tommy), and his daughter, hoping for good news, while also unpacking years of complicated relating and distress, both within the family unit and in their financial world.
The other men, Bee Doyle, portrayed true and clever by Wade McCollum (Broadway’s Water for Elephants); Jewell Estes, played sweetly by Cole Vaughan; and Ed Bishop, played strong by Clyde Voce (off-Broadway’s The Big Gay Jamboree), stand by as well, waiting and watching for the safe return of the young adventurer. Costumed authentically by Anita Yavich (Broadway’s Yellow Face), they each find their stance, searching the wide open spaces for an opportunity for something to come their way, even if it’s only to get their photo taken by the media circus. They have all come to this no-man’s land, searching for their own big story, after the naive young reporter, Skeets Miller, magnificently embodied by Taylor Trensch (TNG’s The Seven Year Disappear), writes a simple, yet sensational story that he soon regrets ever publishing.
The whole thing becomes something akin to a side-show attraction, with fireworks and fair-like constructs rising up out of nowhere, thanks to the abstract sculpture of a set design by dots (Broadway’s Appropriate), matched with compelling dark lighting by Scott Zielinski (Broadway’s Topdog/Underdog), a solid sound design by Dan Moses Schreier (Broadway’s Harmony), and distinct moody projections by Ruey Horng Sun (LCT’s McNeal). The whole three-ring circus is further complicated by the power-hunger involvement of businessman, H.T. Carmichael, portrayed distinctly by Sean Allan Krill (Broadway’s Parade), who grabs hold of the focus spot and aims it straight at both himself and the dramatic plight of Floyd Collins.
His strongarm tactics and determination never feels fully constructed or understandable, as it shifts from what appears, at first, to be greed and self-importance, but shifts to an almost manic desperation to get Floyd Collins out before the cave walls that surround him tightly collapse inwards, mainly from all the men and activity that begins to happen around the trapped man. Is it a power, financial play, or guilt that drives this man? I’m not so sure, but director Landau, with the help of that gorgeous score, try their best to keep the tension vibrating across that wide open stage, continually giving us characters to care about and vistas worth watching and investing in. But the tricky part is truly feeling Floyd’s life-threatening predicament, as he generally looks like he’s lounging on a chaise, relaxing, when he really is slowly losing his mind, singing out scenarios to the worms and crickets that keep him company while having his life slowly crushed out of him by an enormous, immovable rock. It’s quite the metaphor, this self-diagnosed “lucky” man and his dreams of love, family, and riches in the wild terrain of America.
His brother is his true companion in the tight, dark spot he finds himself, but it’s also the young reporter, Skeeter, who manages to shimmy his way in and who seems like he might actually be able to rescue him. This is coming from someone who never heard the score nor knew the story before walking into the theatre. Everyone in the know kept telling me that the Floyd Collins score was their all-time favorite, and that the music truly is spectacular, albeit difficult, filled to overflowing with emotional truths and captivating engagements. And it truly is a piece of musical theatre art, thanks to the magical work done here by the music director, Ted Sperling (LCT’s My Fair Lady), with the deep, organic orchestrations by Bruce Coughlin (Broadway’s How to Dance in Ohio).
Trapped 200 feet underground, Floyd Collins becomes something beyond himself, a complicated representation of the American Dream, bathed in courageous adventurism, gutsy determination, and a wide-eyed optimism. Based on the true story of the cave explorer, Floyd Collins and his eventual death from starvation and exhaustion trapped underground near Cave City, Kentucky, in the winter of 1925, this dream chaser of a musical flies high above the horizon, soaring emotional true and majestic, while the man and his dreams are being slowly crushed by the weight of the rocky world, alone and cut-off from the people who love him. It’s an emotional circus ride, one that I wasn’t fully expecting, as we watch those who care for the man; his family and the young reporter Skeets, feel the immensity of the weight that will eventually take Floyd away from them. All the while, a genuine media circus of reporters and gawkers from across the country stream in, at first to witness the salvation of the man, and then, the haunting death watch that comes upon quickly after when it becomes abundantly clear he isn’t going to make it out alive.
The musical first opened Off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons in 1996, running for a total of 25 performances, but the music and the legend outlived that short run, opening up in subsequent London productions as well as many regional U.S. productions. It’s a testament to the musical’s folk and bluegrass-inspired power and emotionality. And now that Floyd Collins is finally getting its Broadway premiere, with Jordan and Gotay playing these two brothers to perfection, the Lincoln Center Theater has done the musical legend proud. Even with its slow-as-molasses edge, sauntering forth like a movie-star cowboy after a long ride, this emotionally compelling story of connection and inner dialogue hits its target well and true. Mixed with dreamy moments of fantasy and care, Floyd Collins’ tense unpacking deserves our undivided attention and praise, right up to the last breath taken.
