Broadway’s ‘Floyd Collins’ is a Long, Cold Crawl to Nowhere
Tina Landau’s revival of the cult musical spends too long underground with little emotional or narrative payoff.
Director Tina Landau had Idina Menzel climbing a tree earlier this season in the original Broadway musical Redwood. Now, she has hurled Jeremy Jordan down a cave for over two and a half hours in a revival of Floyd Collins and she’s taken the audience with him in a slog of production that goes nowhere and takes a lot of time to get there.
Floyd Collins opened Off Broadway in 1996 and although it had a short run, the show quickly amassed a loyal, cult-like following. Landau wrote the book, while the grandson of Broadway royalty Richard Rodgers, Adam Guettel penned the music and lyrics.
Like Dead Outlaw, another current Broadway musical, it’s inspired by a true story, is set around the same time frame, and occurs in the wide-open spaces of America. But Floyd Collins sorely lacks the aesthetic and taut storytelling that Dead Outlaw masterfully accomplishes in 90 minutes.
Jordan stars as Collins, a thrill-seeking cave dweller in Barren County, Kentucky. Determined to find a commercial tourist attraction, he casts his eyes on the local “Sand Cave,” but quickly finds himself trapped below, where he remains for nearly two weeks. His entrapment leads to a media circus, attracting reporters from across the country.
“Is That Remarkable” is the show’s best number, performed with complex harmonies by a trio of reporters. The song embodies the crassness of commercialism and media hype that led to the spelunker’s demise. Overall, however, there is little that is musically memorable or moving about the production, despite a fine cast of Broadway veterans who can’t seem to rescue the leading man or the material.
Scott Zielinski’s lighting is gorgeous, especially in moments when the cast is silhouetted against orange skies. Yet dots, the design collective that usually creates visually stunning work, falls short with their Sand Cave. For much of the show, Jordan is stationary in what should be a dark well, but it looks more like he’s reclining on a slate-gray, cement lounge chair.
Epic in scope, Floyd Collins feels like an important show that wants to say great, important things but the basic takeaway is: stay out of untrodden caves. One doesn’t need a lengthy musical to learn that. It’s just sound advice.
Floyd Collins (★★☆☆☆) is playing through June 15 at the Lincoln Center Theater at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre, 150 West 65th St. in New York City. Tickets are $58 to $299. Visit www.lct.org.
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