Waterfront Playhouse on Mallory Square opens its 84th season on Thursday, Oct. 20 with Jimmy Buffett’s “Escape to Margaritaville.”
This madcap love story, with an erupting volcano, tap-dancing zombies and Buffett classics like “Cheeseburger in Paradise,” “Margaritaville,” and “Son of a Son of a Sailor” will fill the air on Mallory Square. The book is by Emmy Award winner Greg Garcia (“My Name is Earl” and ”Raising Hope”) and Emmy Award nominee Mike O’Malley (“Shameless”). The show will also feature a margarita bar onstage during intermission.
USA Today calls it “A little slice of paradise” and Entertainment Weekly says, “It will knock your flip flops off.”
The cast
Jordan Thomas Burnett makes his Waterfront Playhouse debut. Burnett is a New Jersey native and holds a bachelor’s degree in theater performance. He trained under Tony award winner Michelle Pawk. He has also performed regionally in “Something Rotten,” “Mamma Mia,” “Camelot” and “Addams Family Musical.” Burnett will spend the holidays performing at the MGM Beau Rivage Resort in “Finding Christmas,” a Broadway-style musical variety show.
Jillian Todd moved to Key West in September 2021 to perform on the Waterfront stage just after graduating from the State University of New York at Geneseo. She was last seen on this stage playing Elsa in the Junior production of “Frozen.” Todd has been involved in theater since
elementary school. She spent her high school summers performing in summer stock shows with Potsdam Music Theater in her hometown of Potsdam, New York. You can also find her during the day playing her guitar and singing at some of Key West’s favorite local venues.
Tyler Gallaher is a New York-based actor/singer and comedic improviser who is making his debut at Waterfront Playhouse. Gallaher has appeared in and worked with many regional theaters across the country. Most recently, he was in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, working at The Jackson Hole Playhouse, performing in classic westerns such as “Paint
Your Wagon.”
Allyson McCormick is originally from Fredericksburg, Virginia. Her regional credits include
“The Christmas Tree Ship” with Bluegate Musicals, and three seasons as a lead entertainer at
Tweetsie Railroad in Blowing Rock, North Carolina. She has also appeared in regional productions of “Always, Patsy Cline,” “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,” and “Nevermore: The
Imaginary Life and Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe.”
Olivia White began her career at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy. Since then she has performed aboard Celebrity Cruises and has played Florinda in “Into the Woods,” and Celie in “The Color Purple.”
Ray West is a professional flutist, guitarist and executive director of the Key West Music Awards
and writes a column about the local music scene for the Keys Weekly Newspaper. After more than 12 years on the music circuit, West has turned his attention back to his first love; theater.
Mathias Maloff last appeared in the two-man comedy “A Life in the Theatre” at the Waterfront Playhouse. He was seen in numerous productions last season including: “Clue” and “Something Rotten!”
Ervin Tumm is in his third season at the Waterfront Playhouse, performing this season in “Escape To Margaritaville,” “Rock of Ages” and “Kinky Boots.”
Sarah McKinney is making her Waterfront Playhouse debut — and on her first visit to Key West. Her previous leading credits include: “We Will Rock You,” “A Chorus Line,” “Shrek,” “Footloose,” “The Who’s Tommy” and as Sandy in “Grease.”
Andie Rose grew up in the Keys and enrolled in every Keys Kids production during her school
years. She was Dream Clara in the “Nutcracker” and Violet Beauregard in “Willie Wonka and the
Chocolate Factory.” After earning a degree in theater at Eckerd College, she lived in St. Petersburg for four more years before moving back to Big Pine to join the Waterfront Playhouse. You may catch her playing bass with her dad, Brian Roberts, around the Keys.
John Swann makes his debut on the Waterfront stage, and is a veteran of community theater on the Eastern Shore of Maryland for many years.
Barbara Mundy appeared last season as Mrs. Phelps in “Matilda,” Mrs. Peacock in ”Clue,”
and was part of the Waterfront’s radio play series performing in 14 broadcasts. Recently she played Robert the Doll in The Studios of Key West’s 24-hour play event and was Helen in Bob Bowersox’s new play, “Flowers on the Moon.”
Iain Wilcox was born and raised in Key West, where he developed a fanatical passion for the arts. He is an actor, writer, athlete and musician.
The show is directed by Tom Thayer, managing artistic director; designed by Michael Boyer;
choreographed by Carolyn Cooper; lighting by Kim Hansen; musical direction by Roberta
Jacyshyn and stage managed by Andrew Theede.
JImmy Buffett’s ‘Escape to Margaritaville’ at Waterfront Playhouse runs Oct. 20 – Nov. 12, Tuesday through Saturday at 8 p.m., with a 2 p.m. matinee on Saturday, Oct. 29.
An after-party will follow the opening night performance on Oct. 20. A preview show will take place Wednesday, Oct. 19.
Tickets: waterfrontplayhouse.org. or 305-294-5015
