THEATRE REVIEW: Floyd Collins Starring Jeremy Jordan and Lizzy McAlpine

Sublime Music Makes This Show Soar

Being moved by art is one of life’s greatest pleasures. How something can seep into your skin and gift you a new way to think, feel, and live a little differently. Jeremy Jordan as the titular Floyd Collins moved me. The surprising heft of reflecting upon oneself, trapped in a cave with limited contact against the delicate backdrop of empty space. It is the music that expresses the emotion, and what gorgeous music it is. Adam Guettel (The Light in the Piazza, Days of Wine and Roses – which I loved) paints a portrait of Appalachia that sounds like a book of essays. It is not about the beginning, middle, or end but the intricacies within the yodels and winds of a very grounded part of America.

The show should be boring, but I found the emotion within each note so thrilling. Especially when it is sung by the likes of Jeremy Jordan and Lizzy McAlpine. Their voices are heavenly together, almost putting you to sleep like a lullaby until you remember one of them is trapped in a cave. For those looking for a harrowing conquest of a man trying to save his own life will be severely disappointed. The Beaumont’s cavernous theater brings an ethereal presence that allows the echoes to extend the lush score being played. Like a cave, the emotions come through the cracks that cannot be seen and they remain long after the final curtain on this sad tale.

It is a simple plot. Floyd Collins gets trapped in a cave, and the town goes media-crazy. The people who try to save Floyd are his family, made up of his father (Marc Kudisch), mother (Jessica Molaskey), brother (a strong Wade McCollum), and sister (Lizzy McAlpine), as well as some other people in town. Up front, you expect the plot to reveal relationships between these characters and Floyd. While that does happen, the show subverts those expectations by being, well, moody. Jordan is exceptional in his ability to convey being trapped in a cave on an open stage. The sound design by Dan Moses Schreier exceeds by echoing Floyd’s thoughts into a void of sorts. I felt this approach mixed very well with the somber attitude of Guettel’s score.

McAlpine was a revelation for me. Her acting was not strong, but when her voice opened up, there was no chance anyone else was right for the part. What the character lacks in deep development, she more than makes up for in singing along with her brother’s voice. You could take the lyrics away from their songs and the impact would be the same. Their music fits in with each other so smoothly right on top of the other. It feels like a warm blanket being lovingly placed on a child before falling asleep. So peaceful and so meaningful. I do not think we are supposed to take anything away from Floyd’s life (besides the not going into a cave thing). I interpreted the show as a way to look inward when life slowly approaches us. Listen to the melodies that surround. Let what is not being said be exactly what pushes us forward, even when there are no odds in our favor.

I do not think this is everyone’s cup of tea. It sure was mine.