Floyd Collins

Floyd Collins is a musical based on the death of Floyd Collins near Cave City, Kentucky in the winter of 1925. The book is by Tina Landau, with music and lyrics by Adam Guettel and additional lyrics by Landau.

Productions

The musical premiered at the American Music Theater Festival, New York City, in 1994.^[1]

Floyd Collins opened Off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons, New York City, on February 9, 1996 and closed on March 24, 1996 after 25 performances. Directed by Landau, the cast included Christopher Innvar as Floyd Collins, Martin Moran as Skeets Miller, Jason Danieley as Homer Collins, and Theresa McCarthy as Nellie Collins. The musical won the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Musical, and the 1995-1996 OBIE Award for its score. In 2003, a reunion concert was held at Playwrights Horizons with Romain Frugé as Floyd Collins and most of the original cast.

The show toured the United States and made its London debut at the Bridewell Theatre in July 1999, with Nigel Richards as Floyd, Anna Francolini as Nellie and Craig Parnell as Homer. The production was directed by Clive Paget.^[2]

It is rumered that the Arcola Theatre in London will be mounting a full production in September 2010.

The finale song is the title track of Audra McDonald's 2000 album How Glory Goes, and was also included on Brian Stokes Mitchell's 2006 self-titled album.

Plot summary

As originally written, the character list included Floyd Collins, Homer Collins, Nellie Collins, and Johnnie Gerald; as rewritten the role of Johnnie Gerald was merged with that of Homer Collins. As currently performed, the roles include Bee Doyle, Dr Hazlett, two reporters, a Con Man, Lee Collins, Homer Collins, Floyd Collins, Clif Rony, Jewlle Estes, Nellie Collins, Skeets Miller, Miss Jane, H. T. Carmichael and Ed Bishop.

Floyd Collins, exploring Sand Cave, uses the echoes of his voice to sound out the region, and falls through a tight passageway when his foot became trapped, wedged in position by a small rock. His family and his fellow cavers try to free him; when it become clear that his rescue will not be easy, his brother Homer spends the night in the cave with him. William Burke "Skeets" Miller, a small man, is able to squeeze through and visit with Floyd, relaying stories which were printed in the news. Despite efforts by miners, the National Guard and the Red Cross, attempts at rescue fail, and the crowd grows outside the cave as a media circus ensues.

Seventeen days after Floyd had entered the cave, a shaft finally reaches him. He had died three days earlier.

The play's musical style is drawn from bluegrass, Americana, and "more complex musical forms that have their antecedents in the likes of Bartok, Janacek and Stravinsky".^[3]

Songs

Critical response

The New York Times wrote that "Mr. Guettel establishes himself as a young composer of strength and sophistication..", but that the show is "only half realized..."^[4] John Simon, writing for New York Magazine, was much more enthusiastic about the show. Simon proclaimed that Floyd Collins was "the original and daring musical of our day[.]" Simon also wrote that "Floyd Collins reestablishes America's sovereignty in a genre it created, but has since lost hold of: it is the modern musical's true and exhilarating ace in the hole."^[5]

Recordings

The original cast recording was released on Nonesuch on March 18, 1997.^[6]

References

External links

• Floyd Collins at the Internet off-Broadway Database