Buffett Musical to Debut in 2017 in San Diego

Want to be among the first to see the forthcoming Jimmy Buffett musical? You’ll have to head to San Diego where it will open at the La Jolla Playhouse in May 2017.

The show’s producers had announced in December that Christopher Ashley, the La Jolla Playhouse’s artistic chief, would direct the project. But now the musical will officially launch at the theater that has sent more than two dozen productions to Broadway.

Production dates are set for May 16 to June 25, 2017. Don’t line up for tickets just yet, though: They’ll initially be available solely via 2017-18 season subscriptions, and right now the Playhouse is only selling subscriptions for its 2016-17 season.

Current subscribers, though, will have first right to renew for 2017-18. (Single tickets for the Buffett show wouldn’t be available until much closer to show dates; call 858-550-1070 or go to lajollaplayhouse.org for more info.)

Although there’s no word at this point on what specific songs the musical will include, it will offer a mix of Buffett classics and original songs. (In case you somehow missed his work over the past four-plus-decades, Buffett’s most popular tunes include “Come Monday,” “Cheeseburger in Paradise,” “Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes,” “A Pirate Looks at Forty” and, of course, the 1977 hit “Margaritaville.”)

Producers also have revealed a bit more information about the storyline of the show, centered not just on the music but on the good-time vibe of the massively popular Buffett, whose devoted followers proudly dub themselves “Parrotheads.”

The musical, written by the television pros Greg Garcia and Mike O’Malley, “is the story of a part-time singer, part-time bartender and full-time good ol’ boy named Tully who suddenly finds himself in uncharted territory — falling in love with a beautiful, career-minded tourist.” (Which sounds more than a little like a backstory to the lyrics of “Margaritaville.”)

Read more at San Diego Union Tribune.