Still More Theatre Saturday - Floyd Collins

We were given complimentary tickets to Floyd Collins for review purposes. Any and all opinions expressed here are our own.

What: Floyd Collins 

Where: Vivian Beaumont Theatre

             150 W. 65th St.

             New York, New York

Who: Recommended for Ages 12 and Up

When: Through June 22, 2025

Floyd Collins is not exactly a happy, uplifting musical, although it is a fascinating true story. Collins, a cave explorer in the 1920s, became hopelessly trapped while exploring a cave. As word spread about his entrapment and the ensuing rescue efforts, the incident became one of the earliest examples of a media circus and a voyeursitic playground, even though there were no cell phones or social media then, just newspapers and word of mouth.

The show has a very dark and serious tone, and there isn't much humor or even a romantic subplot or anything like that to break things up or tone it down. The most humorous moment of the show comes at the beginning of the second act when the reporters sing "Isn't It Remarkable?" but it isn't so much amusingly funny as relatably funny, as in we can see a direct line from those vultorous circling reporters to the world of today, when everyone is constantly being watched and judged and reported on through the lens of someone else's phone. 

Although the performances are good all around, three particularly heartbreaking ones stand out. The first is Jeremy Jordan in the title role; he is much better here than in his previous role as the title character in The Great Gatsby, even though that performance was lauded by many and was, in fact, Tony-nominated. Since he spents much of the show confined to one spot, he conveys volumes merely through facial expressions and tone of voice.  The second is Jason Gotay, in the role of  Floyd's fiercely loyal brother, and the third is Taylor Trensch, in the role of a reporter who becomes invested in and a part of the story. There isn't a great payoff at the end of this show, like a miracle to occur or a great lesson to be learned, and it may leave you feeling sad, but it is still worth seeing for these and other fine performances. 

And that's our view. For more about Floyd Collins or to purchase tickets, visit 

www.lct.org/shows/floyd-collins

Tune in tomorrow for this week's Sunday Scoop.

Photo credits:

All Floyd Collins production photos by Joan Marcus

Images used in this post have been sent to us from publicists, artists, and/or  PR firms and are used by permission. If there is a problem with the rights to any image,  contact us here, and we will look into the matter.