Talk about circuitous journeys. Here is a question for you – where were you in 1994? Or 1996? Do you remember ANYTHING from those years? Well, if you are Tina Landau and Adam Guettel, you would know that the premiere of Floyd Collins was presented in 1994 in Philadelphia, and 1996 was the year it premiered Off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons. Its Broadway premiere was a mere 29 years later and has now taken a bow at Lincoln Center. It’s a good thing they waited so long, because Jeremy Jordan (Floyd Collins) clearly needed to grow into a man and be ready to take on the title role. This part ain’t for sissys.Actually none of these parts are made for sissies. This is one of the most challenging and complicated collections of characters, music, lyrics, and choreography I have ever encountered. And this is one of the most exquisite ensembles I have ever seen.It is 1925 of a farm in Kentucky. The story centers around Floyd Collins who was a spelunker, which is a fancy name for a person who likes to go exploring below ground. I have only gone caving once, and let me tell you, it is crazy down there. People wedge themselves into spaces that look uninviting and impossible. But our boy Floyd was enchanted by the whole deal, until he got himself stuck a few hundred feet below ground.Did he make it out? I cannot tell you. And if you go on and cheat, you will lose out on discovering the community that surrounded Floyd in his time of need. They are glorious and worth the wait.Floyd’s sister Nellie (Lizzy McAlpine) and brother Homer (Jason Gotay) are a tag team of hope. Floyd has been in these situations before, and he will get out. Nellie, in particular, has a haunting melodic connection to her brother, who is known to serenade himself in the caves he visits. Gotay shines as the kid brother with gumption and adventure running through his veins. On a personal note, it is wonderful to hear Jessica Molaskey (Miss Jane) singing again. Her voice is reminiscent of Joni Mitchell, and she has the experience to know when and how to use it. Taylor Trensch as Skeets Miller is the new character on the scene. It is his journey that most guides us through the layers of family, friends, and memories, and he never lets us go.Taylor Trensch and members of the cast of FLOYD COLLINS; Credit Joan MarcusAs I said, the ensemble is tremendous. A special note must be made for the “Reporters” (Dwayne Cooper, Jeremy Davis, and Charlie Franklin), a trio of newsmen who flock to the cave site and lead off the second act with “Is That Remarkable?” This is a three-part harmony report on the Collins situation combined with choreography by Jon Rua that is nothing short of dazzling.The difficulty of this piece is that Guettel’s writing leads more toward an operetta style than what we think of as an American musical. Each piece moves the action obliquely. The music has its own life and often serves to pause and focus the action rather than move the pilot forward. It is more recitative – somewhere between music and dialogue – and his style never waivers. Songs appear to pop out of the air, and singers must grab them without hesitation and release them with little more than a flick of the wrist. Tina Landau’s direction gives the piece structure and depth.Thank goodness for us all that this cast handles everything that is handed to them with grace and skill. They wear you down with their perfection. They take no prisoners. In the end, the story of Floyd Collins lifts you up. Out of the darkness into the light.FLOYD COLLINS – book by Tina Landau, music and lyrics by Adam Guettel, additional lyrics by Tina Landau, and direction by Tina Landau.WITH Jeremy Jordan as Floyd Collins, Jason Gotay as Homer Collins, Sean Allan Krill as H.T. Carmichael, Marc Kudisch as Lee Collins, Lizzy McAlpine as Nellie Collins, Wade McCollum as Bee Doyle, Jessica Molaskey as Miss Jane, Taylor Trensch as Skeets Miller, Cole Vaughan as Jewell Estes, Clyde Voce as Ed Bishop as well as Kevin Bernard, Dwayne Cooper, Jeremy Davis, Charlie Franklin, Kristen Hahn, Happy McPartlin, Kevyn Morrow, Zak Resnick, Justin Showell and Colin Trudell.Sets by dots, costumes by Anita Yavich, lighting by Scott Zielinski, sound by Dan Moses Schreier, and projections by Ruey Horng Sun, with dance sequences by Jon Rua, orchestrations by Bruce Coughlin, music direction by Ted Sperling. Bonnie Panson is the stage manager. Lincoln Center Theater is producing FLOYD COLLINS in association with Creative Partners Productions and Mark Cortale & Charles D. Urstadt.Through June 22, at Lincoln Center. Tickets Here RELATED https://youtu.be/0_2WVfmNN4g?si=EU2isDPI9pfhY_b- Read the full article