A meditation on dreams, ambition, and the price of spectacle.
Reviewed by Adam Josephs, Out in STL
May 2025, Lincoln Center Theater – Vivian Beaumont Theater
The secret to great performance art is that it makes you care about the characters, no matter how abstract or unconventional. Lincoln Center’s revival of Floyd Collins Hooks you in the first scene and doesn’t let go.
Floyd Collins. Courtesy of Adam Josephs.
Floyd Collins tells the story of a young aspirant cave entrepreneur in Appalachian, Kentucky, in the 1920s who explores a cave and finds himself trapped under a minor cave-in. The story is about how the local community and eventually the entire nation try to rescue him and the resulting phenomenon. It’s also a meditation on dreams, luck, family ambition, and the American obsession with never letting a good crisis go to waste when there’s money to be made.
But it’s not about the plot. Like so many of Adam Guettel’s works, this is a meditation. It’s an artistic piece. That means some will find the lack of narrative drive frustrating, and others will sit back and let the piece’s beauty enter them for two hours or so.
With every role, Jeremy Jordan’s voice continues to evolve, gaining richness and control. He delivers a soulful performance, even as he spends much of it seated, physically trapped by the role itself. His stillness never reads as passive. It holds the stage with quiet force.
The supporting cast is equally impressive. Each is stunning, cast precisely, and delivers with clarity and purpose. At this performance, Kevyn Morrow stepped into the role of H.T. Carmichael, and Justin Showell covered Dr. Hazlett. Both understudies gave grounded, compelling performances that never felt like substitutions.
The direction is disciplined. The staging is sparse but never static. The set is limited, yet the way characters move through it gives us a clear sense of place. What could feel claustrophobic instead feels expansive and emotionally resonant.
Taylor Trensch as Skeets Miller is a spectacular standout. No surprise, given he originated the lead in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time in 2014 and delivered one of that season’s most memorable performances. I can’t wait to see what he does next.
When people sing Sondheim, you can tell how difficult it is. When they sing Adam Guettel, you forget. It is perhaps the highlight of the season when you want to hear beautiful music by a composer at the top of his game, performed by a cast who is equally at the top of their game.
Floyd Collins is currently running at the Vivian Beaumont Theater at Lincoln Center Theater, located at 150 West 65th Street, New York, NY 10023. The production officially opened on April 21, 2025, and is scheduled to run through June 16, 2025. Runtime is approximately 2 hours and 35 minutes, including one intermission.
Awards:
Nominated for 6 Tony Awards, including Best Revival of a Musical, Best Leading Actor in a Musical (Jeremy Jordan), Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Taylor Trensch), Best Orchestrations (Bruce Coughlin), Best Lighting Design of a Musical (Scott Zielinski and Ruey Horng Sun), Best Sound Design of a Musical (Dan Moses Schreier).Official Tickets:
Lincoln Center Theater (LCT):
Purchase directly from the production at:
https://www.lct.org
Telecharge:
Tickets are also available through Telecharge:
telecharge.com/Floyd-Collins-Tickets
LincTix – Discount Program for Ages 21–35:
Lincoln Center Theater offers discounted tickets for theatergoers aged 21 to 35 through its LincTix program. Availability may vary.
lct.org/linctix/
TKTS Discount Booths:
Same-day discounted tickets may be available at TKTS booths. Check current listings at:
https://www.tdf.org/discount-ticket-programs/tkts-by-tdf/
