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In 1925, while chasing a dream of fame and fortune by turning a Kentucky cave into a tourist attraction, Floyd Collins himself became the attraction when he got trapped 200 feet underground. Alone but for sporadic contact with the outside world, Floyd fought for his sanity and ultimately his life as the rescue effort above exploded into the first genuine media circus. Reporters and gawkers from across the country descended on the property, fueling the hysteria and manipulating the nation into holding its collective breath. This haunting musical - one of the most acclaimed in recent years - tells the transcendent tale of a true American dreamer.

FLOYD COLLINS is based on true events which occurred near Cave City, Kentucky in the winter of 1925.
For many years, the farmers and landowners of this area fought a series of bitter "cave wars" in which they competed to discover and operate the largest and most beautiful caves in the region. Many farmers found expansive and decorative caverns on their own properties which they opened for tourism and profit. Floyd Collins, who lived nearby on his family's farm, was an avid cave explorer and had already opened his own Crystal Cave. But the enterprise never brought Floyd the recognition and wealth of which he dreamed. On a rainy January 30, 1925, Floyd set out to explore Sand Cave, hoping to find a new cavern or a series of underground tunnels which he believed linked all the caves of the region. Winding his way into the earth with only a dim oil lantern to guide him, Floyd uses the echoes of his voice to sound out the cave (The Call, It Moves, Time to Go). As Floyd squirmed feet first through a tight passageway 150 feet underground, a small rock fell on his left foot, wedging in between him and the ceiling. Floyd was trapped in Sand Cave.
The rescue attempts at Sand Cave began with a handful of locals, including Floyd's family (Lucky) and fellow cavers ('Tween a Rock an'a Hard Place), who were confident that the trapped man would be quickly freed. But as night fell at Sand Cave, and Floyd's brother Homer crawled into the passageways to spend the night with his brother (Daybreak), it became clear to the growing crowd that the rescue operation would not be a simple one.
Although many tried to reach Floyd with supplies or comfort, few made it, turning back either because of the narrowness of the crawlways or the sudden fear the cave inspired. One of the few who reached Floyd was a cub reporter from the Louisville Courier-Journal named William Burke "Skeets" Miller. Because Miller was "no bigger than a 'squito," he was able to slide down the narrow chutes (I Landed On Him) and sit with Floyd in his cell-like cave. In the course of eight visits with the trapped man, Miller conducted a series of interviews which relayed to a quickly growing readership a firsthand account of the experience of being buried alive.
As days turned to weeks at Sand Cave, the local rescue attempt soon ballooned into a national crisis demanding outside engineering, dozens of miners, the National Guard, and the Red Cross. In the midst of factions disagreeing about the options for saving Floyd, the Collins family tried to remain strong (Heart an'Hand), with Homer continuing to lead efforts to get to Floyd's foot (The Riddle Song). Yet because of numerous factors including the weather, the crumbling walls of the cave, the tightness of the squeeze, and, at times, simple confusion and fear, no one could rescue Floyd.
Enticed by daily reports from a growing number of reporters at the site (Is That Remarkable?), an estimated 20,000 onlookers gradually arrived from all over America - some hoping to help, some hoping to get a glimpse of the now heroic Floyd, some hoping to exploit the crowd by hawking souvenirs or selling balloons. As the circus at Sand Cave reached its height with jugglers, medicine men, preachers and movie crews scrambling to get it all on film, Collins was all but forgotten. Around him swirled the first great media circus of the modern era (The Carnival). Although a series of cave-ins blocked the passageways to Floyd, cutting him off from the outside world, Floyd's sister, Nellie, dreamed of a way to lead her brother from his prison (Through the Mountain); Homer eventually clashed with the authorities and was banned from the site (Git Comfortable) as a vertical shaft was begun to reach Floyd. With the rescue efforts entering their third week (The Ballad of Floyd Collins), Floyd remained alone, left to contemplate his own fate (The Dream) and impending death.
On February 16, seventeen days after he had entered the cave, a shaft finally reached Floyd Collins. He had died of exposure, exhaustion, and starvation three days earlier, on Friday the 13th (How Glory Goes). The carnival at Sand Cave packed up and went home

The musical premiered at the American Music Theater Festival, Philadelphia, in 1994.

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, as well as Cass Morgan, Brian d'Arcy James, Matthew (Matt) Bennett and Michael Mulheren. 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. A London revival was produced at The Vault, Southwark Playhouse in February and March 2012. The production was directed by Derek Bond, with Glenn Carter as Floyd, Robyn North as Nellie, Gareth Chart as Homer and Ryan Sampson as Skeets. The production was produced by Peter Huntley and was long-listed for the Ned Sherrin Award for Best Musical at the Evening Standard Awards and won Best Musical Production at the 'Offies'the Off-West-End Awards.[5] A Chicago revival was produced at BoHo Theatre in June and July 2012. The production was directed by Peter Marston Sullivan, with Jim DeSelm as Floyd, Jon Harrison as Homer, and Sarah Bockel as Nellie. Floyd Collins had its North Carolina regional premiere in August 2011 at the Carolina Actors Studio Theatre in Charlotte.

Act I
Ballad of Floyd Collins - Company
The Call - Floyd
It Moves - Floyd
Time to Go - Floyd
Lucky – Nellie and Miss Jane
'Tween a Rock An' a Hard Place (replaced by "Where a Man Belongs" in 1999) – Family and locals
Daybreak – Homer and Floyd
Ballad of Floyd Collins (reprise) - Jewell
I Landed on Him – Skeets Miller
And She'd Have Blue Eyes - Floyd
Heart An' Hand - Miss Jane and Lee
Riddle Song – Homer and Floyd

Act II
Is That Remarkable? – reporters and company
Carnival – Floyd and company
Through the Mountain - Nellie
Git Comfortable - Homer
Ballad of Floyd Collins (reprise) - Jewell
The Dream - Floyd, Nellie, Homer and company
How Glory Goes - Floyd

Aucun dossier informatif complémentaire concernant Floyd Collins

Aucun dossier informatif complémentaire concernant Floyd Collins