Floyd Collins

The 1999–2000 season opened in November with the St. Louis premiere of the brilliant Floyd Collins, which Stephen Sondheim called "the best musical of the last 25 years." The show is by Adam Guettel (the grandson of legendary Broadway composer Richard Rodgers) and Tina Landau, based on a true story. In 1925, while exploring a Kentucky cave he hoped to turn into a tourist attraction, 37 year old Floyd Collins became the attraction himself when he got trapped 100 feet underground. The St. Louis critics loved it – The Riverfront Times called it "a remarkable piece of musical theater." The St. Louis Post Dispatch said, "Floyd Collins continues the hot streak that began last season with Camelot and Into the Woods.".

Floyd Collins – Troy Schnider
Homer Collins – Eric Whitman
Nellie Collins – Kimi Short
Lee Collins – Steven R. Johnson
Jane Collins – Mary “Mo” Monahan
William “Skeets” Miller – Dan Sattel
Bee Doyle – Karl Berberich
Ed Bishop – Michael Deak
Jewel Estes – Colin DeVaughan
H.T. Carmichael – Patrick Kerwin
Cliff Roney/Reporter – Chris Brenner
Dr. Hazlett/Reporter – Keith Hale
Reporter – John Rhine

Directors – Scott Miler and Alison Helmer
Assistant Director – Kevin Corlett
Lighting Designer – Mark Schilling
Costume Designer – Elizabeth Krausnick
Set Designer and Scene Painter – Karl Berberich
Stage Manager – Amy Francis Schott
Sound Technician – Chris Clark

Praise for New Line's Floyd Collins

“New Line Theatre . . . continues the hot streak that began last season with Camelot and Into the Woods. Scott Miller's productions always are small in scale, but the imaginative scope of these recent shows has impressive depth. . . It offers perspective instead of self-indulgence, imagination instead of ego. It's a compelling musical and one that is well-suited to the New Line Theatre's stripped-down style.” – Judith Newmark, St. Louis Post Dispatch

“Adam Guettel, the composer and lyricist, and Tina Landau have turned this dark, sad tale into a remarkable piece of musical theater that, although hardly flawless, is consistently interesting both in its music and it the way the story is told. . . New Line Theatre has fielded a strong cast whose vocal abilities are generally matches for Guettel's often demanding music. . . and what a pleasure it was to hear natural, unamplified voices.” – Harry Weber, The Riverfront Times

“Scott Miller's New Line Theatre company, in the small cave of the St. Marcus Theatre, is shouting out a beautiful exploratory cave call: they have been delving into the subterranean recesses of musical theatre for some years, and now they've opened a fine production that epitomizes their own search. . . The cast abounds with strong performances.” – Steve Callahan, KDHX-FM

Want to explore more? We recommend:

The original cast album of Floyd Collins
The book Trapped! The Story of Floyd Collins The Story of Floyd Collins
The official Floyd Collins website
Director Scott Miller's analysis of Floyd Collins
The St. Louis Post Dispatch Post Dispatch review of our production
The Riverfront Times review of our production

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