The True Story Behind Tony-Nominated Musical ‘Floyd Collins’ Is More Tragic Than You Think
From dreamer to national tragedy: The real story behind Broadway’s ‘Floyd Collins’
This year’s Tony Awards brought us welcome reunions, celebratory wins and perhaps our favorite part, stunning performances, and one that stuck out most to us was that by the cast of Floyd Collins. The musical, which opened in April, has been expertly brought to life by Jeremy Jordan in the title role, with a supporting cast that’s just as impressive. Familiar faces like Lizzy McAlpine, Jason Gotay, Sean Allan Krill, Marc Kudisch, Wade McCollum, Taylor Trensch and countless others have made this show what it is, and with six Tony nods, it’s safe to say it’s won the hearts of the theater community.
Though the show didn’t take home any awards at last night’s ceremony, it was nominated for Best Revival of a Musical, Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a musical (Jeremy Jordan), Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical (Taylor Trensch), Best Lighting Design of a Musical, Best Sound Design of a Musical and Best Orchestrations.
What is ‘Floyd Collins’ about?
Floyd Collins tells the story of a Kentucky cave explorer whose ambitions of finding the next great tourist attraction turn into a nationwide spectacle when he becomes trapped hundreds of feet underground. Hoping to turn his family’s fortune around with the discovery of a new cave that’ll draw in curious explorers, his entrapment results in a media frenzy and his story lives in infamy.
The true and tragic story of the real Floyd Collins
While this gripping Tony Award-nominated musical has become a sensation, first hitting the stage back in the 90s, the story of Floyd Collins isn’t fiction. Collins was something of an explorer even when he was young, discovering Crystal Cave beneath his father’s property in a time when cave tourism was booming. The downside of his discovery was that it was a bit off the beaten path, meaning it didn’t bring in many visitors and therefore, profit. Looking to make his next big discovery, he knew of another property that had a cave beneath it, and reaching an agreement with the owners, he got to work on his next big endeavor.
While exploring Sand Cave, as it was called, a rock wedged his foot in place within a tight space in the cave, and so began 18 days of rescue efforts and media frenzy. The story of Collins’s exploration and entrapment drew media attention from across the nation, but the explorer ultimately died before rescuers could get to him. Floyd Collins’ tragic story has resulted in books, films and the hit musical inspired by his journey.
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