Brothers Micah and Jonah Alm will be appearing onstage together for the first time this summer with Jimmy Buffett’s Escape to Margaritaville! They shared about their journey to the stage, family dynamics behind the scenes, and the summer vacation of a show they’re both in!
JONAH: Escape to Margaritaville is first and foremost a comedy, which is perfect for us. Our family isn’t dramatic, but we have a penchant for drama and dry wit, and everyone in the family will say that’s us. We get it from our mom.
MICAH: Theatre wasn’t offered at our school growing up, so we never had a chance to be in anything together. I wasn’t involved in theatre at all until 2019, when I was crew for GREAT’s production of Elf.
JONAH: And the things that we could do together in school, like basketball, the age difference was just big enough that Micah was leaving just as I was entering. After high school, I played rugby on a team with our other brother. That’s been a way for him and me to connect. I’ve been looking for some way that me and Micah can spend time together. I did some theatre in college and I knew he was really involved with GREAT, so I asked about it.
Jonah was in a number of productions during college, but he was known for his dramatic flair long before then. In high school he ran track and field, played soccer, sang in choir, and was in the band, and his distinct personality made him stand out in each setting. Jonah moved to Sartell in March to be closer to work and started looking for chances to spend time with family right away.
Micah has been involved with GREAT productions as a volunteer actor, crew member, and stage manager at different points. In February Micah was awarded GREAT’s volunteer of the year award for his contribution and for his unfailingly positive attitude. Needless to say, Micah is not one to miss a show at the Ledge.
MICAH: The Ledge is a special spot for me. Rodgers’ & Hammerstein’s Cinderella was the first musical I ever did, the first main role I ever had, and the first show I did on a stage like this. It’s where I got my start with musicals, and I had to go three for three with Margaritaville.
JONAH: I figured he would be auditioning, and it was the perfect thing for us to do together. Neither of us was familiar with the show, but now I know that Margaritaville is the perfect show for us specifically, because our sense of humor comes out a lot. We both have a tendency to act dumb.
MICAH: It runs in the family.
JONAH: Our sense of humor is snide. The show can basically be summed up by Jimmy Buffett’s song titles, like, ‘Let’s Get Drunk,’ and, ‘Cheeseburger in Paradise.” It’s silly and it’s full of dry, snide humor. We both lean towards wordplay, which this show has a lot of. It has heart too, because it’s Jimmy Buffett’s music and because it’s also a love story.”
MICAH: It can be a little bit out there, but that’s why it’s perfect for us and why it’s so good.”
Come and see the Alm brothers onstage in Jimmy Buffett’s Escape to Margaritaville at the Ledge Amphitheater in just two weeks! July 18, 19, and 20th only! Get your tickets today!
