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The four stars who helped shape the new musical “Swept Away” — John Gallagher Jr., Stark Sands, Adrian Blake Enscoe and Wayne Duvall — will steer the nautical tale to the commercial waves of Broadway.
The tale about four men stranded in the Atlantic Ocean after a 19th-century shipwreck features songs from The Avett Brothers — especially their 2004 album “Mignonette” — and drops anchor at the Longacre Theatre in October.
“This musical, much like our relationship, revolves around the theme of brotherhood. Being able to watch John, Stark, Adrian and Wayne team up in the development of ‘Swept Away’ over these years has been the precise definition of brotherhood," The Avett Brothers said in a statement.
The show has a story by John Logan, the Tony Award-winning playwright of 2009’s “Red” and screenwriter behind “Gladiator,” “The Aviator” and “Skyfall.” It premiered at Berkeley Repertory Theatre in early 2022 and then went to Arena Stage in Washington, D.C.
The Washington Post said the show "aligns with such boundary-pushing musicals as ‘Next to Normal’ and ‘Dear Evan Hansen,’” while MD Theatre Guide said: “With themes of sacrifice, absolution, and confession, ‘Swept Away’ unfolds like Christian parable, albeit one better aligned with Easter than Christmas.”
Tony-winner Michael Mayer will direct the show and reunite on Broadway with Gallagher, who won a Tony in the original 2006 production of his “Spring Awakening." Mayer also directed both Gallagher and Sands in “American Idiot."
"Making this new show with my frequent collaborators John Gallagher Jr. and Stark Sands as well as the rest of this marvelous company continues to be deeply gratifying. I can’t wait to share the work with Broadway audiences this fall,” Mayer told the AP.
Sands is a two-time Tony nominee for his performances in “Kinky Boots” and “Journey’s End,” Duvall was last on Broadway in “1984” and Enscoe starred opposite Hailee Steinfeld and Jane Krakowski, in Apple TV’s “Dickinson.”
Broadway musicals set at sea are not uncommon, such as “Anything Goes,” “Titanic” and “Dames at Sea.” But some have fared less well, like “The Pirate Queen” and “The Last Ship.”
