Avett Brothers Musical Swept Away Granted More Time on Broadway

The new musical Swept Away has been granted a few more weeks on Broadway owing to brisk ticket sails (get it?) since its original closing announcement.

Originally scheduled to end its run at the Longacre Theatre on December 15, having played 20 previews and 32 performances, it will now be running until December 29. The news was announced by the company during the curtain call of this evening’s performance.

Featuring a score by the Americana band the Avett Brothers and a book by John Logan (Moulin Rouge! The Musical), Swept Away tells the story of a farm boy looking for adventure on a whaling ship and the wary older brother who follows him aboard in an attempt to dissuade him. They ship off before either can disembark and this proves to be fateful after the ship capsizes, leaving only four survivors in a lifeboat: the two brothers, the captain, and a shadowy figure referred to in the program as “Mate.”

John Gallagher Jr. leads the cast as Mate, with Stark Sands as Big Brother, Wayne Duvall as the captain, and Adrian Blake Enscoe making his Broadway debut as Little Brother. The ensemble includes Josh Breckenridge, Hunter Brown, Matt DeAngelis, Cameron Johnson, Brandon Kalm, Rico LeBron, Michael J. Mainwaring, Orville Mendoza, Chase Peacock, Tyrone L. Robinson, David Rowen and John Sygar. John Michael Finley and Robert Pendilla are the swings.

Tony winner Michael Mayer directs the production, with choreography by David Neumann, set design by Rachel Hauck, costume design by Susan Hilferty, lighting design by Kevin Adams, and sound design by John Shivers. Chris Miller is the music arranger and orchestrator, with additional arrangements, orchestrations, and music supervision by Brian Usifer. Will Van Dyke is the music director.

TheaterMania critic David Gordon called Swept Away “one of the most menacing musicals I’ve ever seen” while also acknowledging that its tough subject matter probably made the musical as doomed as the ship. You can read that full review here.

Before Swept Away, the Longacre was home to the new musical Lempicka, which had a similarly short life on Broadway.