PREPARE TO BE SWEPT AWAY
What happens when we are faced with extreme necessity? The 1884 tragic wreck of the yacht Mignonette was a cause célèbre in late 19th-century Britain, but not because a crew of four were stranded off the Cape of Good Hope on the South African coast; it was the devastating outcome and the court trial that followed. The story inspired folk-rock troubadours The Avett Brothers — brothers Scott and Seth with bandmate Bob Crawford — to write a 2004 album, Mignonette, containing the single “Swept Away”. In 2022, those songs became a musical.
John Gallagher, Jr. and the Company
After playing Berkeley Rep and Arena Stage in D.C., Swept Away finally landed on Broadway last Tuesday at the Longacre Theater. Using the story as inspiration, bookwriter John Logan re-purposes fourteen songs from the Avett Brothers’ impressive catalogue — not just Mignonette — and changes the trip to a whaling expedition that departs from Bedford, New England, but keeps the conclusion. Although it’s a poignant tale about choices, tragedy and redemption, the musical is invigorating and full of rich, melodious American-roots tunes delivered with the intensity of a live concert during the first part of the 95-minute one act when the ship is at sea. The second part, after the shipwreck, is ballad-heavy even as the music is gorgeously arranged and orchestrated by Chris Miller.
Adrian Blake Enscoe as 'Little Brother'
We are greeted with an impressive design: the back of a large old ship by the clever Rachel Hauck; in the darkness we see its spacious wooden deck, tall rope ladders and barrels, all surrounded by a menacing sky lit by designer Kevin Adams. At rise is Mate (John Gallagher, Jr.) lying on a hospital bed in a tubercular ward in 1910. Ghosts from his past conveniently appear and force him to tell the story of the 1888 wreck he witnessed, especially its horrific ending; he unwillingly complies.
Stark Sands as 'Big Brother' and Adrian Blake Enscoe as 'Little Brother'
Lights up, the bed disappears and we are at port as a whaling ship with a bunch of mariners is about to set sail. A teen, Little Brother (Adrian Blake Enscoe), shows up at the last minute. Wanting more from life than farm and church, he ran away from home and begs the Mate to let him work on the ship. Captain (Wayne Duvall) accepts the new recruit; upon order to sail, Big Brother (Stark Sands) arrives, trying his best to get his Little Brother off the ship, but it is too late and he reluctantly becomes another sailor.
The Company of SWEPT AWAY
While on the ship, the show is buoyed by a terrific ensemble of sailors who chant, stomp, and move as if the motionless boat is going through calm or rough waters. Dressed in Susan Hilferty’s costumes of 19th-century workwear, their shining moment is the shipwreck – a dazzling bit of stagecraft helmed by director Michael Mayer, doing a remarkably restrained job with a very difficult tale. This stunning moment is a combination of wind on the audience, slow-motion choreography by David Neumann and thunderous sound by John Shivers as the ship literally goes upside down with its bottom facing us, creating a new backdrop with reflective dark glass panels. This coup de théâtre also serves as the end of the all-male ensemble.
Wayne Duvall, John Gallagher, Jr., Stark Sands and Adrian Blake Enscoe
Only four people make it to a lifeboat: Captain, Mate, and the two brothers, each one a different type of human being dealing with utter desperation in a situation that pulses with dark undertones. Enscoe plays the innocent, good-hearted boy with radiant eyes and such dynamism that we palpably experience his active imagination, youth, and thirst for adventure. Gallagher is terrific as Mate, the dicey and slick, yet lovable, con man; before the ship wreck, he also moves like both a feline and a seasoned manly square dancer. Stark Sands, as Mate’s complete opposite Big Brother offers deeply emotional vocals and is heartbreaking as the dutiful, pious sibling. As Captain, Wayne Duvall’s descent from determination to haunted despondency is commendable. With the exception of the tiny boat shifting, Mayer could have opened this section up somehow — with a kind of ghost dance? some projections? less ballads? — but, respectably, he decides to keep it intimate.
Wayne Duvall as 'Captain'
A jukebox musical that doesn’t feel like a jukebox musical, with a type of music rarely heard on Broadway, Swept Away is a brave, entertaining show with captivating songs beautifully rendered by a gratifying cast.
The phenomenal crew: 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.
photos by Emilio Madrid
Swept Away
Longacre Theatre, 220 W. 48th St.
ends on December 15, 2024 EXTENDED to December 29, 2025
for tickets, visit Swept Away Musical or Telecharge or call 212.239.6200
