‘Swept Away’ musical to open on Broadway this fall

The survival-adventure show is inspired by and features the music of the rock band The Avett Brothers, and it earned critical acclaim across the U.S.

Get ready to be swept away! Swept Away, a new, original musical, will premiere on Broadway this fall, with dates and a theatre to be announced.

Swept Away is an adventure story about four men — two brothers, a ship captain, and his crewmate — battling for survival on the dangerous high seas in the 1800s. The story, written by Josh Logan, is inspired by Mignonette, a 2004 album by the rock band The Avett Brothers about an 1884 shipwreck.

Songs from that album, including the title track, and The Avett Brothers’ catalog make up the show’s score. The band consists of brothers Seth and Scott Avett alongside Bob Crawford and Joe Kwon.

Swept Away premiered at Berkeley Repertory Theatre in California in 2022 and then at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. in 2023. News of the Broadway transfer was announced live at a May 17 Avett Brothers concert in Queens, at which cast members from both pre-Broadway runs joined the band on stage to perform the musical's title track.

The cast of Swept Away in D.C. featured John Gallagher Jr. as Mate, Adrian Blake Enscoe as Little Brother, Stark Sands as Big Brother, and Wayne Duvall as Captain. Casting for the Broadway run has yet to be confirmed.

Michael Mayer and David Neumann, who respectively directed and choreographed the pre-Broadway runs, will return for the Broadway transfer. Additionally, music supervision, arrangements, and orchestrations are by Brian Usifer, and music direction is by Will Van Dyke.

The creative team also includes set designer Rachel Hauck, costume designer Susan Hilferty, lighting designer Kevin Adams, and sound designer John Shivers.

Swept Away is not associated with or based on the 1974 adventure film of the same name or its 2002 remake.

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Photo credit: The cast of Swept Away in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Julieta Cervantes)