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The Avett Brothers musical “Swept Away”, an intense redemption tale about surviving a shipwreck at sea, is finding new life of its own just months after its abrupt closing on Broadway.
Its latest wave of success came Thursday morning, when “Swept Away” was nominated for a Tony Award, Broadway’s highest honor. Rachel Hauck was nominated for Outstanding Scenic Design of a Musical; she previously won a Scenic Design Tony in 2019 for the musical “Hadestown.”
The latest Tony nod capped a run of recent successes for “Swept Away,” its cast and creative team.
Consider this: In just the past week, the cast reunited for a pair of sold-out concerts, the Original Broadway Cast recording on vinyl and CD dropped, and the show was nominated for a pair of Drama Desk Awards. Perhaps most significantly for its long-term prospects, the producers secured a theatrical licensing deal for the international rights to “Swept Away.”
Inside look at The Avett Brothers’ first musical, a tense shipwreck survival saga
‘Swept Away’ has Charlotte connections
”Swept Away” has strong roots in the Charlotte region.
About a decade ago, Charlotte native Matthew Masten conceived of making a show inspired by The Avett Brothers’ 2004 album, “Mignonette.” That album was itself inspired by the real-life 19th-century shipwreck of the British yacht Mignotte off the coast of Africa, and the dark and deadly choices the survivors made to stay alive.
As the musical evolved, it used songs from throughout the catalog of the popular roots rock band from Concord. “Swept Away” was written by Tony winner John Logan and directed by Tony winner Michael Mayer.
The show moved the action to a 19th-century New England whaling ship and the impossible choices confronting the four shipwreck survivors: the steadfast Captain (Wayne Duvall), his seedy Mate (John Gallagher Jr.), a protective Big Brother (Stark Sands) and a Little Brother out for adventure (Adrian Blake Enscoe).
The Avett Brothers made a surprise appearance at curtain call on opening night for their Broadway show, “Swept Away,” on Nov. 19, 2024 They led a reprise of the title song.
After playing to sold-out audiences in Berkeley, California, and Washington., D.C., “Swept Away” came to the Longacre Theatre on Broadway with the same leads that had been with the show from the inception. It ran for 20 preview performances and 48 regular shows before closing Dec. 29.
“Swept Away” actually was supposed to close, on short notice, Dec. 15. But after word of its fate spread, ticket demand spiked and the musical got a two-week extension.
Gallagher likened it to “emotional whiplash.” He’d have more to say about the experience.
Stark Sands, center, as the righteous Big Brother, and Adrian Blake Enscoe, front right in green pants, as Little Brother, in “Swept Away” at the Longacre Theatre in Manhattan.
Licensing deal for ‘Swept Away’
Licensing deals are big deals in the theater world. It means a show will live on in amateur and professional productions by theater companies that secure the rights to put on a particular play or musical.
For “Swept Away,” producers Masten, Sean Hudock and Madison Wells Live announced on April 24 that Theatrical Rights Worldwide had acquired the rights to their show. Terms were not disclosed.
In a statement announcing the deal, brothers Seth and Scott Avett said seeing “Swept Away” make it to Broadway was a success of its own.
“Knowing that the show will now continue its journey to audiences across the world is more than what we could have dreamt,” the Avetts said. “We are grateful and honored to see this haunting story continue its transformation into something much larger and further reaching than we ever imagined over the many years we were writing these songs.”
“Cast members of The Avett Brothers musical “Swept Away” perform at a sold-out reunion concert in New York City on April 28, four months after the show ended its abbreviated Broadway run,
Drama Desk nominations for ‘Swept Away’
The Tony Awards for the 2024-25 season will be held June 8 at Radio City Music Hall. But that wasn’t the only big award nomination the show nabbed. There’s the Drama Desk too.
The Drama Desk Awards recognize both Broadway and Off-Broadway productions.
John Gallagher Jr. and the company of “Swept Away.” Gallagher’s performance as the worldly, haunted “Mate” was praised by a number of theater critics.
This year’s nominations came out on Wednesday, April 30. “Swept Away” was nominated for a pair of technical awards: Hauck for Outstanding Scenic Design of a Musical and Kevin Adams for Outstanding Lighting Design of a Musical.
The awards ceremony is set for June 1 in New York.
Adrian Blake Enscoe (Little Brother), Stark Sands (Big Brother), John Gallagher Jr. (Mate) and Wayne Duvall (Captain) in Arena Stage’s East Coast premiere of “Swept Away” in 2023.
Original Broadway Cast album released
Just because a show is on Broadway doesn’t mean it automatically gets an Original Broadway Cast album released, although many do.
But in early December, the producers announced that “Swept Away” would indeed get its own Original Broadway Cast recording. Two days later, the producers had a much tougher announcement to make — the show would be forced to close in the wake of lackluster ticket sales.
All of the music in “Swept Away” is from the vast Avett Brothers catalog.
The digital album dropped in February. And on April 25, the CD and double LP vinyl (in turquoise blue or blood red) went on sale.
‘Swept Away’ holds sold-out reunion concerts
They got the band back together. The actors too.
On Monday, April 28, “Swept Away” held a raucous reunion concert at Bowery Ballroom in New York City. Actually, demand was high enough that a second concert was added for the night. The four leads were there, as were numerous ensemble and orchestra members.
The four leads of “Swept Away” at a reunion concert for the show on April 28. From left, they are Adrian Blake Enscoe, Stark Sands, John Gallagher Jr. and Wayne Duvall.
When the reunion plans were unveiled in March, Sands said in a statement, “This concert is just one of the many ways ”Swept Away,” and the score of The Avett Brothers, will continue reaching audiences. We can’t wait to be part of that journey once again.”
At the reunion, Gallagher kicked off the late show by saying the first rock concert he ever attended was in 1999. He was all of 15 and in the front row of the same Bowery Ballroom to see the kids band They Might Be Giants. Then he added, “I have a feeling this is gonna top that.”
John Gallagher Jr. gets the last word
Gallagher has long stood as the beating heart and slippery devil at the center of “Swept Away.”
He also was an avid Avett Brothers fan from way back. When the musical announced its closing, a heartbroken Gallagher urged people on Instagram to see “Swept Away” while they still could. “It’s the proudest I have ever been of anything I’ve ever done as an actor. Ever.”
“I just feel a ton of gratitude that we’re going to get to keep this journey going with these people that I love,” said John Gallagher Jr., seen here at the first week of rehearsals this week.
On Tuesday, April 29, Gallagher elaborated on his journey with the show in a lengthy essay for American Theatre magazine. It began with him being offered a lead role even before the script was in and reteaming with the director Mayer; both had won Tonys in 2007 for “Spring Awakening.”
The role came at a point in his life, Gallagher wrote, when he was having serious doubts about his place in the theater world. But he stuck with it and Mate’s dark journey in the show.
Nearly a week into previews on Broadway, Gallagher experienced a rare medical incident at a bar after chugging some beer that he said nearly killed him He recovered soon enough, and on opening night, the New York Times review called the show a “critic’s pick” while singling out Gallagher’s performance.
The Avett Brothers musical sees stars, surprises, strong reviews on Broadway opening night
Gallagher also spoke of the devastation the cast felt when told the show was closing.
“We sweated, bled, and cried our way through those last few shows as it all slipped like sand through our hands,” Gallagher wrote. “The Avett Brothers returned to NYC to bless audiences with several devastating post-show performances.”
Four months later, Gallagher said he’s still not over the show’s closing.
“Maybe I never will be,” he wrote. “… Part of the magic of theater is that it is ephemeral. You cannot bottle it. You cannot keep it … You can only live it, as artist or audience, and then let it go. It’s the only way. It’s beautiful and it’s maddening.”
But for “Swept Away,” that madness will live on, in one form or another.
Fans flocked to the reunion concert for “Swept Away” at the Bowery Ballroom in New York City.
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