Swept Away – Featuring Music by The Avett Brothers – Opens on Broadway

Swept Away, the new Broadway musical featuring the music of the beloved folk-rock band The Avett Brothers, opened on Tuesday, November 19 at the Longacre Theatre to a roaring standing ovation. The Avett Brothers joined the cast on stage for a special curtain call performance of the show’s title track. 

swept away avett brothers
Photo by Alyssa Greenberg

The production incorporates songs from The Avett Brothers’ 2004 album, Mignonette, and others in their catalogue, plus one new song – “Lord Lay Your Hand on My Shoulder” – written by Seth Avett expressly for the production. The principal cast members, reprising their roles from the show’s previous sold-out and critically acclaimed runs at Berkeley Repertory in 2022 and Washington DC’s Arena Stage in 2023, include Tony Award winner John Gallagher, Jr. (Spring Awakening), Tony Award nominee Stark Sands (Kinky Boots), Adrian Blake Enscoe (Apple TV+’s Dickinson), and Wayne Duvall (1984). On Friday, November 22, The Avett Brothers will again join the Swept Away principals for a performance on NBC’s Today Show.

The anticipated Broadway debut of Swept Away is the latest in a highlight-filled year for The Avett Brothers. In May, they released their first new album in five years, The Avett Brothers – now a Grammy nominee for Best Recording Package – followed by an extensive US tour.

Swept Away is “a spellbinding tale” (The Washington Post) of shipwreck, salvation and brotherhood set on the high seas.

An odyssey of “mythic proportions” (San Francisco Chronicle), Swept Away features a book by Tony Award® winner John Logan (Red, Moulin Rouge! The Musical), direction by Tony Award winner Michael Mayer (Spring Awakening, American Idiot) and choreography by Tony Award nominee David Neumann (Hadestown).

The Swept Away 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. Swings include John Michael Finley and Robert Pendilla.

The Swept Away creative team includes Tony Award-winning set designer Rachel Hauck, Tony Award-winning costume designer Susan Hilferty, four-time Tony Award-winning lighting designer Kevin Adams, Tony Award-winning sound designer John Shivers, music arranger & orchestrator Chris Miller, music arranger & orchestrator/music supervisor Brian Usifer, music director Will Van Dyke, and casting director Jim Carnahan, Jillian Cimini, and Alexandre Bleau, CSA.

Swept Away is produced on Broadway by Matthew Masten, Sean Hudock and Madison Wells Live. Wagner Johnson Productions serve as Executive Producers.

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