SWEPT AWAY Previews

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 10/28/24 at 12:00am

Anchors aweigh.

The signature folk-rock sound of the Avett Brothers fills the walls of the Longacre Theatre starting tomorrow night (October 29), as previews begin for the new musical Swept Away before a November 19 opening. Following coast-to-coast pre-Broadway tryouts in Berkeley, California and Washington, D.C., John Gallagher, Jr., Stark Sands, Adrian Blake Enscoe, and Wayne Duvall lead the all-male cast as the four survivors of a late 19th-century shipwreck. Mostly based on the ideas and themes from the Brothers’ 2004 concept album “Mignonette,” Swept Away features a book by John Logan, choreography by David Neumann, and direction by Michael Mayer.

“When a violent storm sinks their whaling ship off the coast of New Bedford, Massachusetts, the four survivors face a reckoning: how far will they go to stay alive? And what are the consequences? With music and lyrics from The Avett Brothers, whose 2004 “Mignonette” was inspired by an 1884 shipwreck and the struggle of four men to survive, Swept Away is an electrifying, soul-stirring new musical exploring how facing tragedy can open the door to forgiveness… if only we’ll let it.”

Who’s climbing onboard?

[yyys]

Posted: 10/29/24 at 7:58am

Avett Brothers is sooo 2005 and are so middle of the road. No.

[GiantsInTheSky2]

Posted: 10/29/24 at 9:07am

Well then they’re making great timing to introduce themselves to a new generation while relying on their catalogue. 
 

Have heard nothing but good things about this show. I’m assuming they are keeping it 90 minutes without an intermission? 

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 10/29/24 at 9:12am

GiantsInTheSky2 said: "Have heard nothing but good things about this show. I’m assuming they are keeping it 90 minutes without an intermission?"

That’s what it says per Telecharge. 

Digital lottery is $40, same-day in person / digital rush is $45. 

[inception]

Posted: 10/29/24 at 9:20am

Strange post on Reddit this morning from someone claiming to have attended the invited dress last night totally dragging everything about the show.   Strange because I thought attendees were usually associated with the show in some capacity??

I won't post the link, you can find it easily if you want to.

I did my research before buying a ticket, so I know there may be some material that upsets me.  But it's 90 minutes, & I'll be seeing two comedies later in the day - Jamboree & DBH.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 10/29/24 at 9:22am

I really know nothing about the music that’ll be in this but for some reason, this is the musical I’m most excited for this season and can’t wait to see it.  

Updated On: 10/29/24 at 09:22 AM

[GottaGetAGimmick420]

Posted: 10/29/24 at 10:31am

inception said: "Strange post on Reddit this morning from someone claiming to have attended the invited dress last night totally dragging everything about the show. Strange because I thought attendees were usually associated with the show in some capacity??

I won't post the link, you can find it easily if you want to.

I did my research before buying a ticket, so I know there may be some material that upsets me. But it's 90 minutes, & I'll be seeing two comedies later in the day - Jamboree & DBH."

Invited Dress for these things have started opening up to influencers, office workers, friends of friends of the show, or randoms that the producers know. Gone are the days of invited dress being exclusive and hush hush. Maybe Happy Ending had a full section of influencers specifically to post about the show. Looking at socials, Swept Away did the same last night. These are now more so influencer events, sadly. 

[gibsons2]

Posted: 10/29/24 at 10:42am

GottaGetAGimmick420 said: "inception said: "Strange post on Reddit this morning from someone claiming to have attended the invited dress last night totally dragging everything about the show. Strange because I thought attendees were usually associated with the show in some capacity??

I won't post the link, you can find it easily if you want to.

I did my research before buying a ticket, so I know there may be some material that upsets me. But it's 90 minutes, & I'll be seeing two comedies later in the day - Jamboree & DBH."

Invited Dress for these things have started opening up to influencers, office workers, friends of friends of the show, or randoms that the producers know. Gone are the days of invited dress being exclusive and hush hush. Maybe Happy Ending had a full section of influencers specifically to post about the show. Looking at socials, Swept Away did the same last night. These are now more so influencer events, sadly."

Well, if some of these influencers will convince at least few people to buy a ticket to a show that doesn't sell all that great, their presence at an invite dress is more than justified. Most of the current shows can't really pick and choose how they market given non existent advance sales.

[JasonC3]

Posted: 10/29/24 at 11:16am

yyys said: "Avett Brothers is sooo 2005 and are so middle of the road. No."

Shakespeare is so 1600 and for even the commoners.

[scripps]

Posted: 10/29/24 at 12:06pm

Very curious to see how this is received in New York.

I read the "spoiler" on Reddit, and it's not that far off the mark from my feelings after seeing it in DC, so I'm going to be presumptuous for now and say that it sounds like the work that needed to be done on the book wasn't.

There used to be an understanding that if one was at an invited dress that they wouldn't run around posting spoilers but I guess that era is long gone.

[sppunk]

Posted: 10/29/24 at 12:50pm

I think this will be a very polarizing show.  I pretty much hated it in DC, my wife pretty much loved it.  And we usually have the same taste in musicals. 
 

 

[Adeliciaboy]

Posted: 10/29/24 at 10:40pm

Please someone save me from total madness.  I was at the first preview tonight and all I have to say is what a horrid sack of excrement this whole endeavor is.  What nerve it took for the producers to haul this piece of pretentious nonsense into New York City, which has seen a steady stream, of disasters this past year.  But I’ve seen most of them and this is by far the worst.  The first 45 minutes of the 90 minute show is filled with salty sailors prancing around on stage stomping their feet in what  is supposed to pass for choreography i guess.  When they aren’t stompting they are spouting gibberish that sounds as if they all just got their doctoral degrees.  No one talks in lengthy lines of dialogue like this in the real world and it is beyond  laughable in this show.   The second half is nothing more than four guys sitting around in a dinghy waiting for them to decide one of them has to die.  It’s pure torture to listen to as the dinghy slowly revolving as we wait for the murder to come.  Book writer John Logan and director Michael Mayer  are by no means newcomers to theater but they have no right to inflict this on a Broadway which nowadays is composed of clueless tourists and idiotic influencers who just want handouts and god knows what else.  The theater is dying folks and exercises like this are only hastening its demise.  And I can’t conclude these remarks without mentioning the outrageous treatment the audience was submitted to as they waited in a line that snaked around two blocks until the very last minute before curtain.  It was unprofessionalism of the worst sort.  Yeah I’m talking about you Mathew Masten.  I can’t believe this man, with whom I’m unfamiliar, claims to have been involved with “Side Show” a true masterpiece (at least the original incarnation) which never got its due.

[berniesb!tch]

Posted: 10/29/24 at 10:50pm

Adeliciaboy said: "Please someone save me from total madness. I was at the first preview tonight and all I have to say is what a horrid sack of excrement this whole endeavor is. What nerve it took for the producers to haul this piece of pretentious nonsense into New York City, which has seen a steady stream, of disasters this past year. But I’ve seen most of them and this is by far the worst. The first45 minutes of the 90 minute show is filled with salty sailors prancing around on stage stomping their feet in whatis supposed to pass for choreography i guess. When they aren’t stompting they are spouting gibberish that sounds as if they all just got their doctoral degrees. No one talks in lengthy lines of dialogue like this in the real world and it is beyond laughable in this show. The second half is nothing more than four guys sitting around in a dinghy waiting for them to decide one of them has to die. It’s pure torture to listen to as the dinghy slowly revolving as we wait for the murder to come. Book writer John Logan and director Michael Mayerare by no means newcomers to theater but they have no right to inflict this on a Broadwaywhich nowadays is composed of clueless tourists and idiotic influencers who just want handouts and god knows what else. The theater is dying folks and exercises like this are only hastening its demise. And I can’t conclude these remarks without mentioning the outrageous treatment the audience was submitted to as they waited in a line that snaked around two blocks until the very last minute before curtain. It was unprofessionalism of the worst sort. Yeah I’m talking about you Mathew Masten. I can’t believe this man, with whom I’m unfamiliar, claims to have been involved with “Side Show” a true masterpiece (at least the original incarnation) which never got its due."


So did you like it? 

[alli2]

Posted: 10/29/24 at 11:18pm

I was there tonight. I have never been so offended by plot inaccuracies as I was by the gaping holes that are in this book. This book is a mess and I hope John overhauls the entire thing. He claims that these four people lasted 16 days on a boat with no food or water.  A SIMPLE GOOGLE SEARCH would've informed him that a person can't go more than 3 days without water and 7 without food. He also says they drank their friend's blood - THIS IS ALSO UNSAFE. After 3 or 4 numbers, my friend and I still had no idea who anyone was or why we should care about them. The performances were solid though.

 

 

Updated On: 10/29/24 at 11:18 PM

[kennin]

Posted: 10/29/24 at 11:26pm

Adeliciaboy said: "Please someone save me from total madness. I was at the first preview tonight and all I have to say is what a horrid sack of excrement this whole endeavor is. What nerve it took for the producers to haul this piece of pretentious nonsense into New York City, which has seen a steady stream, of disasters this past year. But I’ve seen most of them and this is by far the worst. The first45 minutes of the 90 minute show is filled with salty sailors prancing around on stage stomping their feet in whatis supposed to pass for choreography i guess. When they aren’t stompting they are spouting gibberish that sounds as if they all just got their doctoral degrees. No one talks in lengthy lines of dialogue like this in the real world and it is beyond laughable in this show. The second half is nothing more than four guys sitting around in a dinghy waiting for them to decide one of them has to die. It’s pure torture to listen to as the dinghy slowly revolving as we wait for the murder to come. Book writer John Logan and director Michael Mayerare by no means newcomers to theater but they have no right to inflict this on a Broadwaywhich nowadays is composed of clueless tourists and idiotic influencers who just want handouts and god knows what else. The theater is dying folks and exercises like this are only hastening its demise. And I can’t conclude these remarks without mentioning the outrageous treatment the audience was submitted to as they waited in a line that snaked around two blocks until the very last minute before curtain. It was unprofessionalism of the worst sort. Yeah I’m talking about you Mathew Masten. I can’t believe this man, with whom I’m unfamiliar, claims to have been involved with “Side Show” a true masterpiece (at least the original incarnation) which never got its due."

 

I was there tonight as well and am still processing the show   What I will talk about is the line   We were about 25-30 people from the front placing us in the tight space of the construction zone where people could not pass the line in both directions at the same time. The construction workers then arrived, opened the doors of the site and started working.  I, and the people around me, were covered in dust as they were sawing and working inside   People were coughing, putting their heads in their jackets, covering their mouths with tissues and doing whatever possible while their clothes were being covered with specks of construction dust  that they were also breathing in.  I attend a lot of shows and this was the worst experience ever whole being in line.  There was nowhere to move and the smell of the dust stayed on me until I got home and showered.  My frustration was made worse by the social media team gathering a crowd to scream in excitement on demand while no one could see those of us who were struggling 10 feet behind them.  I bought water when I finally got into the theater but my throat was still irritated from the dust.   I did speak to the theater manager and made her aware of the situation and suggested that the line go in the other direction.   If you are going, please bring a mask just in case.   

 

[inception]

Posted: 10/29/24 at 11:49pm

I haven't seen the show yet.  But regarding the facts of the ship wreck, the story is loosely based upon the real wreck of the Mignonette in 1867.  The Wikipedia article says they lasted 8 days drinking

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

their urine

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/R_v_Dudley_and_Stephens

[RippedMan]

Posted: 11/1/24 at 8:41am

alli2 said: "I was there tonight. I have never been so offended by plot inaccuracies as I was by the gaping holes that are in this book. This book is a mess and I hope John overhauls the entire thing. He claims that these four people lasted 16 days on a boat with no food or water. A SIMPLE GOOGLE SEARCH would've informed him that a person can't go more than 3 days without water and 7 without food. He also says they drank their friend's blood - THIS IS ALSO UNSAFE. After 3 or 4 numbers, my friend and I still had no idea who anyone was or why we should care about them. The performances were solid though.

It has had two out of town tryouts, so I would think the book is going to remain the same. 


"

 

[Melissa25]

Posted: 11/1/24 at 9:03am

The line waiting to get in at the Longacre was ridiculous for Lempicka too. You have to wait in that construction tunnel covered in scaffolding. If you can use the facilities elsewhere and show up at 5 minutes before, you’ll avoid much of the mayhem.

[Lavieboheme3090]

Posted: 11/1/24 at 12:10pm

Saw Swept Away last night and thought it was beautifully sung, acted, and the direction was stunning. That being said, unfortunately, the story fell flat for me. Forty-five minutes into a one act show, the characters were still repeating the same things about themselves. Kudos to the creative team for really swinging for the fences with the show, but in the end, it didn’t quite hit the mark.

[Tkristop]

Posted: 11/6/24 at 6:53pm

Anyone else seen this show this week and can comment how it is? 

[Shubert Alley Cat]

Posted: 11/6/24 at 8:25pm

Lavieboheme3090 said: "Saw Swept Away last night and thought it was beautifully sung, acted, and the direction was stunning. That being said, unfortunately, the story fell flat for me. Forty-five minutes into a one actshow, the characters were still repeating the same things about themselves. Kudos to the creative team for really swinging for the fences with the show, but in the end, it didn’t quite hit the mark."

I saw the show Monday night and completely agree with this entire review.  Much to admire but ultimately for me it was just dull from the storytelling perspective.

[Adeliciaboy]

Posted: 11/6/24 at 10:22pm

Would someone who has seen the show and commented favorably about the direction please explain to me how he or she reached that conclusion and still found the show flat and dull.  Unless I'm missing something, the responsibility of the director is to create a show that excites audiences rather than putting them to sleep. 

I also find it odd that there has been so little response  of any sort to the show on this board.  The Tammy Faye crowd is going bonkers posting their scores of negative reviews of the show, with which I mostly agree.

But it appears "Swept Away" is barely generating any reaction, which tells me it won't be long for this world.  That is unless the press representative already has cut a deal with the New York Times regarding the paper of record's assessment of the show.  Stranger things have happened.  

[DrMonicaDeMoneco]

Posted: 11/6/24 at 11:41pm

Adeliciaboy said: "Please someone save me from total madness. I was at the first preview tonight and all I have to say is what a horrid sack of excrement this whole endeavor is. What nerve it took for the producers to haul this piece of pretentious nonsense into New York City, which has seen a steady stream, of disasters this past year. But I’ve seen most of them and this is by far the worst. The first45 minutes of the 90 minute show is filled with salty sailors prancing around on stage stomping their feet in whatis supposed to pass for choreography i guess. When they aren’t stompting they are spouting gibberish that sounds as if they all just got their doctoral degrees. No one talks in lengthy lines of dialogue like this in the real world and it is beyond laughable in this show. The second half is nothing more than four guys sitting around in a dinghy waiting for them to decide one of them has to die. It’s pure torture to listen to as the dinghy slowly revolving as we wait for the murder to come. Book writer John Logan and director Michael Mayerare by no means newcomers to theater but they have no right to inflict this on a Broadwaywhich nowadays is composed of clueless tourists and idiotic influencers who just want handouts and god knows what else. The theater is dying folks and exercises like this are only hastening its demise. And I can’t conclude these remarks without mentioning the outrageous treatment the audience was submitted to as they waited in a line that snaked around two blocks until the very last minute before curtain. It was unprofessionalism of the worst sort. Yeah I’m talking about you Mathew Masten. I can’t believe this man, with whom I’m unfamiliar, claims to have been involved with “Side Show” a true masterpiece (at least the original incarnation) which never got its due."

So… you loved it?

[SisterGeorge]

Posted: 11/7/24 at 6:40pm

Lavieboheme3090 said: "Saw Swept Away last night and thought it was beautifully sung, acted, and the direction was stunning. That being said, unfortunately, the story fell flat for me. Forty-five minutes into a one actshow, the characters were still repeating the same things about themselves. Kudos to the creative team for really swinging for the fences with the show, but in the end, it didn’t quite hit the mark."

And after a fairly engaging start, the score also becomes quite repetitive. 

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 11/7/24 at 10:21pm

Hoo Boy, that sure wasn't what I was expecting tonight. As I said at the top of this page for some reason, this is the show I had been most looking forward to. Like I'd say to a child - "I'm not angry at you, I'm disappointed." That 95 minutes seemed to take a hell of a long time to pass. The first 45 minutes or so was confusing to me since I just couldn't get a read on what the hell type of musical I was watching or even what the plot was. More than a couple times I got the feeling I was watching a religious show and was going to learn about Jesus. I mean it all sounded good and I suppose direction and choreography were good but I just didn't really know what the point was and that just made the whole thing DRAG. Then

*SPOILERS?* 

The shipwreck happens and the next 45 minutes is spent on the boat and again I kept thinking "What. Is. The. Point. Here?" There were no real stakes set up beforehand, no *real* character development beyond very basic "getting to know you" type stuff. When finally the big tension happens, I really perked up and thought FINALLY. Some good direction and the script got good for those last few minutes but too little too late for me. Just one of the bigger disappointments for me in quite a long time which again is odd, since I went in knowing nothing about it. But I wouldn't recommend this to anyone, sadly.