Complete casting has been announced for the Broadway premiere of “Swept Away.” The previously announced musical, which features a score of new and previously composed songs by the Avett Brothers, will begin previews on Oct. 29 and open on Nov. 19 at the Longacre Theatre. Michael Mayer will direct and David Neumann will choreograph.
“Swept Away” will be led by a principal company of Tony Award winner John Gallagher Jr. as Mate, Tony nominee Stark Sands as Big Brother, Adrian Blake Enscoe as Little Brother and Wayne Duvall as Captain, all of whom will reprise these performances from “Swept Away”’s 2022 Berkeley Repertory Theatre and 2023 Arena Stage engagements.
Gallagher won the 2007 Tony Award for his featured turn in “Spring Awakening.” He has also appeared in 2006’s “Rabbit Hole,” 2010’s “American Idiot,” 2011’s “Jerusalem" and the 2016 revival of “Long Day’s Journey into Night.”
Sands received his first Tony nomination the same year as Gallagher, earning a nod for his featured turn in “Journey’s End.” He was again nominated in 2013 for his leading role in “Kinky Boots.” Sands played opposite Gallagher in “American Idiot” (also directed by Mayer), appeared in 2018’s “To Kill a Mockingbird,” and, most recently, originated the role of Shakespeare in 2022’s “& Juliet.”
“Swept Away” will mark the Main Stem debut of Enscoe, who is known for playing Austin Dickinson on the Apple TV series “Dickinson.” Enscoe is a musician with the indie folk band Bandits on the Run.
Duvall made his Broadway debut in the 2017 stage adaptation of “1984.” His other stage credits include the Off-Broadway run of “The Legend of Georgia McBride” and the Encores! stagings of “Big River” and “Of Thee I Sing.”
They will be joined by returning ensemble members from the Arena Stage mounting, including Hunter Brown, Matt DeAngelis, Cameron Johnson, Brandon Kalm, Michael J. Mainwaring, Orville Mendoza, Tyrone L. Robinson and John Sygar. New to the company will be ensemble members Josh Breckenridge and Rico LeBron, in addition to swings John Michael Finley, Chase Peacock, Robert Pendilla and David Rowen. Casting is by Jim Carnahan, Jillian Cimini and Alexandre Bleau.
Featuring a book by John Logan, “Swept Away” chronicles the crew of a whaling ship as they are faced with a shipwreck. The musical is inspired by the real-life Mignonette shipwreck of 1884. Songs from the 2004 Avett Brothers album “Mignonette,” also inspired by the same event, will be featured.
“Swept Away” is being produced by Matthew Masten, Sean Hudock and Madison Wells Live.
