The Avett Brothers musical “Swept Away” is heading to Broadway this fall

Folk-rock band the Avett Brothers have announced that their musical, Swept away, will head to Broadway this fall. The musical, set in 1888, follows four sailors, including two brothers, who are hit by a violent storm that puts their ship ashore in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Centered on “a young man in search of adventure, his older brother sworn to protect him, a captain at the end of a long career at sea, and a worldly first mate who has fallen from grace,” the musical questions whether the survivors have what ,what they need to stay alive. The Michael Mayer-directed production draws inspiration from an 1884 production wreck of the British yacht Mignonettewhere its surviving crew — deprived of food and water — resorted to cannibalism.

With music and lyrics by the Avett Brothers, most of the music comes from the 2004 album. Mignonette, which shares the title of the 19th century shipwreck. The musical also features tracks from their other albums and features an original song created for the musical. (The Avett Brothers debuted the musical's title song in 2021.) The musical features a book by Tony Award winner John Logan (Red, Moulin Rouge! The musical).

The Avett Brothers announced the Broadway show Friday during a concert at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens. They invited actors John Gallagher Jr., Stark Sands, Adrian Blake Enscoe and Wayne Duvall to join them on stage as “the cast of the soon-to-be official Broadway show.” The four actors had done previous iterations of the show.

Swept away it was previously performed at the Berkeley Repertory Theater in California in 2022 and at Arena Stage in Washington this past winter. Swept away will be held at a Shubert theater this fall, although dates and venue have yet to be announced. The Avett Brothers have released their new album, The Avett BrothersFriday.