John Gallagher Jr. makes waves in Avett Brothers musical

John Gallagher Jr. is dying. At least, his character is at the opening of Swept Away, the new Avett Brothers’ jukebox musical that opened at the Longacre Theatre on Tuesday. As he wheezes out his last breaths in a tuberculosis ward, dressed in a blood-spattered bathrobe, he is visited by the spirits of three men — Captain (Wayne Duvall), Big Brother (Stark Sands), and Little Brother (Adrian Blake Enscoe) — who demand that he tell their story before the Grim Reaper comes to collect. What he proceeds to recount is one of the most harrowing and captivating tales currently on Broadway. 

Written by John Logan (Sweeney Todd, Moulin Rouge! the Musical), Swept Away draws its story from the Avett Brothers’ 2004 album Mignonette, which itself was inspired by the real-life sinking of a yacht off South Africa’s Cape of Good Hope — and its crew’s grisly actions in the name of survival — in 1884. However, instead of a direct retelling, Logan leans into his Penny Dreadful side as he reimagines the disaster as a poignant gothic horror story about morality, truth, brotherhood, trauma, grief, and, ultimately, forgiveness. And, if that wasn’t impressive enough, he somehow manages to compress the entire emotional odyssey into just 90 nail-biting minutes. 

Set in 1888, Swept Away follows Mate (Gallagher) and the Captain as they prepare to set out on one last whaling voyage out of New Bedford, Mass. before their ship is sent to the junkyard. Just before they embark on their journey, their vessel is boarded by Little Brother, a starry-eyed farmer’s son who is tired of tilling the Earth and wants to see the world. He’s followed closely behind by his stern Big Brother, who attempts to wrangle his free-spirited sibling back to dry land only to discover that, to his horror, the ship has set sail during their argument.

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As they chart a brand new course together, Little Brother wrestles with whether to align himself with his new, cool, rapscallion of a pal, Mate, or with his pious, stiff upper-lipped sibling. The decision, however, soon becomes the least of his problems after a calamitous storm rips their ship apart and leaves the quartet stranded aboard a teensy lifeboat miles away from land with no food or water, forcing them all to confront just how far they’ll go to survive. 

While its characters might be navigating uncharted waters, a compact rock musical like Swept Away is familiar territory for director Michael Mayer, who previously condensed Green Day’s American Idiot into a Tony award-winning, 90-minute rock opera featuring Gallagher and Sands over a decade ago. He expertly steers Swept Away with an assured hand, luring theatergoers in with the sweet siren song of the sea before plunging them headfirst into bleak, unforgiving waters that left many in the audience sniffling by the end of its voyage. By omitting an intermission, he places viewers in the same boat as its stars, denying them any reprieve from the relentless waves of misery unfolding onstage and prompting them to question what they’d do in the same situation. 

It cannot be emphasized enough just how important the bond between Swept Away’s core four performers is, especially when they’re all confined onto a rowboat for the entirety of the show’s second half. Without their connection — all of them have been with the production since it originated at the Berkeley Rep in 2022 — the overwhelming tensions and desperate decisions made during its pulse-pounding second half wouldn’t be nearly as affecting. Chief among them is the tie between Sands and Enscoe, who deliver wonderfully, relatable performances as brothers who may not always see eye-to-eye, but their love for one another never wavers. 

Although Big Brother initially sticks out like a sore thumb amongst the rest of the crew thanks to his devout disposition and unwavering protective streak, Sands skillfully finds moments to highlight the character’s softer side, especially during a scene in which he tragically admits that he’s never been afforded the chance to dream quite as big as his younger sibling. His stoicism is perfectly contrasted by Enscoe’s Little Brother, who serves as the musical’s ray of sunshine as they gleefully bound across the ship’s hull, hug a barrel tight while waxing poetic about their lover Melody Anne, and cuddle up to Big Brother when times get tough. Despite its title, the pair’s performance of “Murder in the City” is one of the more touching moments of the show.

Gallagher, who won a Tony for his performance in Mayer’s Spring Awakening, brings a smarmy, beguiling nature to his unpredictable seafaring stranger. As the narrator, he often breaks the fourth wall to bring some much-needed levity and, in other moments, he almost pleads with the audience to forgive — or, at the very least, understand — the method to his slowly metastasizing madness. Duvall, who projects a tough exterior at the beginning, all but deflates when the tides turn on them, giving a stellar performance as a shattered man so wracked with survivor’s guilt that he can’t bring himself to action when hysteria sets in onboard. 

Put them all together — and allow them to beautifully harmonize to the tune of the Avett Brothers’ greatest hits  — and it’s a true recipe for success. The rock band’s songs not only progress the overall story, but also serve as a solid introduction to the Avett Brothers’ unique bluegrass, folk, and rock sound. Established fans will delight in seeing how their catalog takes on a life of its own within the musical’s visually distinct setting. While most of the tracks come from the band’s catalog, they did pen one new song, titled “Lord Lay Your Hand on My Shoulder,” in order to seal the deal on one deeply moving scene.

That’s all without even mentioning Rachel Hauck’s gorgeous staging, which sees its full-masted ship glide smoothly across phosphorus-tinted waters before cracking in half like a treasure chest to reveal a simple rowboat. Above it, a collection of mirrors provides another vantage point into the tiny space. As the tides of fortune spin, so does the boat, allowing lightning designer Kevin Adams to spotlight specific occupants in ghostly green, devilish red, and soft sunrise hues. 

Without spoiling anything, Swept Away is a musical that will keep viewers on their toes until its final moments — even if it does rush its ending a smidge. In fact, attendees may find themselves wanting to take in a secondary viewing (after the adrenaline wears off, of course) to catch glimpses of what they missed the first time around; I’m certain that there were subtle cues from each of the actors that I didn’t notice in my flurry to catch all of the action. But, be prepared: The powerful performances and message of brotherhood and sacrifice will stick with you long afterward. Steel your heart, grab a lifejacket, and set sail for the Longacre Theatre as soon as possible. Grade: A