Swept Away @ the Longacre Theatre

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The Play: Swept Away; four shipwrecked seamen are faced with a terrible choice about how to save themselves in this dark and sober musical about sacrifice and redemption

Music and Lyrics by: The Avett Brothers    Book by: John Logan    Directed by: Michael Mayer

One good thing: John Gallagher Jr. as a gruff veteran mate and Stark Sands as an unwilling but sensitive recruit are both fine but the show’s real star is Rachel Hauck’s set, which beautifully creates a 19th century whaling ship during the first half of this 90-minute show and then, assisted by Kevin Adams’ muscular lighting and John Shivers’ visceral soundscape, transforms during the shipwreck

One not-so-great thing:  The Avett Brothers’ folk rock songs, taken from one of their earlier albums about a real similar shipwreck, are pretty and fit the story but they sound so much the same that the score became a sonic blur for me

 

 

 

 

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