Director Michael Mayer’s latest production has been extended — yet again.
Musical Swept Away will run additional dates Berkeley Rep has announced. The January 9 – March 6, 2022 extension is the “second and final time,” per The Rep.
Tickets are now available. Organizers say all patrons must present a vaccination card with marching ID. Additionally, masks must be worn at all times.
Based on the book by John Logan, Swept Away, is a tale of 19th century survival:
John Gallagher, Jr. will appear in Berkeley Rep’s world premiere production of Swept Away. Photo by Daniel King
Tony Award-winning director Michael Mayer (Spring Awakening, Hedwig and the Angry Inch) blew the roof off Berkeley Rep in 2009 with Green Day’s American Idiot. Now he returns with a captivating world premiere musical, this time featuring a book by Tony Award-winning stage and screen writer John Logan (Red, Broadway’s Moulin Rouge!, Skyfall, Gladiator), and music and lyrics by “America’s biggest roots band” (Rolling Stone) and multiple Grammy Award nominee The Avett Brothers.
1888, off the coast of New Bedford, MA. When a violent storm sinks their whaling ship, the four surviving souls—a young man in search of adventure, his big brother who has 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—each face a reckoning: How far will I go to stay alive? And can I live with the consequences?
Note that concessions are not available. The musical runs 90 minutes with no intermission.
On Stage:
Swept Away
Where: Berkeley Rep Theatre, Berkeley (Peet’s Theatre)
When: January 6 – March 6, 2022
Book by John Logan
Music and Lyrics by The Avett Brothers
Music Arrangements and Orchestrations by Chris Miller and Brian Usifer
Choreography by David Neumann
Directed by Michael Mayer
World Premiere
Cast members include John Gallagher, Jr. (Mate), Stark Sands (Older Brother), Adrian Blake Enscoe (Little Brother), and Wayne Duvall (Captain). Members of the ensemble include Taurean Everett, Cameron Johnson, Ben Toomer, Vishal Vaidya, and Jacob Keith Watson.
The creative team includes Rachel Hauck (scenic designer), Susan Hilferty (costume designer), Kevin Adams (lighting designer) Kai Harada (sound designer), and David Neumann (choreographer).
Here at Stark Insider we’re pleased to see theater companies continue to contend with the challenges of Covid, no matter the difficulty and stress. Non-profits have surely suffered greatly for almost two years now. We’re hoping Bay Area arts organizations — and those across the country and world — can somehow navigate their way, and retain connections with audiences who are desperate for the inspiration that live theater affords.
On Stage:
