Avett Brothers Musical Swept Away Sets World Premiere at Berkeley Rep

Berkeley Repertory Theatre has announced the world premiere musical Swept Away, slated to appear as part of the California theater's 2019-2020 season. Michael Mayer will direct the tuner, which features the Grammy-nominated music of the Avett Brothers, scheduled to begin performances in June 2020.

With a book by John Logan, Swept Away is set in 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 older 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.

The Avett Brothers made mainstream waves with their major label debut, I and Love and You, later earning acclaim for The Carpenter, Magpie and the Dandelion and True Sadness, which achieved their highest career debut to date. Recently, the band released three new songs, "Roses and Sacrifice," "Trouble Letting Go" and "Neapolitan Sky."

Swept Away will feature music arrangements and orchestrations by Chris Miller and Brian Usifer. Casting will be announced soon.

Berkeley Rep's new season will also include productions of The Great Wave, Culture Clash (Still) in America and School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play.