Swept Away Review: A Tale Of How To Not Lose Hope When Stuck In A Bleak Situation

With some exclusive insight from one of the leads, Adrian Blake Enscoe.

For those with a particular interest in maritime law or tragic events at sea, you may be familiar with the story of The Mignonette. And for those who are fans of The Avett Brothers, you might recognize the same name from their album. Both of these are significant clues as to what you’ll experience in the new Broadway musical Swept Away.

Without giving too much away, the story of The Mignonette begins in 1884, when an Australian man purchased a yacht he wanted delivered to Sydney. He hired a crew of four men to sail the vessel from Southampton to the Cape of Good Hope. During the voyage, the ship was overwhelmed by a storm and sank. The four men survived on a small, poorly equipped dinghy, where they spent the next 20 days battling dehydration, starvation, and despair.  

Rather than creating a musical that simply retells the events of The Mignonette, Swept Away takes creative liberties, using the basic premise to craft a new narrative. In this version, the story centers on a larger crew of 15 hardworking men embarking on a whaling voyage off the coast of the Americas.

The musical opens with the Mate (John Gallagher Jr.) in a hospital, haunted by the ghosts of the Little Brother (Adrian Blake Enscoe), the Big Brother (Stark Sands), and the Captain (Wayne Duvall). Right from the start, it’s clear that these three characters are dead, while the Mate has somehow survived. His interactions with their ghosts suggest a deep guilt, setting the stage for the tragedy that will unfold. The audience is immediately drawn in, eager to learn what went wrong on this ill-fated voyage.

The scene shifts to the past, where we meet the entire crew as they set sail on the whaling expedition. The Mate, the most experienced sailor, knows the ins and outs of life at sea. The Captain, an authoritative figure, demands respect from his crew. This voyage will be his last, and he’s determined to make sure it goes smoothly — a sentiment that proves to be tragically ironic. Then there are the two brothers: the Little Brother, a teenage runaway eager to escape the predetermined life waiting for him back home, and the Big Brother, who has come along only to bring him back. However, circumstances change, and both brothers find themselves aboard the ship as it departs.

From there, the stage is set for the tragic events to unfold. Using the music from The Avett Brothers’ album Mignonette, the musical takes us through the tale of how the ship went down and how the four remaining crew members survived — or rather, how they perished.

The musical is ambitious, with much of its complexity paying off. At only 95 minutes, the pace is quick, and the story introduces key conflicts early on. What works particularly well is how Swept Away sets up simple but powerful emotional conflicts, especially between the two brothers, and allows the characters to grow organically from there. The Little Brother’s desire to break free from a life that’s already mapped out for him resonates with the audience, while the Big Brother’s protective instincts and his deep sense of responsibility for his sibling are equally compelling. Many of us have been on both sides of this dynamic, which makes these characters feel incredibly relatable.

Another strength of Swept Away is how it integrates The Avett Brothers’ music into the narrative. Their folk-Americana style enhances both the character development and the storytelling. One of the musical’s most memorable moments occurs when the Big Brother and Little Brother sing a newly created song, “Lord Lay Your Hand on My Shoulder,” as they pray to stay true to their faith. This song is seamlessly blended with “Ain’t No Man,” and through this combination, we get a glimpse into Little Brother’s inner turmoil, his personal struggle with faith, and his relationship with his brother. The fusion of these two songs is not only musically powerful but also emotionally rich, providing insight into Little Brother’s past and his evolving character.

It’s a tight ship. The words carry you — the words of the songs carry you. We’ve gotten very clear on how the arc of each song unfolds and how the Avetts’ lyrics are woven into the story. 

The cast’s performances are another standout. The actors not only convey the emotions of the songs beautifully, but they also manage to maintain intricate choreography while staying in perfect vocal harmony. While this level of skill is expected in a Broadway musical, it remains impressive and adds to the overall spectacle.

At the musical’s midpoint, the ship is struck by a storm and is taken under, which shifts the tone of the show dramatically. The intensity increases, and the story becomes significantly darker. It’s in this moment that the cast’s hard work truly shines. Without giving too much away, the choreography in this scene is nothing short of extraordinary. The movement on stage creates the illusion that the entire crew is being tossed overboard, adding to the immersion of the experience.

David Newman, our choreographer, paints the scene… then suddenly a picture emerges of this whole world where something is happening in every corner of the ship. If you came back and watched again, you’d see every person inhabiting every inch of this big boat. The spirit of it is to make the ship feel so vibrant, so full of life, that when it’s gone, it’s devastating.

The remaining four crew members are stranded in the dinghy, uncertain of what awaits them. Over the course of 21 days, the story tracks their desperate struggle for survival and their slow descent into madness. It’s here that we learn the true reason behind the Mate’s overwhelming guilt.

A standout performance comes from Adrian Blake Enscoe as the Little Brother. His portrayal of a character full of hope and life draws the audience in, creating a sense of authenticity that makes Little Brother feel like a real person. Enscoe’s ability to bring The Avett Brothers’ music to life is mesmerizing, but it’s his performance in the later stages of the musical, when Little Brother is injured, starving, and delirious, that truly shines. And it is not surprise that he is able to really use the music of the Avett Brothers and the score to bring this performance to life since he has a similar musical style when playing with his band Bandits on the Run (who now have a residency at the Bowery Electric). Enscoe’s portrayal of the character’s suffering is gut-wrenching, and it’s no surprise that Little Brother is one of the most likeable characters in the show. Enscoe’s commitment to the role makes his performance all the more powerful.

Despite the bleakness of the story, one of the core themes of Swept Away is not despair, but hope. As the four crew members fight for survival, they hold on to dreams of what they’ll do when they’re rescued, imagining a life after the storm. This sense of hope persists throughout the musical, even as it evolves into something darker by the end. The hope that the audience feels in the beginning is the same hope that carries them through to the end — though its form is transformed by the journey.

A more subversive theme that emerges is the idea of camaraderie. The boat is not only a physical vessel that propels the plot, but also a metaphor for the idea that we are all in this together.

We only have each other, and ultimately, we’re all on this boat. Things can get dark, but the only way through it is by leaning on each other… You get a salvation at the end. The whole story is about telling the truth and facing what you’ve done. You can tell the story of your life, but you can’t run from the sum of your actions. You have to confront both the good and the bad in order to move on.