Previews of Swept Away, the new Broadway musical based on the music of the renowned Avett Brothers, have already thrilled fans and generated buzz ahead of its opening day on November 19. After successful runs at Berkeley Repertory and D.C.’s Arena Stage, the show has found its new home at the Longacre Theatre.
To celebrate the start of its New York City run—and to honor the dedicated fans who have traveled across the country with the cast and crew—the main cast performed a song from the show during a secret concert outside the Longacre Theatre on the first night of previews. Fans lined the barricades outside the stage door, hoping for a chance to see the actors after their performance, holding posters and seeking autographs. To their surprise, the main cast—Adrian Blake Enscoe, Wayne Duvall, Tony winner John Gallagher Jr., and Tony nominee Stark Sands—performed A Gift for Melody Anne right outside the theater. The fans who stayed for the impromptu after-show performance were ecstatic to have the experience continue beyond the curtain call.
As Enscoe made his rounds following the pop-up performance, he made sure to connect with fans while signing posters. Coming from a musical background as a member of the folk band Bandits on the Run, building relationships with audiences comes naturally to him. “The grassroots is so important,” Enscoe emphasized. “It’s really cool to talk to people that saw the Berkeley show and now they’re seeing this one and going, like, oh my god.” Enscoe added that the energy and stage feel “bigger and more hallowed” than the venues he had performed at previously. Even so, the show strives to create an intimate experience for audiences. “We want people to feel like they’re in the boat with us at the end.”
Reflecting on the message of the show, Enscoe shared that audiences should take away themes of love and resilience in times of hardship. “Things can fall apart in life, and it can feel like it’s the end, and there’s still love there. There’s still the people around you. It can get you through the hardest, darkest spots.” Whether love is enough for these four shipwrecked crew members to survive is something audiences will have to discover for themselves. Enscoe makes his Broadway debut this Tuesday on the official opening night of Swept Away.
